State Authorizes Turf Course at Finger Lakes But ...

[Rollingpk3]

Finger Lakes Casino & Racetrack in upstate New York is again authorized by the state to spend up to $2 million from its casino capital account on a new turf track, according to a budget plan released this week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/231624/state-authorizes-turf-course-at-finger-lakes-but

[Thomas Roulston]

If they do it, they should install an Arlington/Gulfsteam/Laurel-style super-wide turf course, which in Finger Lakes' case would be 6 1/2 furlongs with the rail set at 0 feet. This would allow 7-furlong, 7 1/2-furlong, and 1 1/4-mile turf races, along with multiple rail settings which would lead to fewer turf races getting taken off the turf.

[Hambletonian]

Newsflash: White Star Line has given approval to install super comfortable deck chairs on the Titanic!

Well, I know there has been a void left by the old Waterford Park, the only place in North America where a $1500 claimer could run on the grass, but this is just silly.

No offense to Finger Lakes, but spending money to install a turf course there is a complete waste. The only horses that run there are, egads, statebreds too slow to race on the NYRA circuit, supplemented by other horses too slow to make it anywhere else in the northeast. Unless they think they are going to raid Fort Erie.

If they really want to do something, turn it into a one mile harness raceway a la the State Fairgrounds, and close all those half mile raceways upstate.

[Saratoga_Mike]

Newsflash: White Star Line has given approval to install super comfortable deck chairs on the Titanic!

Well, I know there has been a void left by the old Waterford Park, the only place in North America where a $1500 claimer could run on the grass, but this is just silly.

No offense to Finger Lakes, but spending money to install a turf course there is a complete waste. The only horses that run there are, egads, statebreds too slow to race on the NYRA circuit, supplemented by other horses too slow to make it anywhere else in the northeast. Unless they think they are going to raid Fort Erie.

If they really want to do something, turn it into a one mile harness raceway a la the State Fairgrounds, and close all those half mile raceways upstate.

You made sense until suggesting a harness track might work out better. Vernon is effectively a mile track and no one cares. What does it handle? Nothing. I guess if you closed down most of the competition such a track might do marginally better.

[Hambletonian]

You made sense until suggesting a harness track might work out better. Vernon is effectively a mile track and no one cares. What does it handle? Nothing. I guess if you closed down most of the competition such a track might do marginally better.

Your right of course, just thought it was weird that we had all these cheap ass half mile harness tracks while the only mile track is not used anymore (believe Batavia used to run the meet there, which was parimutuel if memory serves).

[Tom]

Batavia still running its own meets every year.

[castaway01]

Why not add a turf course? Might give some more variety to the racecards in the summer.

[Saratoga_Mike]

Why not add a turf course? Might give some more variety to the racecards in the summer.

The turf course would cost $4.5 mm, according to this article. The horsemen have offered $1 mm in purse money to help pay for it. That leaves the track on the hook for $3.5 mm. I suspect management thinks they can earn a better/quicker return by investing back into the casino vs. the track.

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2018/01/23/finger-lakes-racetrack-considers-big-change/1057613001/