Finger Lakes sticks with successful status quo as meet opens
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Finger Lakes looks to continue its growth as it kicks off its 65th season of live Thoroughbred racing on Monday.
Finger Lakes, an important part of the New York-bred ecosystem, has scheduled 91 days for this season. Racing will be conducted on Mondays and Tuesdays for the first two weeks of the season, allowing for better field sizes with the existing horse population and carding races at 4 1/2 furlongs as many locals work their way back out of a winter layoff. The track then adds cards for its regular Monday-Wednesday schedule through Nov. 25.
Finger Lakes is coming off a solid 2025, when total wagering on the meet grew by $7.1 million. The wagering menu will remain the same at this meet.
“We felt status quo was the way to go for this season,” director of racing Todd Haight said in a press release. “We added a second pick five last year that offered a mandatory daily payout, and we saw that wager grow precipitously by over 150 percent.”
Finger Lakes has 14 stakes races, exclusively for New York-breds. One of the richest is the $150,000 New York Derby on July 13, a race that often includes shippers from the NYRA circuit and quality 3-year-olds who have knocked heads with open company. The Derby anchors a summer card that also includes its sister race, the $75,000 New York Oaks, and the $50,000 Leon Reed memorial.
The richest race of the season, and one of the richest races for statebred juveniles, is the $175,000 New York Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 12. The race highlights a busy card, joined by the $50,000 Jack Betta Be Rite Stakes and $50,000 Genesee Valley Breeders’ Stakes.
The local preps toward the Futurity are the $100,000 Aspirant Stakes and the $100,000 Lady Finger Stakes on Sept. 21. They top a superfecta of stakes that day, along with the $50,000 Ontario County Stakes and $50,000 Niagara Stakes, both for 3-year-olds.
The other stakes on the season are the $50,000 George W. Barker Stakes on May 25, the $50,000 Arctic Queen Stakes on Sept. 7, and the $50,000 Shesastonecoldfox Stakes and $50,000 Tin Cup Chalice Stakes, both Nov. 9.
The 2025 leading rider at Finger Lakes, Andre Worrie, and leading trainer, M. Anthony Ferraro, will be recognized during Monday’s opening-day program. First post is 12:55 p.m., and the nominal feature on the eight-race card is a $26,500 allowance that has been dubbed the “Welcome Back Racing Fans.”
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