Horsemen stabled on the backstretch at Saratoga who have horses to sell must contact Administrative Manager Charles Astarita, Backstretch Security, to coordinate access into the backstretch for the horse buyer. These visits must be scheduled in advance to ensure compliance with our COVID-19 policy on file with New York State.
Please make contact with Manager Astarita in advance (a minimum twenty-four hours) through the Stable Gate Guard to ensure he can determine a day and time where there is adequate staff to provide an escort for the horse buyer. Horse buyers cannot just show up and expect to be admitted.
The buyer must be COVID-19 screened at the Stable Gate by Security and then escorted by Security to the barn area where they are viewing/picking up the horse. The buyer must remain inside their vehicle. If they exit the vehicle for any reason they must maintain social distancing and wear a face mask when outside the vehicle. Buyers will not be allowed inside barns nor are they able to roam about freely. These visits must be as abbreviated as
possible due to the required escort.

In accordance with the Addendum to the Interim Guidance for Racing Activities during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency issued by the New York State Gaming Commission, Saratoga Harness Racing, Inc. is implementing the following Owner Protocols to allow limited attendance at live racing events or training sessions beginning Wednesday, July 22, 2020. For the purposes of this section, the term owner shall mean a Commission-licensed owner.
I. ATTENDANCE AT LIVE RACING EVENTS
Attendance Limitation
 Owners with a horse entered to race may only attend on the date of the race.
 No other spectators shall be admitted, including guests of owners and children.
 No owner shall be allowed in the stable or backstretch areas of a racetrack except in conformance with guidance regarding attendance during training hours.
Determination of Ownership
 Once the overnight list is published, the owners of horses entered may email [email protected] to make a reservation to attend live racing. The email must include the owner’s name as it appears on the Commission license, license number and phone number. Alternatively, they may call 518-581-5747. The following deadlines apply:
Race Day Reservations Close
Monday Friday at 1 p.m.
Tuesday Monday at 1 p.m.
Wednesday Tuesday at 1 p.m.
Qualifiers Monday at 1 p.m.
Please do not call the Race Office for reservations.
 The license status of the owner shall be confirmed and a roster of all owners authorized to be admitted each day will be issued.
Admissions Protocol
 To attend any live racing event, reservations to attend must be made in
advance.
 No same day admissions shall be accepted.
 If reservations are made via electronic mail, an email confirmation will be sent to the owner.
 Owners will park in the South Casino Parking lot (lot closest to the covered entrance to the Lower Club).
 Each owner shall present to the check point in the Lower Club. Positive
identification for each owner (valid NYS Gaming Commission Owner’s License) must be presented and confirmed.
Health Testing Protocol
 Each owner shall receive a non-invasive temperature test and be asked
general COVID-19-related health questions.
 Anyone displaying a temperature of 100.4°F or above will be required to have a secondary temporal temperature screening. Anyone with two confirmed temperature readings of 100.4°F or above shall not be permitted entry.
 No owner who fails to pass the COVID-19-related health questions may be
permitted entry.
 Following passing of the health protocol, each owner shall receive a color coded wrist band that is identifiable for that particular race day.
General Attendance Requirements
 Owners shall always wear a face mask covering both the nostrils and the
mouth while on the grounds of a racetrack.
 Appropriate social distancing shall be practiced.
 The racetrack shall provide touchless hand sanitizer dispensers throughout any area open for owners.
 Neither the grandstand nor any box area shall be used for seating of any kind.
 Owners may sit in outdoor seating areas and must practice physical distancing of six feet between groups.
 While owners may observe races from the apron area in the front of a
grandstand, they shall maintain physical distancing from others.
Paddock Access
 Until further notice, owners may not enter the Paddock.
Winner’s Circle
 Owners of the winning horse will be allowed in the Winner’s Circle, provided they maintain a proper social distancing from others.
 To ensure the safety of everyone in the Winner’s Circle, one person from the Paddock (either the trainer or designated groom) will ride to the winner’s circle to hold the horse for the photo.
II. ATTENDANCE DURING TRAINING
Limited to Owners
 Only owners shall be admitted to the backstretch during training hours. No guests shall be permitted.
Training hours are as follows and are subject to change according to the live racing schedule:
Monday and Tuesday 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Thursday through Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Access Restrictions
 To access any backstretch location, an owner must pre-register at least 48
hours prior to his/her first planned visit to the backstretch so his/her name
can be added to the Master List. Owners may pre-register by emailing
[email protected] or by calling 518-581-5747 Monday through
Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The following information will be needed for inclusion on the Master List: name as it appears on Commission license, license number, date of birth, gender, mailing address, phone number and email address.
 Ownersshall be required to display their Commission license at the Stable
Gate to gain entrance.
 Driver’s licenses will be scanned for contact tracing purposes.
Health Testing Protocol
 Each owner shall receive a non-invasive temperature test and be asked
general COVID-19-related health questions.
 Anyone displaying a temperature of 100.4°F or above will be required to have a secondary temporal temperature screening. Anyone with two confirmed temperature readings of 100.4°F or above shall not be permitted entry.
 Owners will be required to complete a COVID-19-related health
questionnaire each time they enter the Stable Gate.
Location Limitations
 Owners with horses stabled on the grounds of a racetrack will otherwise be permitted to watch their horses during training.
 Neither any grandstand nor any box area shall be used for seating of any kind during attendance at training sessions.
General Attendance Requirements
 All owners shall wear a face mask covering both the nostrils and the mouth while on the grounds of a racetrack.
 Appropriate social distancing shall be practiced.
 Owners shall not be permitted to watch races from a barn area.
 Any owner found violating restrictions is subject to racetrack and Commission disciplinary proceedings.
 Any owner accessing the backstretch should be mindful of restricting
engagement with all other personnel unless proper social distancing can be
maintained.

PADDOCK STALL ASSIGNMENTS
For Qualifiers and Pari-mutuel Races
RACES
1, 4, 7, 10 and 13

POST POSITION USE STALL NUMBER

1 1 – 1
2 1 – 3
3 1 – 5
4 1 – 7
5 3 – 2
6 3 – 4
7 3 – 6
8 3 – 8
9 9 stall (same row as race 3)

RACES

2, 5, 8, 11 and 14

1 2 – 1
2 2 – 3
3 2 – 5
4 2 – 7
5 4 – 2
6 4 – 4
7 4 – 6
8 4 – 8
9 9 stall (same row as race 2)

RACES

3, 6, 9, 12 and 15

1 5 – 1
2 5 – 3
3 5 – 5
4 5 – 7
5 7 – 2
6 7 – 4
7 7 – 6
8 7 – 8
9 9 stall (same row as race 3)

Some common questions have been raised to Board members who have done their best to respond to them. We thought it may be helpful
to summarize some of those concerns and provide detail to address
them which hopefully will bring some clarity to these recently addressed topics:
1) What went into the reasoning for the anticipated purse levels?
In April we did an initial analysis of the Purse account beginning with the balance on hand and then made certain estimates based
on current events of what we thought we could reasonably expect for
a reopening date for the racing and for the casino and at what phase in levels over the upcoming months. Those estimates are updated as new
information presents itself but the important factors and assumptions
to understand were:
The purse account is funded from two sources, the Video Lottery Terminal games (VLT’s) and our commission from betting handle both live
at our track and simulcast. The commissions vary by track and include
expenses that have to be paid related to the broadcast signals. VLT makes up approx. 87%, Handle 13% of the total. For purposes of the projections
we focused on the VLT revenue since it is the majority and it is basically the
total that falls to the bottom line for the purses.
Of the VLT revenue approx. 70% is generated by Saratoga Casino and 30% by Rivers Casino as they are contractually obligated to contribute to our
account as part of their casino licensing deal.
The timing of when we have access to the revenue is generally the next month for Saratoga and after each 3 month quarter for Rivers so there
is a time lag to factor in.
Normally the amount and timing of those cash flows is consistent but with the current events we have to use our best estimate as to how much
and when we will get the money before it can be committed as expendable
on a Condition Sheet.
Based on our conversations with Casino management we are currently hopeful for the casino opening on July 1 but only at a 50% maximum
capacity. There are so many subjective factors to consider related to the
financial results when the casino reopens and we will have to accept the
actual impact to our purse account as the time comes but for discussion and initial planning purposes we considered the following hypothetical results:
the first month revenue will be at 40% of the former normal monthly revenue. We expanded that to an estimated 70% revenue for the second
month and almost back to normal by the end of September, say 90%. So based on these assumptions we would basically lose a month of revenue over the next 7 months. This is on top of the half month we will use up by starting in mid-June ahead of the casino earning any new money so
that’s 1.5 months of revenue gone over the next 7 months or an approximate 21.5 % cut through the end of the season. Since we also lost a few months of racing handle and will likely take a hit in August, our largest VLT month, since out of town visitors will be down for the flat track, a blended 25% hit appears to be a reasonable expectation over the rest of the year.
2) Why is our current purse decrease even greater than the above explanation?
Besides the 25% mentioned above, for the first few months we have to factor in the timing of when the money will be available for distribution. We won’t have any of the Saratoga money until August at the earliest and that will be a reduced amount. The Rivers money owed to us from the first
quarter is still outstanding since it normally would have been received from them in late April and they were shut down similar to Saratoga. So that 30% contribution is not available to be spent yet and because it is not in our control it isn’t being considered currently available for distribution. If we did and increased our purses now and there was a delay we would run the risk of running out offunds in August.
3) Why do we appear to be racing for less or at a larger discount than other tracks?
It’s difficult to answer this definitively since each track has different schedules, number of race days, number of races per day, purse account balances, ownership etc. Some tracks hadn’t opened yet
before this all hit and should have had more reserves in their purse account at that particular time. We had already begun drawing at our full normal rate and actually raced for some period after the casino was closed therefore drawing on our purse account with no replenishment coming in. Some don’t race for as long as we do so they don’t have as long of a period to try to stretch their funds over before their season ends. Some tracks have owners who are willing to negotiate “loans” to the purse account that will eventually have to be repaid. We don’t borrow funds to support operating
expenses. Our approach is to budget for the losses and the cash flow timing issues by starting at conservative levels based on available cash and increase as the year goes on and revenue becomes more definite and in our possession.
4) When can we expect the purses to increase?
The Race Secretary has the discretion over this but it can be impacted by the receipt of our installment due from Rivers. The timing of this is something we will monitor but unfortunately is an unknown at this point. Also critical is the opening of our casino, at what level of activity it is allowed to operate and how successful that reopening is. As the Saratoga revenue increases so will our purses since our access to those funds is a shorter normal lag period and more controllable than the Rivers money. We also plan on expanding in mid-July to three race days a week at 13 races per day which will increase the gross amount of purse money being paid out.
In closing, in conversations with the Race Office although we are at an initial significant purse reduction the goal is to be back to as close as normal by the end of the year and start of 2021. Therefore our projected total loss will be blended in over the season. As purse money is earned and
received it is considered by the Race Secretary for distribution. There is no incentive on anyone’s part to stockpile purse money and the efficient management of that account has been very consistent. We will of course monitor the activity and raise any questions that may come up along
the way. Any setbacks in the general COVID situation and related shutdowns will obviously have a negative impact on the plans. If you should have any questions please ask a SHHA representative. If they can’t immediately answer your questions, someone will get back to you. This will hopefully
avoid misunderstandings and the potential spread of inaccurate information.
Thank you, Joe Battaglia-Treasurer/Secretary-SHHA

COVID-19 UPDATE: Racing has been cancelled for Saturday, March 21. Live harness racing is suspended following the March 22 race card.

March 16, 2020- We have been advised that the racing program will continue at Saratoga Casino – Hotel. No spectators until further notice.

The annual banquet meeting and award ceremony will be Saturday December 21, 2019. Members will receive more information through the mail.

The Children’s Santa Luncheon will be Saturday December 14th at 1:00PM in the Track Kitchen. Wish Books will be available in the track kitchen and paddock snack bar November 16-December 7th. Please sign you child’s name, age and a present on their wish list. Santa will arrive at 1:30PM.

The SHHA’s annual Grooms Thanksgiving luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, November 19th at the Track Kitchen. Lunch begins at 11:30AM. Enjoy your meal.

Joseph Dominic Facin, passed peacefully in his home on May 1, 2019 with his loving family at his side. Joe was born on May 20, 1930 in Woodbridge, Connecticut.  He served in The Korean War.  Joe met Eleanor (Gabriel) after the war and they were married in 1956.  He went on to serve 20 years as a police officer for the Woodbridge Police Force.  He retired in 1976 and he and Ellie took a journey back to nature, moving from Connecticut to Greenwich, NY, to live on an organic farm. He was the leader of the Knights of Columbus order in Greenwich for many years.  Joseph volunteered at the bingo hall for over 30 years raising funds for those in need and was a member of the Middle Falls Fire Department, Greenwich VFW, and American Legion Post 515.  He truly loved the Greenwich Community as exhibited through his volunteering and service.

He turned his focus and passion into horse racing.  He and his son, Joseph Jr. and his grand-daughter Amanda created Facin Stables and just this past year their trotter Ulster was named trotter of the year at Saratoga Harness.  This made him incredibly proud.

Survivors include his sons, Joseph Jr. (Carole), Thomas (Carol), Dino (Brenda), Kenneth (Kathleen), Ron (Barb); grandchildren, Amanda, Melissa, Jordan, Kresney, Gabe (Chelsi), Andrew, Leah and Elisabeth; great grandchildren, Carmia, Cameron, Casey, Wyatt, Jayden and Rowyn. He is also survived by his beloved younger brother Dominic.

A wake in Joseph’s honor will be held from 3-6 on Friday, May 10, 2019 at the Flynn Bros. Inc. Funeral Home, 80 Main St, Greenwich, NY, 12834.

A private funeral and Interment in the Saratoga National Cemetery will be held at a later date.

Memorials can be made in his memory to the Comfort Food Community, 31 Hill St, Greenwich, NY, 12834