Fort Erie meet ends with a thriller and positive numbers

Fort Erie Racetrack concluded its season on Tuesday with increased handle numbers and a dramatic season-ending marathon race.

Total wagering for the meet topped $46.7 million, which was up 39 percent over the 2022 meet. On-track wagering reached $1.9 million, a three percent increase over 2022. The track’s signature race, the Prince of Wales Stakes, raked in a record-setting $1.05 million, and the total wagering for that card was a solid $3.48 million.

Christopher Husbands was the meet’s leading rider with 40 wins. Melanie Pinto ranked second with 31 tallies, six more than Kirk Johnson. Rounding out the top five were Jeffrey Alderson and Pierre Mailhot, who both won 21 races. Amanda Vandermeersch was the top apprentice with 18 victories.

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Perennial leading trainer Julie Mathes topped the standings with 29 wins, nine more than runner-up Joshua Robillard. John Simms and Sharon Ceccato tired for third with 18 wins apiece. Kevin Buttigieg and Roy Agostino tied for fifth each with 16 wins.

The two-mile and 70-yard Tour de Fort brought down the curtain in dramatic fashion in Tuesday’s nightcap. Glitter Bay, under apprentice Sofia Vives, opened up a sixteenth of a mile lead early before holding on to prevail by a half-length over a charging Trish the Dish.

“At the quarter poll when I picked up her head, she really fired,” Vives said. “For two miles, I thought she should be wearing down, but she was game, and when she heard the screaming down the stretch, she was game to win.”

The 2024 Fort Erie meet is scheduled to begin on May 28.

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