Saratoga race to be named for Gabrielle Giffords
July 20, 2011SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) - The seventh race on opening day at Saratoga Race Course will be named in honor of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering after being shot at a constituent event Jan. 8.
``The Gabrielle Giffords,'' a maiden race for 2-year-old New York-bred fillies, is scheduled to go to post at approximately 4:21 p.m. on Friday and has drawn a field of 11. After the race, Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, and his identical twin brother and fellow astronaut Scott Kelly will make a presentation to the winning owner and trainer.
Giffords' chief of staff, Pia Carusone, is a Saratoga native.