The weather is turning wintry in western New York and that can only mean Buffalo Raceway is stepping up its preparations for the 2015 harness racing season.
The upcoming meet is tentatively scheduled to begin on Wednesday, January 14 with a 5 p.m. first-race post time. The racing schedule is pending approval from the New York State Gaming Commission.
Stall applications for the season, which is slated to end on July 26, are available at the Western New York Harness Horsemen's Association office at Batavia Downs and online at buffaloraceway.com. They are also going to be mailed out to those that have stabled at the Hamburg half-mile oval. Deadline for applications is December 12.
Jim Mango, Buffalo Raceway's COO, said, "We are the game in town basically in January, February and March. We race in the winter for the horsemen."
The paddock and barn area are key selling points in the winter months at Buffalo Raceway. "We have the best stable area around. There aren't many out there like this. But if you stable here, we expect you to race here," Mango added.
He went on to say, "This is Tom Agosti's first full season as race secretary and he's a smart guy and he's going to put his talents in trying to get new stables here. But there's enormous competition for horses. We hope to pick up some new barns and might surprise a few. It's way too early to tell who might come in, though, but we know we'll get some good drivers coming in who are basically down during those months."
And while stall applications are going out, the renovation of the racing strip is now complete, except for new drainage near the finish line – that will be worked on over the next few weeks.
"There have been several horsemen who've seen it and loved it," Mango said of the track. "The turns are really noticeable...they are now more banked to give the relief of pressure on the horses going around the turns."
Pete Arrigenna spearheaded the track work and will be around all season to "help maintain the integrity of the track," Mango added.
Over 6,000 tons of new material have been laid down on the race surface and is "packed down." The $150,000 cost of the track renovations were split by Buffalo Raceway and the Western New York Harness Horsemen's Association.
But even though there's a new racing strip, Mother Nature is always lurking. "Our biggest problem during the winter is the snow," Mango stated. "It takes some skillful maneuvering of the grader to get the snow off the track."
Buffalo’s early season schedule is always a crap shoot, but as Mango put it, "If the weather is good, it pays off. And if the weather isn't good, we'll things aren't so good."
(Buffalo Raceway)