The New York Racing Association plans to add 204 beds in three new dormitories in Racecourse Saratogaofficials told state regulators on September 1.
The addition of three more dormitories within three years is the first time new housing has been built at the historic track since the early 1960s, NYRA officials said Thursday afternoon.
Construction on the first of 68 rooms will begin next year near the Oklahoma training track. Generally, two of the three new dormitories will be on the hotel’s training line.
Glen Kozak, NYRA senior vice president of operations and capital projects, told members of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board: “That’s the most used.
Officials said the dorms would cost $2 million per person. The third dormitory room will be located on the main road side of the property.
The announcement comes after the NYRA spent $37 million on backstretch housing improvements in Saratoga and Belmont Park since 2013. It also comes after Brian O’Dwyer, head of the New York State Game Commission, the governing body for horse races in the state, last month raised concerns about the state of housing. cramped after he toured Saratoga’s facilities.
Kozak told the Franchise Oversight Board, the NYRA’s financial and capital projects watchdog, that the racing consortium is working with Saratoga Springs historic preservation officials and its architect on program to build three new dormitories.
The facility scheduled for next spring’s competition will be next to the recreation center near the Oklahoma Practice Road. According to NYRA officials, the train track is in use from April through mid-November, and so the need for new housing nearby is the NYRA’s primary goal.
NYRA officials also told the financial oversight board that their current revenue from all sources is up 2% year-over-year, albeit with less than six race days in 2022. Total revenue in 2022 stands at $1.75 billion. Average daily handling across NYRA races is up 6.7% so far in 2022 from a year ago. Much of that, as has been the case for many years, comes from bets made through untracked betting organizations.
Patrick McKenna, NYRA vice president of communications, said the NYRA has renovated more than 100 properties in Belmont and Saratoga over the past decade.
“But there’s always more work to be done, which is why the NYRA plans to build three new dormitories in Saratoga over the next three years,” he said Thursday afternoon.
McKenna said the NYRA will work closely with the Saratoga Springs Conservancy and other stakeholders “to ensure these new buildings match the historic architecture found throughout the property.
McKenna added: “When completed, these new properties will represent the most significant upgrade to the backstretch residence in the history of Saratoga Racecourse.
