NYRA has announced a Saratoga fire-relief campaign after 17 horses were killed in a barn fire at the Saratoga Casino Hotel Harness Track.
The New York Racing Association confirmed the response on Wednesday, June 17, with support directed to the Saratoga Harness Horseperson’s Association for the trainers, staff and backstretch workers affected by the early Tuesday fire.
The move gives the wider New York racing community a formal route to help after one of the most painful incidents to hit the Saratoga backstretch area in recent years. The harness track sits close to Saratoga Race Course, which has carried a bigger national profile again this season while Belmont Park continues through its redevelopment period.
Saratoga Support Effort Begins With NYRA Donation
According to the official NYRA announcement, the campaign will begin with a $50,000 contribution from NYRA to the Saratoga Harness Horseperson’s Association. The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will also contribute $10,000.
NYRA will stage a fundraiser on Saratoga Race Course’s opening day on July 3, when fans will be able to buy a specially designed T-shirt. The shirt is also due to be available online from Friday, June 19, and at Saratoga Casino Hotel Harness Track during the Sunset Saturday series from July 11 through August 29. Proceeds from the shirt sales will go to the SHHA.
The tragedy has cut through the usual division between the standardbred and thoroughbred sides of the sport. Saratoga’s summer thoroughbred meet is approaching quickly, with the track already central to major recent coverage including Stark Contrast’s Belmont Derby target and the wider shift in New York’s racing calendar. Elsewhere in a busy week for the sport, ReadHorseRacing has also covered Ombudsman’s Royal Ascot performance and Trawlerman’s Ascot Gold Cup defence.
Thoroughbred Daily News reported that officials framed the response as a community effort, with NYRA president and CEO David O’Rourke saying the racing community is united by its commitment to horses and the people who care for them.
No public official cause for the fire has been confirmed. Earlier reporting said no people were injured, while the loss of horses and the disruption to affected horsemen have left the Saratoga harness community facing a difficult recovery.
For New York racing, the response now becomes part of a wider season in which Saratoga and Belmont remain closely linked. ReadHorseRacing has also covered how Belmont Park’s September return is set to reshape the autumn programme, but this week the attention is rightly on the people and horses at Saratoga who have suffered a severe blow.
