Has Saratoga Jumped the Shark?

$100 Picnic Table Policy Announced

Is Elbow Space on the Rail Next?


Jumping the shark: an idiom used to describe the moment of downturn for a previously successful enterprise. The phrase was originally used to denote the point in the Happy Days television program's history where the plot spins off into absurd story lines or unlikely characterizations.


Saratoga Springs --- The New York Racing Association (NYRA), franchise operators of the Saratoga Race Course, yesterday announced a new initiative that gives pause in these quarters. In part, the press release reads as follows:

"...racing fans will have the opportunity to reserve a picnic table in the backyard at Saratoga Race Course for the 141st running of the historic “Mid-Summer Derby... The reserved tables will be available for purchase for $100."

That's right: a C-note gets you one of the picnic tables on Travers Day, in a specially designated section. We now have a caste system for the picnic area! But don't even think of bringing lawn chairs or even baby chairs to accommodate the whole gang as you always have; the new reg's firmly state that you are now "strictly limited to a maximum of six people."




OK, I get the logic of the "free market" and "maximizing profit" and "demand pricing" and all that. NYRA certainly has the right to add this line-item to their revenue stream. It needn't, however, insult our intelligence by using the old "All proceeds will benefit the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation" publicity slight-of-hand as cover. The fact is that NYRA already makes an annual contribution to this worthy charity; this new program just creates a new transfer-payment opportunity that results in more funds going into NYRA's coffers.

But the bigger issue here is whether or not NYRA is pushing the envelope to the hazardous edge; is it milking the cash cow called Saratoga to the extent that its loyal and dedicated constituency is finally at the breaking point and saying "enough is enough, you're bleeding me to death here!" Is the picnic table thing Saratoga racing's Jump the Shark moment?

Such a distinction is always a challenge hard to pinpoint, especially without the benefit of 20/20 hindsight --- say ten years after the fact. Likewise, some could argue that the track's shark moment is better attributed to more recent developments, such as the trailer-suites on the first turn, the meet's expansion to 40 days, the mall food-court look that has been brought to the once-glorious paddock area and that absurd VIP lounge on the first floor, with its glass enclosed monkeys at the zoo experience.

Regardless of which single instance best exemplifies this decline, the troubling yet undeniable fact is this: the buzz is definitely gone. Call it a reverse tipping point, if you will, but that is the present day reality. I stand by my earlier prediction (in another forum) of a 5-10% decline in year-to-year comparative on-track handle for this year's meet as the report card on my theory.

$100 picnic tables? Check. Glorified chain restaurants housed in multi-level monstrosities better suited to trade shows? Check. Hen houses that are so ridiculous that the people they are meant for don't even use them? Check. Sponsor signs running the length of the stretch rail? Check. Beers prices that would make everyone except SPAC blush? Check.

Now add to the mix the planned glass & AC'd enclosure of the the dining area, the re-design of the complete clubhouse, the expansion (upgrade) of the trailer-suites and who knows what else is on the drawing board, and one has to start asking who's kidding who here with the track's Historic Site designation?

The Human Doll House Experience is how I often refer to the intangible that attracts the masses to both Saratoga Race Course and downtown Saratoga itself. It is the feeling of being part of an experience and a setting that no longer exists in America. But as humans we long for that experience because the generation or two ahead of us told us what it was like to live in it, and the description appeals to us when compared to the cheep plastic world of today. Saratoga is one of those rare places where we can briefly step back in time, and reconnect with that lost era and as a result, with past generations.

It is this attraction that provides Saratoga with the unique opportunity and advantages that allow it to withstand the serious overall general decline of horse racing's popularity among the American public.

Turning that old giant doll house into a Six Flags theme park (with horses running in circles instead of jumping off diving boards)ain't gonna hack it.

Tread carefully, NYRA; you are approaching tricky waters. There's even been a report of a shark within them.



(Author: R Millis)
.