Summer at the Spa — a ritual nearly 200 years strong — started early in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, being held on Saturday for the first time at Saratoga Race Course, a revered relic where the elite and otherwise mingle, but the horses rule.
Broadway, the city’s central thoroughfare, bustled. Lines for picnic tables at the track formed before dawn. A new color — Belmont green — blended with the track’s signature red-and-white trimmings. Owners, trainers, horseplayers and the cooler-toting faithful all hailed the break from tradition for the race’s 156th running.
Outriders heading to the paddock, where the horses are saddled, for the first race of the day on Saturday.
Spectators reacting to the finish of a race.
The attire was bright and colorful, a longstanding tradition at the races.
Some fans dressed head to toe in Americana.
3-year-old fillies round the first turn in the 81st running of the Acorn Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Friday.
It was a busy day on Wednesday at the Oklahoma training track, across the street from Saratoga Race Course.
The trainer Robbie Davis giving a kiss to Addagirl Addie, owned by Randall Wojdyla, right.
Leg wraps, which support and protect the horses’ legs, drying outside the barns.
Early-morning training on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course.
The jockey John Velazquez sitting on the Grey Wizard as they head to the winner’s circle after capturing the Belmont Gold Cup on Thursday.
An exercise rider’s protective vest.
There was a heavy police presence at the Belmont Stakes this year.
The Post Bar, which overlooks the paddock, is a popular gathering spot.
The 1863 Club, which opened in 2019, cost around $30 million to build.
People watching the action on the track from the owners’ boxes in the Saratoga clubhouse.
The 1863 Club, on the clubhouse turn, offers dining and a view of the racetrack.
A perfect perch to get a final look at the horses as they step onto the track.
The starting gate, in Belmont green, is prepared before a race.
Horses begin the seventh race at Saratoga Race Course on Thursday.
Spectators mingling at a “Belmont on Broadway” event downtown on Wednesday.
The shops downtown welcomed the Belmont Stakes with elaborate window displays. Saratoga Springs is hosting tens of thousands of racing fans this week.