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The ancient Saratoga Race Course (518-584-6200, nyra .com), where the racing season runs from late July through Labor Day, is a throwback to more genteel times. General admission costs three dollars, but it's better to pay a little extra (five dollars) for clubhouse access. The buffet breakfast on the track-level clubhouse porch is a great way to watch the thoroughbreds prepare for the day's races. Saratoga's signature event is the Travers Stakes, run in late August.
At the track and around town, people-watching is integral to the scene. Stroll down Broadway, the town's main drag, or follow the ponies (and the fashions) at the Saratoga Polo Club (518-584-8108, saratogapolo .com). Matches are contested on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday evenings from mid-June through Labor Day; tickets cost ten to twenty dollars.
But the horse culture only took off after Saratoga was well established as a spa town in the mid-nineteenth century. A classic soak can still be had at the Roosevelt Baths and Spa, located in the state park adjacent to the Georgian-inspired Gideon Putnam Hotel Resort and Spa (518-226-4790, gideonputnam.com).
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