History comes alive for July 4 track celebration
A first-time NYRA collab brings founding-era flair to the inaugural July 4th Racing Festival.
You are reading a sneak peek version of the Dispatch: Daily News in the Spa City.
NYRA’s making sure that the Independence Day part of the inaugural July 4th Racing Festival doesn’t get lost in the excitement of having extra racing days.
The festival — which runs July 3-6 — is instead bringing history to life in an incredibly moving way, thanks to a first-time collab between NYRA and the Campaign for Saratoga 250, the nonprofit that works with the chartered county Saratoga 250 Commission. The partnership is ramping up for the 250th anniversary (in 2027) of the Battles at Saratoga — the American triumph there was the first time ever that a British army surrendered, garnering our bragging rights as the Turning Point of the American Revolution. Winning the war, of course, led to the creation of today’s self-governed country based on individual rights and liberty from monarchy.
“America declared its independence incredibly and courageously on July 4th, 1776, but it was just over a year later that the rebellion was really saved at Saratoga,” says Bill Teator, the campaign’s Executive Director. “It was very divided at the time, and even up in this region, there was a good chunk of people who were still debating whether we should be exiting the largest and most powerful empire at the time and forming our own nation. But lo and behold, in 1777 at Saratoga, that declaration became a revolution.”
Popular reenactor and Saratoga historian Sean Kelleher — you might recognize him from his years of reading the Preamble to the Constitution downtown before the fireworks — is leading the July 4 hoopla at the track. He and some of his reenactment unit will form the backdrop for the presentation of the third race Schuylerville Stakes trophy by Schuylerville Mayor Dan Carpenter.
Then the real fanfare begins.
“At the beginning of the fourth race, we're going to march in front of the track and go up to the Winner's Circle,” Kelleher says. “I'm going to share the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. In the 18th century, after the Declaration of Independence was passed, somebody would get out in front of a line of [Revolution] soldiers and read it to them,” as a reminder of the liberties they were risking their lives for.
“It’s really compelling and moving,” Teator says. “People all over America used to do that every year, for generations. It’s no longer done as frequently, but to the credit of Saratoga…people here love our history.”
The reenactors will then stick around for photos and chat with kids — muskets in hand and in full period waistcoat regalia — before making their way to the pre-fireworks tradition on Ellsworth Jones Place near the City Center.
Even if you don’t make it to the track on the Fourth, you can still see a piece of history throughout the festival. There will be an authentic 1777-era replica canon from the Revolutionary War’s Battles of Saratoga set up in the area near the Clubhouse and paddock.
“It will capture some attention of both children and adults,” Teator says. “We aim to be edu-tainment — more engaging educational content about Saratoga’s Revolutionary heritage that sparks that interest and appreciation among [the next] generation.”
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