from Saratoga Casino and Raceway

Saratoga Springs, NY — Friday (March 4) will mark the beginning of Saratoga Raceway’s 75th anniversary season of live harness racing. The first post for Friday is set for 6:45 p.m.

In honor of the 75th anniversary of racing, 75-cent deals on hot dogs, sodas and programs will be featured on Friday and Saturday of opening weekend. Additionally, Friday and Saturday will feature $75 Mutuel Voucher Giveaways after each race to patrons who submit an entry form found in their racing program. Sunday (March 6) will feature a commemorative t-shirt giveaway for fans. Guests will receive a coupon in each racing program which can be redeemed for a free 75th Year of Racing shirt.

Seventy-five years ago, on the first night of live racing, Lucile Glow, a 3-year old trotting filly, won the first ever race at the track with a time of 2:12.1. Since then, the harness track has featured almost 11,000 racing programs that have created a tremendous amount of historic moments with racing fans spanning generations.

Saratoga Raceway was the first pari-mutuel track constructed in the United States for the expressed purpose of racing. It is estimated that Saratoga Raceway has welcomed more than 24 million guests over the course of the 75 racing years, and throughout that span of racing, total on-track handle has exceeded $1.5 billion. Simulcast of the Saratoga harness signal continues to increase in popularity, reaching an all-time record handle of $36 million in 2015. More than 300 venues across the world will carry the signal in 2016.

”We couldn’t be more proud of the past 75 years of racing,” said John Matarazzo, Director of Racing Operations. “It’s an incredible milestone for us and we look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence that has been the track’s hallmark from the beginning.”

A highlight of the upcoming race season will undoubtedly be the eighth annual Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace which will feature one dash for $260,000 on July 23. The Gerrity Memorial Pace attracts the best pacers in the Northeast. Last year’s pace was won by P H Supercam, who finished in an impressive 1:50.1.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway’s spring schedule will consist of live racing Fridays and Saturdays at 6:45 p.m., Sunday matinees at 12:45 p.m. and a 4 p.m. twilight post for the Thursday cards. The full 2016 season schedule is available at www.SaratogaCasino.com. As always, parking and admission on all race days are free.

The 2016 racing season will continue to build on an increased social media presence. Fans are encouraged to follow @SaratogaCasino on Twitter and Instagram, as well as to use #SaratogaHarness to share photos and videos of their experiences at the track. Pre- and post-race coverage, behind the scenes looks into the paddock, and exclusive race insight from track announcer Mike Sardella are some of the highlights planned to be featured.