If you listen carefully enough in New York at about 1:10 p.m. Thursday afternoon, you might hear the words “They’re off at Saratoga!” chanted by a crowd from the north.
Opening Day at Saratoga is arguably one of the biggest days on the horse racing calendar in America — not because of lucrative stakes races or star horses running there, but rather because it marks the arrival of the nation’s most popular racing meet at an historic, magnificent gem of a race course.
Saratoga becomes the center of racing in America every summer, bringing upwards of a million fans to the foothills of the Adirondacks for crisp air, entertainment and incredible competition. This year’s season figures to feature plenty of exciting moments on and off the track.
Here are seven things to look out for as the Saratoga meet gets underway.
A new voice on the mic
The first thing you’ll notice Thursday at Saratoga is a new track announcer.
Frank Mirahmadi takes over the microphone from John Imbriale, who retired from full-time race-calling last year. Mirahmadi is the full-time track announcer at Santa Anita Park in California, and previously called races in our area at Monmouth Park; he also had a brief stint filling in for Imbriale as Aqueduct’s track announcer one recent fall.
Mirahmadi is also known for sometimes sprinkling impersonations into his race calls of celebrities like Robert DeNiro and Rodney Dangerfield, and sometimes other track announcers across the country. Maybe he’ll break out an impression or two at The Spa this meet.
Special events
There’s lots to do at Saratoga Race Course besides watching and wagering on the ponies.
The Taste of New York pavilion will offer Empire State-made goods every weekend. Bring the family every Sunday for full days of free family-friendly activities, games, attractions and educational activities. There’s also free concerts from the Purdy’s Summer Dance Stage almost every day of the meet.
Throughout the meet,…
Read the full article here
