Fox’s Saturday broadcasts of Saratoga horse races have averaged 501,000 viewers, more than the National Hockey League’s regular season on TNT or college basketball’s on Fox/FS1.
The Belmont Stakes arrives at Saratoga Race Course.
The storied track is hosting the Triple Crown race as progress around safety and increased capital investment lift the battered sport’s prospects.
The breakdown of 12 horses in the days surrounding the celebrated race a year ago has led to existential questions about the sport and its future.
Investigators looking into 12 deaths couldn’t single out a cause, but called for safer tracks, better medical care and lighter workloads for horses.
With summer at an end, fans who enjoy the drama of horse racing at Saratoga must say goodbye for another year.
New York racing officials, addressing a deepening concern for the industry, say they will use diagnostic technology and synthetic tracks to keep horses safe.
The excitement of thoroughbred horse racing — and many of the sport’s most vexing problems — are exemplified by the careers of the trainers Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher.
Forte, the Kentucky Derby favorite until he was scratched with an injury, failed a drug test last September. His trainer, Todd Pletcher, received a 10-day suspension and a $1,000 fine.
The colt went on to become America’s 2-year-old champion and was favored to win the Kentucky Derby until he was scratched from the race with an injury. The doping case still hasn’t been adjudicated.