The New York Racing Association is set to support the jockey colony at its Saratoga Race Course, by offering jockey trading cards over the upcoming weekend of racing. This will also correspond with Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund Awareness Day on Saturday, July 29, 2023. These limited-edition cards will generate some revenue to support the cause.
PDJF Awareness Day is held across all of the U.S. and for the occasion, NYRA will give visitors a chance to buy a pack of five jockey trading cards for US$5. There is a limit of three packs per person, and these cards adopt a similar design to baseball trading cards, and the limited-edition product will feature 20 of Saratoga Race Course’s active and most popular jockeys.
Raising Funds and Funds for the Initiative
According to the horse racing association’s press release, many of the jockeys represented on the new trading cards will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for an autograph signing at the Jockey Silks Porch. Also, suggested donations are encouraged. PDJF Board President Nancy LaSala said on Saturday the industry will also recognize The Americans with Disabilities Act.
She added that on this day, the PDJF invites all race tracks to coordinate with their local jockey colony and organize fundraisers and raise awareness about how important the day is. She also thanked NYRA for engineering this collector series of trading cards and making them available to fans in exchange for a modest donation to the PDJF.
These cards will contain National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductees Javier Castellano and John Velazquez. Other jockeys include Junior Alvarado, Eric Cancel, Kendrick Carmouche, Dylan Davis, Jacqueline Davis, Manuel Franco, Tyler Gaffalione, Florent Geroux, Julien Leparoux, Jose Lezcano, Katie Davis McCarthy, Trevor McCarthy, Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz, Flavien Prat, Joel Rosario, Luis Saez, and Ricardo Santana Jr.
According to NYRA, there will be 4,500 total packs for purchase and all of its proceeds will be given to PDJF. Cards will be randomly put into each pack and feature the jockey’s picture and home country flag on the front with personal details and racing stats on the back. Also, PDJF will be at the track to collect donations and sell the cards inside Gate 1.
Another Exciting Summer Meet Underway
The middle of July 2023 saw the start of another 40-day summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. It started on July 13 and will feature more than 70 stakes events with horses competing for over US$20 million in purses. Some highlight events from the meet include the 96th running of the Whitney on August 5 and the 154th Travers on August 26.
The track’s summer meet is a major horse racing event that generates plenty of benefits to the local economy. A study by Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency found that the track generates approximately US$371 million impact for the region. Around US$7.3 million of tax proceeds goes to New York State, with another almost US$2.4 million issued to Saratoga County and around US$2.1 million to Saratoga Springs.
Source: “Saratoga Race Course: NYRA to launch and sell jockey trading cards Saturday to support Disabled Jockeys’ Fund” The Daily Gazette, July 26, 2023
