Deadlines. Dating apps. Doomscrolling—lots of doomscrolling. The modern era can feel overwhelming to anyone—and often does—but especially to the protagonist of Off to the Races, a new film by Albany native Miranda Hart that just wrapped up filming around Saratoga earlier this month.
Off to the Races centers on Babs, a history-obsessed playwright struggling with writer’s block. In a desperate bid for new material, she leaves the big city to visit her hometown—Saratoga Springs—during the height of horse racing season. Though she longs for an old-fashioned man in a tuxedo, Babs ends up sleeping with the high school quarterback with whom she swore she’d never get involved. From there, the film follows the unlikely pair’s attempts to keep their secret from her nosy family.
It’s a story not completely unfamiliar to Hart—save the torrid affair. As a Capital Region native now living in Los Angeles, she returned to Saratoga herself to shoot the film. Growing up, she visited the city every year with her family for Travers weekend, which ignited the very excitement and sense of escapism that Babs experiences.
“We’d get all dressed up in our clubhouse best, with the big hats, dresses, and suits, and bet on horses all day,” she says. “Then at night, we’d stay at the historic Adelphi Hotel.”
Hart loves the Spa City so much that in 2021, when her dad was looking for a retirement property, she convinced him to purchase a home in Saratoga—and not just any home. He became the owner of 108 Circular Street, also known as the Ro-Ed Mansion.
“I knew I had to film something inside it one day,” Hart says.
This year, her vision became reality as the historic house served as the main setting for Off to the Races. “The movie is supposed to be this pressure cooker of family hijinks,” she says. “We wanted our characters to feel a bit trapped in this big, old house.”
Beyond filming there, the crew also shot scenes at Siro’s (Hart’s favorite Saratoga restaurant), Congress Park, Caroline Street, Saratoga Race Course, and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. They also ventured to Albany to film at Spectrum 8 Theatres.
While the selected locations offer unique charm and history, there’s a deeper reason Hart decided to take Babs’ story to Saratoga.
“I think Saratoga is a place of romanticism and hedonism and fun,” she says. “It’s a place where someone lost can go and have the most fun weekend of their life. That’s what our main character, Babs, does.”
Off to the Races is more than a whirlwind weekend (that said, one of Hart’s crew members did call Saratoga “Serotonin Springs”), though—it’s an intimate look at what it feels like to return home, and how that experience can shift your perspective once you’re back in your everyday life.
Hart isn’t the only one on set from the Capital Region, either—cinematographer Alex Hass, lead actor Lucas Aurelio (Bridgerton), and producer Janek Ambros are all 518 natives and longtime friends, which made the production even more meaningful.
“We are true-blue Capital Region-lovers,” she says. “And to gather from LA, London, and New York City to make our film—all reunited from childhood—was a dream come true.”
Hart hopes that even those who haven’t visited will feel the spirit of the Spa City.
“I am so proud to represent Saratoga and other parts of the Capital Region in this film,” she says. “It’s a magical place and one of my biggest inspirations. I would love to be the William Kennedy of Saratoga and bring more stories about ‘Toga to the world after this.”
The film will be making its festival rounds as soon as possible, and Hart anticipates a theatrical and streaming release to follow. She plans to host screenings in the Capital Region with live Q&As—so stay tuned.
