Polisseni to be inducted into Finger Lakes Hall of Fame

Thoroughbred owner Wanda Polisseni, who helped Finger Lakes Racetrack establish itself as an early leader in Thoroughbred aftercare, will become the 30th member of the Finger Lakes Hall of Fame, the Farmington, N.Y., track announced this week. Polisseni’s induction will take place as part of the Finger Lakes Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association’s annual dinner meeting, this Thursday, June 6, at the Lincoln Hill Farms event center in Canandaigua, N.Y.

Polisseni, who races as My Purple Haze Stables, is a founding supporting of the Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program (FLTAP). The Purple Haze Center opened on the racetrack grounds in 2007, making it the nation’s first retraining and adoption program housed at a track. The Center has rehomed more than 700 racehorses to date.

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“Wanda Polisseni has been a wonderful mentor to me and the Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program,” said FLTAP president Kim DeLong said in a release. “Without her mentorship in fundraising ideas and events, this program would not be as successful as it is. Her caring for the horses, both Thoroughbred and Standardbred, in regard to aftercare is the true heart of this woman.”

Polisseni, who grew up on a Standardbred farm in Yates County, has campaigned horses such as Grade 3 winner Cool Arrow; multi-time Finger Lakes stakes winner Mom’s Law; and Heiressall, a restricted stakes winner in Florida.

“I have loved horses and ridden since I was a little girl,” Polisseni said in the release. “My greatest wish is that no horse has to face the perils of slaughter, and I hope through all of our efforts we can achieve this.”

Davis surpasses 900 wins

Jackie Davis rode three winners on the June 4 program at Finger Lakes, and has now surpassed 900 winners for her career.

Davis won allowance races with Grace Reformed and She's Dancing and a claiming race with Maggie on that program. As of Wednesday, she had 903 winners in a career that began in 2008 – including seven stakes victories between Finger Lakes, Aqueduct, and Suffolk – and her mounts have earned more than $20.7 million. At the current Finger Lakes meet that opened April 29, she is second by both earnings and wins trailing Keiber Coa.

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