Annual event held in memory of the late trainer Dominic Galluscio to feature trainer autograph session
SARATOGA, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will honor the legacy of the late trainer Dominic Galluscio while raising funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer research during Lustgarten Foundation Day at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, July 23.
The day’s first race will be named in honor of Galluscio, who passed away in 2014 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. A popular and respected figure among his peers, Galluscio trained more than 1,000 winners and earned more than $31 million in purses over a career that began in 1981 and was spent primarily on the New York circuit.
Also being remembered on Saturday will be farrier Ray Amato, Jr., who died in 2021 from pancreatic cancer. Amato, Jr. was a familiar and valued member of the New York racing community, having teamed for many years with his father Ray. Together, they shod hundreds of stakes winners, including two Kentucky Derby winners (Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017) and three Belmont Stakes winners (Rags to Riches in 2007, Palace Malice in 2013 and Tapwrit in 2017).
The centerpiece of the day will be an autograph session with Saratoga’s leading trainers from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Jockey Silks Room Porch to benefit the Lustgarten Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission of advancing scientific and medical research related to pancreatic cancer. One hundred percent of all donations to the Lustgarten Foundation fund life-saving pancreatic cancer research.
Gates open at 11 a.m. on Saturday with first post scheduled for 1:05 p.m. The day’s features are the Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on the dirt at 1 1/8 miles, and the Grade 3, $200,000 Caress for fillies and mares on the turf at 5 ½ furlongs.
Racing is conducted five days a week at Saratoga Race Course, Wednesdays through Sundays, apart from the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day.
For additional information, visit NYRA.com.
NYRA Press Release
