Question For Saratoga Folks
 

Would Saratoga ever be considered as a host of the Breeders cup or is it simply too cold that time of year ?

I am not from Saratoga but have spent plenty of time there during all times of the year. Saratoga can be 55 or 30 degrees. It just doesn't make much sense as a BC venue IMO mainly because of how nasty it could be. I doubt it is much colder than Monmouth is going to be. Monmouth is not as "open air" as Saratoga though which might make it a little more tolerable on a cold and/or raw late October day.

There is no way they could undergo a "winterization" at the Spa like they did for Belmont in '90. The reason the '85 BC was at Aquedirt instead of Belmont was because it was winterized.

Originally I wanted to go to the Monmouth BC, but because of how the BC is treating people that don't spend a fortune for a seat and the possibility of inclement weather, I am taking a pass. I ain't spending $100 to sit on the clubhouse turn and freeze my ass off. I would feel the same way about Saratoga as much as I love the place.

I don't think weather enters into the decision making process. The held one in Toronto and I froze my ass off.

It's more about the facilities.

a couple years ago, we were at west point for a football game, the first saturday in nov. no way would i want to be at saratoga on the first of nov.

i don't see why they won't give saratoga the breeders cup for one year, back in 1996 they ran the cup at Woodbine supposedly as a one time favor for Charles Taylor, give Saratoga the breeders cup just one time no matter what the temperature is

It would also requiring moving all the NYRA equipment up from Belmont for one day and then moving it back afterwards. Doesn't make much sense when Belmont is already a good host.

belmont is not a good host in my opinion, back in 2005 they had what 57,000 people! thats crap! saratoga gets that for travers day! so saying saratoga doesn't have the space either is just another excuse

Saratoga had 38,000 people for Travers Day this year and as Da Hoss correctly pointed out most of those people are accomodated in the backyard/picnic area. Somehow I doubt that same situation will work for the BC and with Saratoga's roughly 5000 seating capacity I highly doubt even temporary bleachers could come even remotely close to filling the seating needs. Sniper also correctly pointed out that the costs in moving equipment to Saratoga would be prohibitive. Plus, there are virtually no indoor areas at the racetrack and little to nothing can ( or will ) be done to change that.

However, apparently none of that makes sense. Frankly, I don't understand why NYRA even utilizes Aqueduct and Belmont.....why not just continue racing at Saratoga until zero people come through the turnstyles. When the inevitable blizzardlike conditions create massive snow drifts on the turf course it would be a piece of cake to run an all-steeplechase meet.

Kentucky Downs would be a fantastic choice for the BC.

look at past attendances at Saratoga on Traver's Day, they've had crowds of 65,000 and have been able to accommodate all the people, put me on this bc committee and i'll get the breeders cup at saratoga LOL

Well, your ideas are certainly bad enough to qualify for a position. It wouldn't surprise me to see you heading the NTRA in the very near future.

Put me on the committee and i'll make sure the BC is at Kentucky Downs.

Oh and if anyone has power in the NFL...make me head NFL decider-in-chief and I'll add franchises in Chattanooga (Choo-Choo's) and Beaver Dam (It)

Andy is back....

hmmm ok and your ideas are what? jeez nobody on this damn board can take a joke

TMI

this is hilarious how all these threads turn out

65.000 on Travers day? You sure about that? The biggest days are giveaway spinner days.

sorry i was off by 4,000, back in 2001 they had 61,000

Ain't gonna be any warmer inside the facility

Also at Arlington Park in 2002..that was brutal...

On giveaway days they claim to have 70k but many leave w/out seeing a race and about 30k at spinners with 30 umbrellas/t shirts/glasses etc. The fact is that except a few offices and the rest rooms, you are never really INDOORS at Saratoga. The whole place is open, front and back. All you have is a roof over your heard. The clubhouse/grandstand complex seats about 8k. The bulk of the folks in attendance on the typical 30k day are sitting on benches outside, at picnic tables or ON THE GROUND if they are sitting at all.
I've been at the Spa on days when it was about 60 degrees and it's damn cold and there is no place to go. At least at Belmont most of the grandstand/clubhouse is enclosed. If I'm sitting in a reserved clubouse seat, I can go inside to warm up if needed.
As much as the idea is nice in theory, I'm really not for it. As pleasant as it would be to have a late season reunion with so many of my racing friends, here at home I can't say I'm in favor. I can recall trick or treating in snowstorms as a child and later with my own son. I am not sure what you do with 20k people planning on sitting outside when the temperature dips to 40 by the time of the Classic. At least folks will save money on ice to keep the beers cold.;) Keep 'em in the snowbanks!

lol...:D

The weather isn't the issue. They've held it in Chicago, and Canada for pete's sake. The risk of a cold weather blast would be no greater at Saratoga than it would be a Belmont or Monmouth.

They have plenty of space to hold out. Hell they've held it Lone Star Park which is as small of a venue you can get The no room and the weather is all BS.

The bottom line is to why they haven't held it a Saratoga is NYRA doesn't feel it would be worth the effort to strip down Belmont of all the equipment and ship it back up to Saratoga just for one day when they have everything all set up and ready to go at Belmont. That is the ONLY reason why Saratoga hasn't hosted.

There maybe a time in the future where Saratoga may host it, sort of Tribute sort of thing, kind of like when Fenway hosted the AllStar Game. I see that happening but you'll never see Saratoga in the rotation.

I am jumping through my skin, as I wait to post the actual weather of the Breeders Cup day in Saratoga this year. Some of you act like it is non-stop blizzard, freezing winds and freezing rain up here from September 1st to Memorial Day. I was unaware that Saratoga, NY is located so far north of Monmouth and Belmont that it is considered in the Artic Circle.

I have lived just outside of Saratoga for all of my life (outside of my college years). I have seen it snow in October, and I have seen heat waves in October. Most of these posts about the weather have just been so overly exaggerated that it borders on lunacy.

That being said...the logistics of having a BC at the Spa just does not add up, and (as much as I would like to have a BC at Saratoga) I highly doubt it would ever happen.

That's nonsense, also as pointed out the place has held in excess of 50,000 on non spinner Travers Day with the last huge outing was when Point Given ran and that had something like 61,000. The backyard area is a huge plus in Saratoga's favor. You act like eveyone is going to be huddled around garbage cans with a lit fire in it. It's not held in January, it's either the last weekend in October or the first in Nov. The weather is not the issue.

The average attendance at the Breeders Cup is around 50,000 people. Saratoga has and can handle that. 150,000 people do not show up to the BC.

It's all about logistics with tearing down the equipment that they just took down at the begining of Sept and lugging it all the way back upstate and then doing it allover again to go back down to Belmont. Just for one day.

The weather wouldn't be a problem. Late fall is beautiful up there. It was 70 the day I closed on my condo-and that was November 30th.

The logistics would be a problem as Sniper pointed out that NYRA would have to move all the equipment up to Saratoga for a 2-4 day meet, there would be a shortage of local accomodation as none of the rentals available for the meet would be available and I wonder if Albany Airport could cope with the influx of visitors for the event. It's a completely different scenario to the meet. Then the bulk of the racefans are local and a minority fly in. At Breeders' Cup expect about 8,000 British and Irish fans (compared to just me and Kev) who will either have to change planes to get to Albany or take one of the 2 trains a day from New York that arrive in Saratoga-with not much prospect for increasing that as the line is single track.

the accomdations wouldn't be a problem because people who either owned hotels or vacation rentals would know about Saratoga hosting years in advance and would make proper arrangements.

As far as Albany airport in handling the influx of people flying in? This isn't the Super Bowl and the Ky Derby going on on the same day. That wouldn't be the issue at all.

The floor there aint that comfortable....trust me.

And it's the Bahama's weather at Belmont or Chicago or Woodbine? I don't get it at all. I'm willing to bet the temp this year at Saratoga during the BC is 50 degrees. Were not talking winter gear here.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxcli...87?from=search
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxcli...?climoMonth=10

Explain to me how you come up with 30 to 40 degree weather on an average Late October - Early November day? Please, show me? The average daytime highs are right around 54-58 degrees. Unless they plan on having the first night run BC, you are dead wrong about the weather.

I do not think the BC will ever come to Saratoga, but your reasoning is beyond wrong.

For further comparison;

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxcli...Y1287&clocid2=

Those places have massive areas that are enclosed.....Saratoga has none.

I would like to suggest that anyone here confused about Saratoga Race Track in late October should pack themselves a picnic lunch on BC day and spend five hours eating it in the third floor dining room.

Bundle up!

50 plus degress is cold? are you kidding me? People won't be in the back yard if it's around 50 to 60 degrees? What??????????????