The Lowdown on Saratoga Harness Racing: FAQs
The Saratoga harness track has been part of Saratoga Springs’ racing history for over 70 years. While Saratoga Race Course is renowned for thoroughbred racing, the harness track at Saratoga Casino Hotel offers a different kind of horse racing experience. Below, we answer some of the most common questions about harness racing in Saratoga.
How long is the harness racing season in Saratoga?
Harness racing at Saratoga runs for 11 months of the year, with the only break occurring in January. Races start in February and continue through mid-December. This is very different from the thoroughbred racing season at Saratoga Race Course, which lasts only 40 days from mid-July through Labor Day.
When do races start and end?
Race start times vary, so it’s best to check the schedule before heading to the track. Some race days begin at 12:00 p.m., while others start at 5:00 p.m. Races are typically spaced 20 minutes apart.
What is the cost of admission?
Admission and parking are free. Handicap-accessible parking spaces and ramps are available throughout the property. The casino also has automatic doors for patrons with special needs.
Guests can enjoy complimentary coffee, tea, soda, juice, and water while playing on the gaming floor. Alcoholic beverages are available for purchase.
Children are allowed in select areas when accompanied by an adult, including the grandstand, lower clubhouse, mezzanine, and the track apron. However, children are not permitted on the casino gaming floor.
How do the casino and hotel connect to the harness track?
The harness track is part of the Saratoga Casino Hotel, a large entertainment complex featuring a 117-room hotel, casino, restaurants, and live entertainment. Guests can watch live races from several locations, including:
- The track rail
- The lower clubhouse
- The grandstand
- Lucky Joe’s restaurant
- Their hotel room
What are the facilities like at the harness track?
The harness track is located at the eastern end of the Saratoga Casino Hotel property and is connected to the casino, which has multiple gaming areas.
All indoor spaces, including the track’s viewing areas, casino, Vapor Nightclub, bars, restaurants, and hotel, are air-conditioned. Guests can explore various gaming, dining, and entertainment options throughout the venue.
Saratoga Casino Hotel is also home to Morton’s The Steakhouse, offering premium steaks, pork chops, seafood, and an à la carte menu. The Morton’s bar area features a separate menu with happy hour specials on appetizers.
The track’s indoor viewing area includes betting windows, a bar, and tables, while the outdoor seating near the rail consists of benches. The atmosphere is informal, and guests are welcome to bring their own food and coolers.
How do you place a bet at the harness track?
The track offers teller-operated betting windows and self-service betting terminals throughout the facility.
At a teller window, state:
- The racetrack you’re betting on
- The race number
- The amount you want to wager
- The type of bet you’re placing
Once paid, you’ll receive a mutuel ticket with your wager details. Always check your ticket before leaving the window.
Self-betting machines are also available. To place a bet, insert cash, a betting voucher, or a winning ticket, select your wager, and remove your ticket when finished.
How is harness racing different from thoroughbred racing at Saratoga?
Saratoga Race Course on Union Avenue is known for thoroughbred racing, where jockeys ride on the horses' backs. The track features dirt and turf courses for flat racing.
Saratoga Casino Hotel features a half-mile dirt track for harness racing, where standardbred horses pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky. Drivers sit in the sulky rather than on the horse. Harness racing requires horses to maintain a specific gait, either a trot or a pace, with most North American races run at a pace.
The starting process also differs between the two:
- Thoroughbreds start from a stationary gate that opens once all horses are settled.
- Harness races use a moving motorized starting gate, which allows horses to begin at a rolling pace before the gates fold shut and the race begins.
How do I get to the harness track?
From the South:
Take I-87 North to Exit 13N toward Saratoga Springs. Drive north on US-9 and turn right onto Crescent Avenue.
From the North:
Take I-87 South to Exit 14. At the fork, turn right and follow Union Avenue past Saratoga Race Course. Turn left onto Nelson Avenue, then right onto Crescent Avenue at the four-way stop. Saratoga Casino Hotel is just ahead.
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