Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack is a

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

horse-racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

track and

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

located in

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia * Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States *Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California *Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia * ...

in western

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

, approximately southeast of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. The facility is about one mile south of New York State Thruway exit 44.Google Map Location
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History

Finger Lakes Racetrack opened on May 23, 1962 as a thoroughbred horse race track. The race track has gone through several ownership changes and a cycle of successful and near-bankrupt seasons. Famous jockeys that have ridden at Finger Lakes include

Angel Cordero In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 a ...

Julie Krone Julieann Louise Krone (born July 24, 1963), is a retired American jockey. In 1993, she became the first (and so far only) female jockey to win a Triple Crown race when she captured the Belmont Stakes aboard Colonial Affair. In 2000, she became t ...

, and

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sho ...

. Ross Morton, a well-known race caller, was Finger Lakes' announcer from opening day until his death in February 2008. And Tin Cup Chalice, the first winner of the Big Apple Triple Crown of Racing, made his home at Finger Lakes. Unfortunately, Tin Cup Chalice died on April 17, 2009 in a freak accident while training at the track. A colt named Zany bolted and collided with him and both horses died. The track as a seasonal business, holding races from spring to fall, was financially hurt with the advent of Off Track Betting in the 1980s. Finger Lakes rebounded in the 1990s when

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...

racing began. Under this system, patrons were able to attend the clubhouse year-round and wager on races at other tracks around the country. In 2004, Finger Lakes Race Track became Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track after a $10.5 million renovation. The largest part of the renovation was the addition of a

racino A racino is a combined race track and casino. In some cases, the gambling is limited to slot machines, but many locations are beginning to include Casino game#Table games, table games such as blackjack, poker, and roulette. In 2003, Joe Bob Br ...

, which is a casino-style video gaming floor. Attendance rose at the facility after the introduction of the racino.

Feature Races

Finger Lakes is home to the New York Derby, a 1 1/16 mile restricted race for 3 year old horses who have been bred in the state of New York. Carrying a purse of $150,000, the race is a part of the Big Apple Triple, consisting of the

Mike Lee Stakes The Mike Lee Stakes is the first leg of the "Big Apple Triple", a grouping of three races in New York state for New York . A horse who wins all three of the Big Apple Triple wins the purse total of $400,000 plus a $250,000 bonus. The second leg ...

at Belmont Park, the New York Derby, and the Albany Stakes at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...

. The New York Derby race is typically run in July. Finger Lakes Race Track does not offer any graded stakes. They do offer ungraded and restricted stakes throughout the meet.

List of stakes races at Finger Lakes

*Arctic Queen Handicap *

Aspirant Stakes Aspirant is a rank in the Royal Canadian Navy, Estonian Defence Forces, French military, Brazilian military, Portuguese military, Swiss military, Italian Air Force, Argentinian Armed Forces, Romanian Navy, Polish Policja and Państwowa Stra ...

*Finger Lakes Juvenile *Finger Lakes Juvenile Fillies *Genesee Valley Breeders Handicap *George W. Barker Handicap *Jack Betta Be Rite Handicap * Lady Fingers Stakes *Leon Reed Memorial Handicap *

New York Breeders' Futurity The New York Breeders' Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1963 at Finger Lakes Race Track in Farmington, New York. A premier event for two-year-old horses bred in New York State, the race is a six furlong spri ...

* New York Derby *New York Oaks *Niagara Stakes *Ontario County Stakes *Proud Puppy Handicap *Susan B. Anthony Handicap * Wadsworth Memorial Handicap

References

External links

* {{coord, 42.971183, -77.343514, region:US_type:landmark, display=title Sports venues in New York (state) Horse racing venues in New York (state) 1962 in horse racing 1962 establishments in New York (state) Tourist attractions in Ontario County, New York Buildings and structures in Ontario County, New York Sports venues completed in 1962