Buffalo Raceway is ready to open its 2024 live harness racing season on Saturday, March 2 with a 13-race program set to get underway at 6 p.m.
The featured events on the card will be the $14,000 USD Open Pace in the seventh race and the $14,000 USD Open Trot in the ninth.
It will also be the first night fans can enjoy the action in high definition in-house and online. Also, new graphics have been added to complement the high definition broadcast.
Opening night will feature free programs for all customers and it is also the return of the Lucky Exacta contest. Fans will receive a lucky exacta combination along with a "Where You Goin" t-shirt. Should your exacta come in during specified races, you will spin the wheel for free wagers.
While fans will enjoy the new presentation of the races, they'll also see familiar faces in the driver colony and on the trainers' side of the ledger.
Jim Morrill Jr. will be seeking his fourth straight driving championship. He won 126 races last season and $1,075,059 in purse earnings. Kevin Cummings, who finished in second place last season with 100 victories, is poised to make another run at the title while Joe Chindano Jr., who placed third last season with 75 scores, is back and is expected to be a contender as well.
Other local favourites set to drive on the opener are Drew Monti, David McNeight Jr., David McNeight III, Ray Fisher Jr., Kyle Swift and Kyle Cummings.
On the trainers' side, Samuel Smith, who took the championship on the last night of the 2023 season, looks for a repeat after posting 49 victories last year. He'll be battling it out with David Russo, who was second with 45 wins, and Jennifer Giuliani, who was third with 40.
Other trainers to focus in on during opening night card include Shawn McDonough, Maria Rice, Ryan Swift, James Clouser Jr. and Christopher Petrelli.
Buffalo Raceway will race Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 6 p.m. with the exception of Saturday, May 4 (Kentucky Derby Day), when racing will begin at 2:30 p.m. Friday racing will begin on April 3 with post time slated for 2:30 p.m.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)