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Vernon Downs Opens 2011 Racing Season with Resounding Success

Posted on April 17th, 2011

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Despite widespread debate about many racetracks facing financial issues to start the year, Vernon Downs stayed through the course to open the 2011 racing season with a bang. At least for one more year, horseracing bookies and harness racing lovers will not have to worry about where to get their racing fix; Vernon Downs is officially here to offer up a serving of exciting race results. The opening race happened Friday night where local patrons like Dave Deuel frequently hang-out to watch the horses zip through the tracks. Deuel is from Syracuse and he intently watched and wagered on the first 10 races even as his wife was inside the casino trying her own luck versus the slots. According to Dave, the crowds were decent enough to suggest racing might still have a future here.

Dave has been attending opening night festivities on Vernon Downs for the last 15 years. He doesn’t have a system for picking wagers; he typically goes by numbers or drivers and not much else – but he doesn’t mind the occasional losing. For him, this is a past time and a tradition that he insists he wants to stick through. Sitting not far from Dave was Sharon Brown of Yorkville who offered many tips for betting on races, although she refused to be called an expert on harness racing. Her typical betting selections centered on name, lucky number, jockeys or horses with average odds. She’s not a heavy better; for her it’s all about the horses. She’s also a regular on Vernon Downs opening nights and says she has been coming for the past 20 years. “This is the best turn out in years,” she said of opening night, certainly a cause for celebration given the overall declining perception with regard to harness racing.

For every oldie, there are first timers like Tom and Nellie Stark and Ed and Jackie Lyons who made the three-hour drive from Norfolk, New York and West Springfield, Massachusetts respectively. It was a holiday weekend for the couples who stayed in the hotel and picked bets according to names and numbers. All of them have not had a horse betting experience prior to this night. Nellie Stark loved the size of the track and commented how her husband loved the trip it could very well become a tradition for them. For Jackie Lyons, the crowd was fantastic. Asked if the Lyons would also pick it up as a tradition, Jackie laughed and said, “If we win, maybe. If not, probably not.”

Vernon Downs’ relative success compared to its contemporaries springs from the support provided by the Harness Horse Association of Central New York who just last week reached an agreement with the racetrack to continue running races at the facility. For now, all April scheduled races are sanctioned by the New York’s Racing and Wagering Board but a long-term agreement covering eh entirety of the racing season is yet to be agreed on. It certainly has not been an easy road for both organization who look to continue running the races but could not agree on specific terms to make it work. Said Racing Vice President Jason Settlemoir, the agreements are a real tough out. Joe Mahoney, spokesman for the New York Racing and Wagering Board, said the board will next meet on April 27 to discuss the schedule for Vernon Downs for the rest of the season.

“The board was always optimistic that the contract issue would be resolved,” Mahoney said. “We look forward to another exciting racing season at Vernon Downs where the track management and the horsemen work hard to put on an exciting product.” Vernon Downs looks to complete the typical 90-day schedule for racing that will run through November 19. Settlemoir praised the efforts of track superintendent Tony Rossi for getting things ready in time for the opening. The heavy snow during the fierce winter months certainly did not make the job any easier. “All the horsemen and women in North America crow about the racing surface that we have here at Vernon Downs,” Settlemoir said. “They call it one of the fastest pieces of dirt in harness racing.”

Vernon Downs estimates a draw of 750,000 customers over the next 90 racing days, majority of which will come from a 40 mile radius, Settlemoir optimistically downplayed the effects of the weak economy on the performance of the track compared to others who are struggling to put horses on the track.