All the preparations are complete and the anticipation to see the horses go behind the gate is high as live harness racing is set to return to Genesee County in New York on Wednesday, July 22 when Batavia Downs hosts the first of 62 fast-paced cards of Standardbred competition scheduled to take place during the 2026 summer/fall season at the oldest lighted harness track in North America.
The six-month session will include the best overnight trotters and pacers in Western New York along with stakes action, promotions, good food and a lot of fun.
Nicolle Fortes is the General Manager of Live Racing at Batavia Downs and she is eager to get her second year at the helm underway.
"We are thrilled to welcome fans, horsemen and horsewomen, and our community back for another exciting season of live racing," said Fortes. "We've built a schedule and lineup of events and promotions that offer something for everyone, and we look forward to delivering an exceptional racing experience throughout the season. We have a good horse population as our stable area is 30 per cent fuller than last year and that’s good for competitive racing.”
Byron Brown, President and CEO of Western Regional Off Track Betting, is equally enthused to have the season begin.
"We are extremely excited for the start of another season of great harness racing at our historic track," echoed Brown. "One of the highlights of this meet will be the return of Sunday matinee racing and brunch in our Clubhouse. I look forward to seeing all of our loyal fans and, as always, I want them all to love winning at Batavia Downs."
This year’s schedule starts with a Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday rotation that will run through the middle of August. Then it switches to Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday for the remainder of the year. All post times will be at a new, earlier 5 p.m. except for all four Sunday summer matinee cards, Labour Day (Sept. 7) and Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day (Oct. 12), which will all be at 12:15 p.m.
The New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) will be making eight stops at The Downs this year. Those races will be held on July 22, July 29, Aug. 5, Aug. 12, Aug. 19, Aug. 22, Aug. 26 and Sept. 2.
On Saturday, Aug, 22, along with the NYSS stop, Batavia Downs will host its signature race, the $50,000 USD Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace. This race annually draws some of the finest Open class pacers in North America and was the impetus of the all-time track pacing record of 1:50.2 in 2022.
The wagering menu remains the same as in previous years. On a 10-race program, besides Win, Place and Show in every race, there will be three Daily Doubles, 10 Exactas, 10 Trifectas, nine Superfectas, two Pick-3s, two Pick-4s, one Pick-5 and one Jackpot Super High Five, all with low minimum wagers.
Western New York’s top drivers and trainers will all be returning, led by Batavia driving champion for the last two years, Drew Monti, along with Joe Chindano Jr., Kevin Cummings, Dave McNeight III and Kyle Cummings, who rounded out the top five from last year.
Returning training leaders will be headed by The Downs's three-time champion, Sam Smith, who will be looking for the grand slam this season. Challengers to him will include Shawn McDonough, David Russo and Maria Rice, who also finished in the first five last season. Jennifer Petrelli will be a new stable racing at Batavia on a regular basis this season.
Batavia Downs will continue to provide free downloadable full past performance racing programs on its website at bataviadownsgaming.com under the "Live Racing" tab. The Batavia Downs YouTube channel will also furnish free live streaming of all the races every night.
Opening night promotions include the first visit of the New York Sire Stakes and free printed past performance forms for those in attendance at the track. All WROTB Branches will also provide free printed past performance forms on Wednesday, July 22 and Saturday, July 25.
Then on Sunday, July 26, which is the first matinee of the year, there will be a street legal car show taking place in the Batavia Downs parking lot from 12 noon until 4:30 p.m.
Other promotions this year include a free t-shirt giveaway on Saturday, Aug. 22 during the Kane Memorial card and the annual Labor Day Bike Race on Monday, Sept. 7 when eight lucky people will win the actual bikes used in the race. Batavia Downs was the first track to run this promotion and the tradition goes back to the 1970s.
There will be a handicapping contest on Sunday, Aug. 16 that will offer cash prizes, professional hockey tickets and free play on the gaming floor.
There is an entire slate of wagering promotions that will be available all year long.
The Early Bird Daily Double offers $10 in free play if players wager at least $10 at the same time on the Early Daily Double.
Wednesday’s Non-Winning Ticket Promo invites customers to deposit non-winning tickets wagered on Batavia races into a drawing box to be eligible to win a Batavia Downs "stay and play" package.
The Wednesday Finale Promo lets players earn $25 in free play with a $25 wager on the last race at Batavia.
The popular Match Play Free Play Frenzy will take place every Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Saturday. If players wager $25 at the same time on the same race, they will receive $25 in free play. Wagers must be made on the Batavia race card.
One of Batavia’s most popular contests, the Facebook Photo Promotion, will be available on any day Batavia races. Patrons who post a picture of themselves or their group by the fence of the racetrack with the infield behind them to the Batavia Downs Racetrack Facebook page, will be automatically entered into a drawing to win a Batavia racing package. One winner will be selected monthly.
Players must be 21 years of age and a member of Players Club to be eligible for all of these promotions. Complete rules are available at the track.
There will be no shortage of food and beverage choices at Batavia as the beautiful Clubhouse and Rail Bar, Fortunes Restaurant, 34 Rush and The Homestretch Grill will all be open on all race days. The Clubhouse is featuring a special Southern Style buffet for opening night. Call 1-585-343-3750 ext. 6246 to make reservations.
(Batavia Downs)