At precisely 12:43 p.m., a hand-rung bell sounds signaling thoroughbreds will break out of their gates for the first race in just 17 minutes. Patrons move to the fences to watch horses led from the stables to the paddock, jockeys with bright colorful silks crouched in their saddles. Then all attention turns toward the Victorian-style grandstand and the oval dirt track. Let the races begin.

It’s mid-summer in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the place where Seabiscuit once thundered around the track and the home course of Funny Cide, the New York-bred horse that ran away with the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

Here the well-bred, pearl-swagged high-couture set vie with belly-bared Britney Spears wanna-bes with short-cropped, latex-tight tops for tables at local eateries like Beverly’s and Siro’s while early-risers sit in wicker chairs on wide porches of the Batcheller Mansion Inn and the Fox ‘n’ Hound or new Springwater bed-and-breakfasts, sipping coffee and nibbling pastries while checking the Daily Racing Form.

In fact, this horse business has been going on since 1883, making the Saratoga Race Course the oldest organized sporting venue in the country. Built by John Hunter, first chairman of the Jockey Club, and William R. Travers, the track is home to the Travers Stakes, the oldest major thoroughbred horse race in the United States.

And even if you haven’t been here, it may still feel familiar. A scene from the James Bond flick Diamonds are Forever was filmed at the track.

Sports Illustrated name the course one of the Top 10 sports venues of the 20th century, right up there with Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and others.

So, in a place like this, who could be amazed at seeing horses on the golf course? After all, on the grass behind the clubhouse at Saratoga National Golf Club, a white horse painted with blue stars and gold and red designs “grazes” next to the infinity-edged pond. Totally appropriate in Saratoga Springs.

So where will you be on July 22? Listening for the bell if you’re lucky.

WHERE ELSE TO PLAY
Cashed a few exactas at Saratoga Springs? Well, if you’re a golfer, this charming and popular tourist town offers a trio of golf experiences to help you enjoy that booty to the fullest:

SARATOGA NATIONALFlowing over 450 acres of a former horse farm, designed by Roger Rulewich and ranked by Golf Digest as the No. 5 best new upscale daily-fee course in the country when it opened in 2001, it has generous fairways with multi-tiered undulating greens often protected by scalloped white-sand bunkers, some sod-walled. It plays 7,265 yards from the tips with GPS-equipped golf carts, practice facility, handsome clubhouse and well-stocked pro shop for a winner’s circle-worthy golf experience.

SARATOGA SPA GOLF A well-heeled historic course set on the grounds of the Saratoga Spa State Park and adjacent to the venerable Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa, this is not just a pretty course but a challenging one as well, especially from the back tees which play more than 7,000 yards. However, with five tee boxes from which to choose, higher-handicap players can enjoy as well. There’s also a nine-hole 3-par course.

McGREGOR LINKS This historic semi-private gem built in 1920 and designed by Emmet Devereux features rolling fairways and greens. Host to two U.S. Open Regional Qualifying Rounds and six New York State Amateurs, McGregor Links will host the Junior Boys’ and Girls New York State Championships this year.