Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The Saratoga Race Course concluded its 2025 summer meet with another successful season. For the tenth consecutive year, the event drew over one million attendees during the 40-day meet, showcasing the enduring popularity of horse racing at this historic venue. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) reported a total paid attendance of 1,224,504 and an all-sources wagering handle of over $791 million.
The season was marked by memorable events, including a record-setting Whitney Day and the DraftKings Travers Day, where a crowd of over 48,000 witnessed Sovereignty, trained by Bill Mott, become the first horse in 30 years to win the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers Stakes in the same year. The meet also featured significant wins for trainers Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown, who shared the trainers' championship with 32 wins each. Irad Ortiz Jr. secured his seventh Angel Cordero Jr. riding title with 59 victories, despite a fall in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
NYRA President and CEO David O’Rourke expressed gratitude to fans and participants, stating, "Saratoga is special in many ways, but it is the enthusiastic support from fans and horseplayers that transforms this historic venue into a summer-long celebration of the sport."
The next major event at Saratoga will be the 2026 Belmont Stakes, scheduled to take place in 277 days. Racing will resume on Thursday (September 11) at Aqueduct Racetrack with the Belmont at the Big A fall meet, featuring 45 stakes races and several Breeders’ Cup qualifiers.