It has been announced that the New York State Gaming Commission has approved two Saturday afternoon cards of racing.

The Saturday afternoon cards were applied for by Batavia Downs in order to make up for the cancellation of last Friday (Nov. 21) and Saturday (Nov. 22) night’s races due to the adverse weather conditions that plagued western New York last week.

With much of the area buried in up to eight feet of snow, Batavia was forced to cancel three nights of live racing. So, in an effort to allow the local horsemen to compete for those scheduled purses heading into the winter break, the track asked the state to allow them to run two double-headers on the last two Saturdays of the meet. With that permission granted, November 29 and December 6 will now have two complete cards of racing with first-race post times set for 12:15 p.m. and 6:35 p.m.

A special dining deal has been added for the fans attending the Saturday matinees cards. If you purchase the lunch buffet in the clubhouse for $10.95, you will get $10 back in free play for the gaming floor. So you get lunch for less than a buck! (Must earn one point to redeem this offer) This special is good only for the November 29 and December 6 Saturday afternoon cards of racing.

For the horsemen, in addition to the extra race dates, a 20 per cent across-the-board purse increase will also go into effect immediately for the last six racing dates.

With the new racing opportunities in place, please note the new draw schedule. The Friday and Saturday afternoon cards will be drawn on Tuesday. The Saturday night cards will be drawn on Wednesday. And the final Wednesday of the meet will be drawn on Friday, as always. The box will close at 9 a.m. If you have any questions please contact race secretary Joe Zambito at 585-344-6161.

(Batavia)