The New York Racing Association (NYRA) issued an apology after the final race at Saratoga on Saturday was mistakenly run at 1 1/16 miles instead of the intended 1 1/8 miles due to human error in gate placement. Despite the error being noticed shortly after the race, the results were declared official, leaving bettors unable to receive refunds. NYRA stewards, including Víctor Escobar and Cody Watkins, along with senior VP Andrew Offerman, acknowledged responsibility and outlined immediate steps to improve communication and verification protocols to prevent future mistakes, such as requiring direct confirmation between the head starter and stewards before gate placement is finalized.

This incident echoes a similar gate placement error at Saratoga in 2018 and follows a previous NYRA mistake at Aqueduct in May. NYRA emphasized that multiple officials were involved in the failure and committed to evolving their procedures, including better track markers and enhanced oversight. While no disciplinary actions were disclosed, the organization expressed regret to the betting public and racing participants, underscoring the importance of maintaining race integrity and adherence to established regulations that govern race distances and official results.