{"id":33620,"date":"2020-09-14T12:28:25","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T16:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=33620"},"modified":"2020-09-15T13:44:21","modified_gmt":"2020-09-15T17:44:21","slug":"nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/","title":{"rendered":"NYRA Calls 2020 Race Meet Without Fans A Success, With Handle Topping $700 Million"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The 2020 meet at Saratoga Race Course was conducted without spectators due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but all-source handle topped $700 million.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) successfully concluded its 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course without interruption and with all-sources handle topping $700 million for the second consecutive year, officials said.
\nThe meet was conducted without spectators and with only a limited number of essential personnel, horsemen and owners on-site due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
\nNYRA said all-sources handle for the 2020 summer meet totaled $702,535,468 compared to $705,343,949 wagered from all sources on Saratoga in 2019.
\nAverage daily handle for the 40-day meet was $17,563,387. The 2019 meet, which was run across 39 days due to the cancellation of a day of racing due to weather, generated average daily handle of $18,085,742.
\nPari-mutuel wagering funds the majority of the NYRA purse account, which is awarded to horsemen and, in turn, benefits hundreds of small businesses operating at NYRA tracks and others dependent on the thoroughbred racing industry.
\n\u201cNYRA thanks the horsemen and women as well as the entire backstretch community whose professionalism and dedication in adhering to our COVID-19 protocols enabled us to conduct our summer meet without interruption,\u201d said NYRA President and CEO Dave O\u2019Rourke. \u201cWe would also like to thank city and county leaders for their efforts in working with us to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants, and the Saratoga community for welcoming us without reservation.
\n\u201cWhile the 2020 Saratoga meet was a success in many ways, it will most be remembered for the absence of our passionate fans and the irreplaceable energy that they bring to Saratoga each summer. Despite not being able to attend in person, horseplayers watched and wagered with tremendous enthusiasm, and we thank them for their continued support.\u201d
\nNYRA said a total of 409 races were run this summer including 226 on dirt and 183 on the turf. 32 races were taken off the turf due to weather. Average field size over the 409 races was 7.4. This compares to 403 total races run in 2019, including 225 on dirt and 178 on turf. 38 were taken off the turf due to weather.
\nKlaravich Stables was the meet\u2019s leading owner with 13 wins. Trainer Todd Pletcher claimed the H. Allen Jerkens training title for the 14th time in his illustrious career with 32 wins. The Ortiz brothers battled down to the final race of the meet as Irad Ortiz, Jr. edged out Jose Ortiz 59 to 58 to claim the Angel Cordero Jr. riding title.
\nNYRA Bets, the official betting partner for Saratoga Race Course, experienced significant growth during the meet. NYRA and locally-based Stewart\u2019s Shops partnered this summer to unveil a new method for fans to fund their NYRA Bets accounts through the introduction of NYRA Bets Gift Cards. NYRA said horseplayers responded enthusiastically and purchased more than 12,000 gift cards at Stewart\u2019s Shops between Opening Day and Labor Day.
\nDuring this season without spectators, fans turned to Saratoga Live, NYRA\u2019s award-winning television program, in greater numbers than ever before. Average viewership of Saratoga Live on FS1 totaled approximately 120,000, while just under 1.3 million viewers watched the Runhappy Travers on FOX, according to NYRA.
\nOverall time spent viewing Saratoga Live increased by 300 percent during the more than 210 hours of live programming broadcast on FOX Sports throughout the meet.
\nNYRA was active on the charitable front to help support the Saratoga community during the pandemic. NYRA Cares generated $13,380 for the Adirondack Trust Co. Community Fund which will distribute the money to locally-based charities and non-profit organizations impacted by COVID-19. The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce raised the funds through an online auction of items provided by NYRA as well as through donations from fans.
\nNYRA donated $20,000 to four Saratoga Springs charities through the sale of Saratoga Race Course-branded face masks. NYRA worked closely with Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly in selecting the beneficiaries which provide food, shelter and other critical resources. The funds were divided evenly among AIM Services, Inc.; Franklin Community Center; Shelters of Saratoga and the SNACpack Program (Saratoga Nutrition Assistance for Children).
\n\u201cNYRA has not only been an outstanding partner from a philanthropic standpoint, but also as a leader in the continued effort to keep our community safe,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cFor months, we have worked closely with NYRA to ensure this year\u2019s meet would be a success despite the challenging environment.\u201d
\nLive racing returns to Belmont Park on Friday, Sept. 18, for the 27-day fall meet, which includes 38 stakes worth $5.58 million in purse money. The meet runs through Sunday, Nov. 1.
\nFor more information, visit NYRA.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) successfully concluded its 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course without interruption and with all-sources handle topping $700 million for the second consecutive year, officials said. The meet was conducted without spectators and with only a limited number of essential personnel, horsemen and owners on-site due to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":33621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nNYRA Calls 2020 Race Meet Without Fans A Success, With Handle Topping $700 Million - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NYRA Calls 2020 Race Meet Without Fans A Success, With Handle Topping $700 Million - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) successfully concluded its 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course without interruption and with all-sources handle topping $700 million for the second consecutive year, officials said. The meet was conducted without spectators and with only a limited number of essential personnel, horsemen and owners on-site due to the […]\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-14T16:28:25+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-09-15T17:44:21+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2020\/09\/trackphoto-scaled.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1705\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"jessewinters\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"jessewinters\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/\",\"name\":\"NYRA Calls 2020 Race Meet Without Fans A Success, With Handle Topping $700 Million - Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-14T16:28:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-09-15T17:44:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/b937a48daf87d7a8bd713a73b5d6a1ae\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NYRA Calls 2020 Race Meet Without Fans A Success, With Handle Topping $700 Million\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\",\"name\":\"Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/b937a48daf87d7a8bd713a73b5d6a1ae\",\"name\":\"jessewinters\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b496e0843f9d888b12500994b6a8562b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b496e0843f9d888b12500994b6a8562b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"jessewinters\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/jessewinters\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NYRA Calls 2020 Race Meet Without Fans A Success, With Handle Topping $700 Million - Glens Falls Business Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NYRA Calls 2020 Race Meet Without Fans A Success, With Handle Topping $700 Million - Glens Falls Business Journal","og_description":"The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) successfully concluded its 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course without interruption and with all-sources handle topping $700 million for the second consecutive year, officials said. The meet was conducted without spectators and with only a limited number of essential personnel, horsemen and owners on-site due to the […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/","og_site_name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","article_published_time":"2020-09-14T16:28:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-09-15T17:44:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1705,"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2020\/09\/trackphoto-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"jessewinters","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"jessewinters","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/","name":"NYRA Calls 2020 Race Meet Without Fans A Success, With Handle Topping $700 Million - Glens Falls Business Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-09-14T16:28:25+00:00","dateModified":"2020-09-15T17:44:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/b937a48daf87d7a8bd713a73b5d6a1ae"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/nyra-calls-2020-race-meet-without-fans-a-success-with-handle-topping-700-million\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NYRA Calls 2020 Race Meet Without Fans A Success, With Handle Topping $700 Million"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/","name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/b937a48daf87d7a8bd713a73b5d6a1ae","name":"jessewinters","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b496e0843f9d888b12500994b6a8562b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b496e0843f9d888b12500994b6a8562b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"jessewinters"},"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/jessewinters\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33620"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33620"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33622,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33620\/revisions\/33622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}