The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will celebrate its 50th annual Museum Ball this summer on Friday, Aug. 7. This esteemed black-tie gala has been held continuously since 1977 and remains the Museum’s largest fundraising event and one of the most prestigious social affairs of the Saratoga racing season.
The Museum Ball is attended by Hall of Fame members, thoroughbred racing and community leaders, and Museum trustees. More than 400 attendees are expected for this distinctive event, which maintains its attire standards as the only back-tie event of the Saratoga summer season. Individual tickets are on sale now at the Museum website.
The 2025 Museum Ball celebrated the Museum’s 75th anniversary and was attended by 35 Hall of Fame members. This year’s Ball is a Golden Anniversary renewal themed “Black and White” to pay homage to Gilded Age fêtes of the past.
The Museum Ball provides important funding for exhibits, educational initiatives, and the Hall of Fame, all of which are vital to the Museum’s mission of preserving and promoting the history of thoroughbred racing in America and honoring the sport’s most accomplished participants.
With a storied history of elegance and excellence, the Museum Ball has been attended by many generations of racing’s most prominent figures. Past Ball chairs have included Helen C. Alexander, Katy Amling, Theresa Behrendt, Anne Campbell, Blythe Clay, Carol Farmer, Sally Hill, Deborah Landon, Linda Miller, Debby Oxley, Jo Ann Pepper-Oreffice, Maury Shields, Beverly R. “Peggy” Steinman, and Marylou Whitney, among others.
“Saratoga tradition, which brings together so many thoroughbred racing people and their guests in one of the loveliest settings in this historic city, epitomizes what thoroughbred racing is all about,” former Museum chair Whitney Tower said of the Museum Ball in 1985. “For here, in a setting unequaled in its grace and beauty, is gathered a wonderful cross-section of American and international racing figures dedicated to true sportsmanship.”
Cate Masterson, the Museum’s director, said the Ball’s tradition is an important aspect of its enduring allure.
“For 50 years, the Museum Ball has been the marquee event of the Saratoga summer social calendar,” Masterson said. “The custom of hosting an elegant soiree that benefits the Museum is something we take great pride in. Thoroughbred racing, particularly at Saratoga, is rooted in wonderful history. We look forward to adding new chapters to that history and honoring our great traditions at this special anniversary Museum Ball.”
The 50th Museum Ball will feature music by the Bob Hardwick Sound and catering from Mazzone Hospitality. The Ball begins at 7 p.m. and valet parking is available for attendees. In honor of the golden anniversary, for the first time there will be an afterparty in the Hall of Fame.
Individuals or businesses interested in underwriting opportunities for the 50th Museum Ball should contact Maureen Pasco at (518) 584-0400 ext. 109 or mpasco@racingmuseum.net.
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