With heart and soul — and likely more than a few off-key notes — New York
jockeys are prepared to take to a Saratoga, New York, stage and sing out in
support of their fallen comrades.
The “Riders Up!” jockey karaoke competition will be held Monday from 5:30-11
p.m. (EDT) at Vapor Night Club inside Saratoga Casino and Raceway to benefit the
Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). A cross between “American Idol” and
“The Gong Show,” the popular event features members of the Saratoga jockey
colony belting out crowd favorites backed by a live band.
“This is a fun event for us and for the fans,” Jockeys’ Guild Chairman John
Velazquez said. “We let loose and have a good time. We don’t mind a little
embarrassment because it’s all for a great cause: to raise funds for the
permanently disabled jockeys. It’s a competition but the real winner is the PDJF.
“We’re super competitive on the racetrack but we try to outdo each other in
the karaoke contest, too. Some of the guys have even started to wear costumes
and wigs. Each year we do this it seems to be a bigger deal than the last,”
Velazquez explained.
Jockeys have sung karaoke at PDJF fundraisers at both Saratoga Race Course
and at Keeneland.
Among the jockeys scheduled to compete Monday are Junior Alvarado, Javier
Castellano, David Cohen, Ramon Dominguez, Alan Garcia, Julien Leparoux, Mike
Luzzi, Rajiv Maragh, Rosie Napravnik, Edgar Prado, Joel Rosario, Maylan Studart
and Velazquez.
“Jockeys are much better singers than one would expect, and those who
struggle are, at the very least, entertaining,” said Vic Zast, author and
long-time chronicler of Saratoga seasons. “Despite all the fancy social
gatherings going on during the Saratoga meet, this particular fundraiser is a
‘don’t miss’ event.”
Advance tickets are $100 and are available at
pdjf.org. Tickets include
passed hors d’oeuvres (from 6-7:30 p.m.), cash bar, a silent auction, open
microphone and dancing. Vapor Night Club is located inside Saratoga Casino and
Raceway, 342 Jefferson Street, Saratoga Springs, New York. Patrons must be 21
years of age or older to enter the premises.
A clip from last year’s “Saratoga sing” is available on
YouTube. Click
here
for downloadable photos of last year’s event.
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