AMSTERDAM — While the Saratoga Race Course officially opens today, the Friends of the Sanford Stud Farm have their sights set on Thursday, which is Sanford Stakes Day at the track.

This year’s 95th running of the Sanford Stakes recognizes the legacy of the Sanfords in horse racing. The Friends of the Sanford Stud Farm are trying to do the same by preserving Sanford’s broodmare barn and two smaller structures on Route 30.

On Thursday, the group is having a lunch at the track to raise awareness about their preservation efforts and to raise money.

Sam Hildebrandt, president of the Friends of the Sanford Stud Farm, said last year’s lunch was a success, with 50 people in attendance, and this year’s event sold out in six weeks with 60 people expected.

“It was a successful venture last year so it was only natural that we pursue it this year and take it to a different level,” Hildebrandt said.

This year’s event will be at the new Rail Building and participants will have an opportunity to trace Sanford’s annual trek on foot from Amsterdam to Saratoga. Of course, they will be doing it while riding in an air-conditioned coach bus.

“We were going to do this last year, but we couldn’t and we had people complain that they couldn’t retrace the route,” Hildebrandt said.

In the early 1900s, Stephen Sanford’s crew walked between 25 and 30 horses from the farm on Route 30 through Saratoga County to the race track. The men rode the horses and led others on the 26-mile route, stopping to change mounts in Galway and West Milton. The men left at 2 a.m., stopped for breakfast at Top Notch in West Galway and, with good weather, arrived in Saratoga Springs by 11 a.m.

“You know what the best part about that is?” Hildebrandt said. “Besides the people who stayed with the horses, the rest of the crew walked back.”

Hildebrandt said he’s ridden the route four times this summer and suspects that participants will be pleased with what they find.

While the lunch is expected to raise a little money for the Friends and their preservation efforts, Hildebrandt said the most important thing about the event will be to raise awareness about the organization’s efforts. The New York State Thoroughbred Breeders is allowing the Friends to use their booth to display information and encourage membership.

“What this says is that we have people paying attention to us,” Hildebrandt said. “We have staying power. We’ve stood the test of time.”