Three distinct times in three years, a first-time Saratoga visitor has told me they assumed that horse racing was like NASCAR: one long, continuous race.

I guess the mechanics of that aren’t something they’d stopped to think about.

But at the Belmont this year, I overheard someone say they were expecting F1. As in the super-glam, Champagne-soaked, celeb-packed party that now accompanies the prestigious racing in places such as Monaco and Las Vegas.

Which explains a lot, if you look at the new Belmont Park. But where does Saratoga fit in?

Let’s roll out the red carpet and discuss.

— Abby

“Futuristic,” whistled one fan as he stopped to admire a photo of the new $555 million Belmont Park, posters of which debuted Belmont Weekend and are now splash all over the track.

Later that day, as I navigated the owners’ boxes, I overheard a puzzled first-timer remark that he was expecting more of an F1 vibe. I mentally bookmarked that thought for later.

I couldn’t believe how prescient he turned out to be.

NYRA’s own promotional video for its new downstate digs quips: “No garage full of fast cars, but we do have a beautiful new paddock for your fast horses.”

Does NYRA officially have F1 FOMO? And where does this leave The Spa?

I called a PR expert with a thick roster of sports clients and asked.

“The new Belmont has luxury suites, comfy seating, a Vegas-worthy video board, and boxes that can hold a party — more like what you’d see at the Super Bowl,” he says, scrolling through the online renderings. “It just might become the next F1-style event, where you're in a booth, you're in a suite, there's Champagne, there's really good food, there's celebrities.”

Run Fast Racing CEO Adam Kluger agrees, aiming to make horse racing “cool with the younger audience” with his brand-new fractional ownership app that boasts Lil Wayne as an owner. (Think IRL parties and cash payouts.)

“I always loved horse racing, and I saw there was a very clear problem, which was their ability to popularize it,” he said when I interviewed him at the Belmont.

But before I could despair that our prized Saratoga Race Course could be left behind as the older generation ages out, I was assured that there was hope — of both a future and a way of holding onto our hometown charm.

“Piece by piece, you’re getting there,” says the insider. “The Belmont had Portnoy, Lil Yachty, Jayson Werth, a couple billionaires; you’re not far off. The uncomfortable chairs and 40-minute wait for a drink can be fixed. But if you want a future, you have to evolve. There’s something special about Saratoga — you can feel it when you’re there — now what are you going to do with it?”

By Kathleen Willcox

Today, Saratoga Springs is known for horses, health and the occasional sprinkling of hijinks — in a variety of forms. One-hundred years ago, Spa Town was still heavy on horses, but hijinks ruled the day. 

The Summer of 1926 was sizzling — dominated by political scandals, mob corruption, bootlegging and illegal gambling — set to the soundtrack of jazz. Until Peter Finley had enough.

Thirsty for the scoop?

Dan Forbush, Greg Veitch and the Saratoga Torch Club are recreating the wild events via the Smartacus Story Accelerator’s Peter Finley’s Fight for the Rule of Law. The vibe is Boardwalk Empire, but the setting is all Saratoga.

“While America's premier summer resort sparkled with grand hotels, jazz orchestras, Thoroughbred racing and fashionable visitors, corruption flourished behind the scenes,” Forbush says. “Bootlegging, illegal gambling and political patronage characterized the ‘Saratoga Way.’”

Drawing on contemporary news accounts and Veitch's A Gangster's Paradise, the Smartacus Story Accelerator is recreating Finley's audacious campaign to dismantle a corrupt political machine.

Follow along to learn the stories of famous mobsters like Arnold Rothstein, Meyer Lansky and Dutch Schultz. Published one century later, each installment syncs with the original timeline, allowing readers to follow the story in real time. 

The story began with Finley's open letter to Governor Al Smith on July 23, 1926, but today marks “the true start of the story,” Forbush says. By September, three of Saratoga Springs’ most powerful officials — including Commissioner of Public Safety A. J. “Doc” Leonard, the city’s Democratic political boss and one of Smith’s own political allies — would be brought low. 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream — SPAC | 7: 30 p.m.

Opening Night of New York City Ballet’s crowd favorite stars the mischievous fairy Puck, local kids, hijinks and a collab with Opera Saratoga. The show, which George Balanchine chose for Opening Nights of the company’s SPAC residency in 1966, runs through Saturday.

Straight No Chaser — UPH | 7:30 p.m.

Beach party! If you’re into music that makes you want to dance and good vibes (who isn’t?!), this all-male a cappella group is for you.

Upbeat on the Roof with Oobleck — Tang Teaching Museum, Skidmore | 6 p.m.

Craft kits debut at 5:30 p.m., and the music kicks off at 6. Tang’s twentieth year of Upbeat on the Roof premieres with Oobleck, known for its grungy original horn funk inspired by the after-dark variety of New Orleans street music.