Question:1/17/2009 - Why does the condition sheet change weekly and why do classes always get opened up? Can't horses that don't fit a class move up? Why have a condition sheet if classes are always changed on the morning of the draw?.....Submitted by Anonymous.

Answer: The condition sheet changes to accommodate the horses we have. If a race fills as written, the condition is never changed. If a race doesn't fill, the condition may be changed, but the horses that fit the original condition will always get in. We just went from 4 days per week to 3 days, so it's obvious the sheet had to be changed. If you think classes "always get opened up" start keeping track & you may be surprised.

Question:10/28/2009 - hi Bruce; has the date been set regarding your horse's last start to be elgible to race at buffalo raceway without qualifing? Submitted by.....marc shuttleworth

Answer: I've asked the judges to check on this & I expect to have an answer shortly.

Question:10/28/2009 - BRUCE: WHAT HAPPEN TH MAIDEN RACES. I HAVE A FILLY THAT HASN'T RACED IN 2 WEEKS AND THERE IS STILL NO CONDITION NEXT WEEK. WHY INVEST IN YOUNG HORSES IF YOU CAN'T RACE THEM.....Submitted by Anonymous

Answer: According to the race office, the Maiden pace has not filled for two weeks. You can enter in NW 2 LT & if there are multiple divisions, the Race Secretary will keep the Maidens together when possible.

Question:10/01/2009 -Bruce, Will either Buffalo or Batavia consider changing the current draw system? With a half-mile track it is very difficult to overcome an outside post position. It would make more sense to go to a system were if you drew outside then the following week your chances of drawing outside would be greatly reduced. How can a small stable survive if they draw the outside (8 hole) for a whole month. I am sure you are aware of the costs involved and if you have only one horse drawing outside repeatedly will bankrupt an owner. Bigger stables like the Holidays, Gruber and Ohols can survive a bad draw because of the number of horses they have racing weekly, while a small stable is really screwed if they continue to draw outside. You also take the human element out of the draw if you go to a computerized system. The same should be said if you draw the rail, you should have less likely chance of drawing it two or three weeks in a row. I know you can counter me with how the draw has been in place for many years and works but in my case it hasn't. I can not race on a 1/2 mile track if there is a chance that I could in theory draw outside for a month. Atleast on a big track you can make up ground if you draw bad......Submitted by Glen Zdon Jr.

Answer: 
 1) The State of New York makes the rules & oversees the draw, not the racetracks.
 
 2) A computerized draw would be no more random than the way the draw is being done right now.
 
 3) If you're suggesting that a computer program be created to weight the draw based on previous post positions for a given horse, that would be equivalent to fixing the draw. That would never be allowed.

Question: 07/19/2009 - Bruce can you explain to me how in Sunday's 7th race the 2 horse is eligible to that class. He changed the condition to allow the horse in and as far as I can tell he won two races in 2009 How does he fit?.....Submitted by Anonymous.

Answer:  The condition of the race is Winners of 1 PM but not more than 2 PM. That horse has 4 wins, but only 2 of them are PM wins. Therefore, he had not won more than 2 extended PM races & was eligible. The condition was not changed!

Question: 05/18/2009 -  Bruce I would like to know where we stand with respect to a contract with Batavia Downs. How many racing days?.....Submitted by Chris Drongosky.

Answer:  Our first negotiating session was last week. We have since sent a proposal & are awaiting a response. We will not be discussing specifics while negotiations are ongoing.

Question: 05/14/2009 - Bravo, for your excellent letter regarding slot money to horse industry. I almost choked when I read that idiot's comments. On another issue; someone had written about perhaps paying the $10 entry fee for the horses not getting a check from the purse account like we do the drivers running out of the money. I just reviewed last week's results for horses racing out of the 7 & 8 hole that finished out of the money and it doesn't seem fair to have to pay to race out of those positions based on the figures. (Friday: 7 hole horses out of 11 races 9 did not get money. 8 hole horses out of only 7 races 3 ran out of the money.) Saturday: 7 hole horses 13 races 8 no money. 8 hole horses 10 races 8 no money. Wednesday: 7 hole horses 13 races 10 no money. 8 hole horses 10 races 7 no money. Conclusion: Chances are slim you will profit from these positions let alone have to pay to race from them. I'm not saying paying all runouts entry fee, but at least consider paying for the runouts from the 7 and 8 hole that have proven to be at a disadvantage from the draw. What say you? Fair or not?.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer:  Your point is worth considering. We will be reviewing the entire entry fee situation shortly.

Question: 05/04/2009 - Hello Bruce; I was wondering if the idea of racing a double header on Derby Day be anything the track and the horseman would consider? I would think it would be a positive day for the handle? Maybe use one of the cancelled days as a target date for the early card? Any thoughts on the idea? Thanks.....Submitted by Marc Shuttleworth.

Answer:  We actually discussed that possibility this year. We have done that in the past; we've also raced 4 extra races on Derby day, but the results have never been successful. It can also be a real hardship on our horsemen. I wouldn't say it will never happen, but it's doubtful.

Question: 04/23/2009 - hi Bruce I just received the latest news letter and I agree with the approach in dealing with how the tax is withheld and paid; My only concern is that since we are going to be the responsible party for the payment of the taxes I would recemend to the board to require all partisipants to become members of the association. What is your thoughts?....Submitted by marc shuttleworth

Answer:  Actually, we are not the responsible party. The racetrack must collect the fees & send them to the R&W Board monthly. Remember, this plan must be approved by the the Board.

Question: 04/08/2009 - Bruce, why was the membership not notified of the $10.00 surcharge per horse per race in advance. Many of us have political influence that may have changed the outcome of this. I know I could have put some political presure on our officials. Very dissapointed.Lets take the money out of the purse account.....Submitted by Chris Drongosky.

Answer:  The $10 surcharge was included in the Governor's budget proposal four months ago. I'm sure with your political influence you must have noticed that. Some of us have had a great deal of success dealing with Legislation for many years, but this one was not going away. As for taking the money out of the purse account, please refer to my answer to Marc Shuttleworth's question on April 2. The procedure is mandated very clearly in the law.

Question: 04/02/2009 - Bruce what is the story about the proposed budget and the 10.00 per horse entry fee? Do you have any details on it?.....Submitted by marc shuttleworth.

Answer:  The law ( S59B; A159B) requires a $10 fee for every horse that starts in a pari-mutual race in NY State. The $ goes directly to the R & W Board. The fee must be deposited with the horsemen's bookkeeper who will then send the fees to the Board. I do not yet know the exact start date for this procedure or exactly how it will be administered. Obviously, we fought extremely hard against this outrageous law, but this is the year of unlimited increases in taxes & fees. I'll pass on the details when they become available.

Question: 03/29/2009 - Bruce, from what I was told they have a bird caller in the grandstands to ward off pigeons. Is there anyway you can get them to turn it off during the races or at least while the race is going. It is very loud and annoying. All of the patrons are complaining and you can't even hear the the race being called.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer:  I will mention your concerns to management & see if we can get the noise stopped during live racing.

Question: 03/24/2009 - Bruce: I want to do a story for Sports and Leisure Magazine about the quirky, weird things, superstitions and odd mannerisms horses have that drivers, trainers and owners have to deal with...example...Horse that is afraid to get picture taken...being blindfolded to race...acting differently around a certain person...anything unique, off the wall behavior or not normal compared to other horses...If you can post this and have the trainer/owner/or driver e-mail me at

brianjco@yahoo.com

with the information, I would appreciate it. The more responses the better...Submitted by Brian Mazurek.

Question: 03/24/2009 - Hi Bruce- I received the news letter about our retirement plan; and as with everyone's 401K's Its no surprise. I do not know the details of how our plan works; but as an idea; would the board consider contributions from trainers to supplement there points for this year or maybe as hard as it sounds a contribution from the purse account at the end of the meet if we have funds available. so the memebers do not lose the entire year?.....Submitted by Marc Shuttleworth.

Answer:  It would not be fair to our members who do not participate in our pension plan to take money out of the purse account to fund the pension for those who do benefit. Our owners have enough trouble making ends meet without contributing purse money to our pension plan. Our plan is not set up to accommodate individual contributions.

Question: 03/22/2009 - bruce Almost every racetrack in New York, including monticello, saratoga vernon have lower condition races. We had them for years. What is this policy at buffalo raceway. claimers claimers and more claimers. There are owners who don't want their horse in a claimer and forced racing them over their head. What happenedjw66 to non winners of 1000 or 1500.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer:  Robin Burns answers  - "The reason that there aren't any of these classes is that all of the horses eligible to them are claimers. Younger horses, mares, & trotters are somewhat protected. It takes the pressure off the Race Office to a degree & lets the owner become his own classifier. In addition, it is about perception, & claiming races are wagered upon at a greater level than lower conditioned races."

Question: 12/02/2008 - Happy Holidays to Everyone. Bruce are there any thoughts or plans for a schooler and or qualifing races at Buffalo Raceway the week before the meet starts?.....Submitted by Marc Shuttleworth.

Answer:  The first qualifiers at Buffalo will be held on Saturday, Jan. 17. We have not received word from the Racing & Wagering Board yet as to the exact qualifying rule that will be applied. Since our down time is much shorter this year, I would assume we are looking at something along the lines of a 60 day rule. I will post the exact rule as soon as it becomes official.

Question: 11/20/2008 - I have no ploblem about letting outside horsemen racing at our track. As long as they stable at our track or at a local farm. At the end of year when the race dates are shortened and Vernon Downs is closed....why should local owned and trained horses not get in...when we ...the locals supply 90% of the horses year round?.....Submitted by gen zdon jr.

Answer:  New York Racing & Wagering rules prohibit the refusal of entries from any trainer or owner who is a current license holder in good standing.

Question: 11/18/2008 - Why are we paying a $9000 purse for a 6 horse field and can't afford to hold a 13th race during the weeks we are only racing 2 nights when we have so many horses that aren't drawing in ??.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer:  We are in the final year of a five year contract that was negotiated during a period when both of our racetracks were in serious trouble. Under the terms of that contract, Batavia Downs is only obligated to race 11 races per night. They have agreed to race 12 races on Friday & Saturday this year, but no more than that. The lack of additional races has nothing to do with our purse account.

Question: 11/03/2008 - It seems were having trouble negotiating with Batavia Downs.  I would like to know if the entire 40,000 dollars for the Kane Memorial race came from the purse account, second was there an increase in handle to justify the race? I was there that night and the Saturday previous to the race and there was a much larger crowd the prior Saturday.  Do we need to have this race since the money is not going to local horseman. Perhaps if Batavia Downs realized the purse account was no longer funding this race there position may change to allowing the horses to stay thru January 5th......Submitted by Chris Drongosky.

Answer:  The purse account funds 50% of the Kane memorial purse. With the exception of a few late closers, that's our entire Stake budget for the year. Our two tracks pay out the highest percentage of total purses to overnight races in the State. (possibly in the entire country). We keep the vast majority of our purses for local interests & we intend to keep it that way.  As far as withholding our share of the Kane purse, that would have absolutely no effect on our negotiations.

Question: 09/29/2008 - Bruce the condition sheet for claiming 4000 cg and fm is very confusing. Which event do you enter in. The one for trainers with 10 starts or the straight 4000.With the backup especially for fm4000 class it needs to be looked at.I understand whats trying to be accomplished but an easier way is what Monticello has done with the lower classes.Classes marked * are for trainers who have more starts at Batavia than elsewhere in 2008.I believe this will accomplish the same goal and be less confusing.....Submitted by Chris Drongosky.

Answer: Since you can't have a paper horse, but can have a paper trainer, Mr. Zambito's way of doing it is more effective. Where the horse started is much more accurate than the trainer listed in the program.

Question: 09/03/2008 - I see it now says on the condition sheet that Trainers MUST have workman's Comp. When did this rule get put into place? What about the waiver I signed, is it no good now? Will my be horses allowed to race until I get comp?.....Submitted by Dave Knupfer.

Answer: The only change in the Worker's Comp. rule is that the Designated Trainer must have Comp. There is still no need to have Comp. if you have -0- employees.

Question: 08/26/2008 - hi bruce; A couple of questions.

1) the question and comments section posted by date? It seams to be mixed at times.

2) It seams we are racing for a bit less at Batavia; How are we doing there?

3) Any update on contract negoiations?.....Submitted by marc shuttleworth.

Answer: 1. The date that is used is generated by the user's computer.

2. We're racing for the same money at Batavia as we raced for at Buffalo. The purses in some classes are slightly higher, some are slightly lower, but the money is the same. The only class that is significantly lower is the F&M open, and that has always been the purse at Batavia.

3. We've had many meetings with Buffalo & preliminary discussions with Batavia. So far, nothing substantial to report.

Question: 04/19/2008 - I noticed the Holliday's are racing horses at Saratoga and Pocono and have no horses entered at Buffalo, have they moved there stable off the grounds. If so, that to me as a fan would be a real shame. Thanks!!.....Submitted by racing fan.

Answer: Ken still has horses on the grounds at Buffalo Raceway. He sold quite a few horses this winter & is in the process of re-stocking his stable. As his stable grows to it's normal level, he will be racing more at Buffalo.

Question: 02/29/2008 - Bruce I noticed a lot of horses were listed wednesday.The condition of the track and the weather was very severe.I hope you will step up and rectify this sitituation as this was not fair at all to the horsemen or the horses.....Submitted by Chris Drngosky.

Answer: After speaking with the judges on Thursday morning, a number of the horses were removed from the list.

Question: 02/04/2008 - Bruce, What is your thoughts about possibly adding a provision to the contract to state that in the event there is a stopage of racing due to scheduling and no on track stableing is offered at the two raceways that atleast one of the raceways maintain a useable racetrack two days a week during the break. Because of the lack of adequate farm tracks it has made it very difficult for WNY Horseman to prepare there stock to race. How can we justify dropping a horse to race conditions over 15 days. In my opinion this current practice is unsafe to the horse and is putting the local horseman at a disadvantage against the horseman that may of went back to OHIO or any other raceway to race.....Submitted by marc shuttleworth

Answer: There are many subjects that will be discussed when we sit down to negotiate new contracts with both Racetracks at the end of the year. I'm sure you understand that we won't be discussing any of these items on this web site until negotiations are complete.

Question: 11/28/2007 - I wonder why it was possible for a Judge to order Vernon Downs to keep the backstretch open for winter training, but no such force was placed on Buffalo Raceway to do so here in WNY. Maybe they should revise the CIF to use some of the funds to maintain the tracks during the winter down time.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer:  The judge ordered Vernon to keep the backstretch open until Friday when there will be a hearing on the matter. The horsemen's contract with Vernon may require that the barn area be kept open during the winter. Our current contract does not contain such a requirement.  The capital improvement fund is based on on-track handle. It used to be a considerable sum; now it amounts to about $20,000 per year.

Question: 11/28/2007 - The membership "benefits" described on this site are kind of vague. Is there any literature (i.e. phamplet) that gives a more detailed description of the benefits? I know it states that there is equipment insurance while racing, but it doesn't state the amount of the coverage or any other details. Does it only cover any equipment broken during the race, but not during warmups? It really should be spelled out somewhere in writing. Also, it doesn't list any maximum benefits that can be paid out for anything. Are there any maximums per occurrence, per year, etc... I feel as though I've been paying for something and I really don't know what it exactly covers. Thank you......Submitted by Rachelle Mungillo.

Answer:  The association provides reimbursement, up to a maximum of $1,500.00 if a race bike or wheel is damaged or destroyed during a race or qualifier provided there is contact between two or more participants. The owner, trainer and driver of the horse must be association members was well as the owner of the race bike. The cost of repair is not covered by insurance, but is paid for directly by the association. There are no limits per occurrence or on a yearly basis other than as stated above. If you need a further explanation of other benefits provided by our association, please contact our office and we will be happy to discuss them with you.

Question: 10/01/2007 - With the simulcast being closed in the track area at Batavia, and being moved to the old kitchen, are we still getting our percentage from simulcast and live racing from there? I didn't know how this is being handled. Is there also any possibility of going a few extra races per card?.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Answer:  Our percentage from the new simulcast facility is the same as a live on track wager.
We will be adding a 12th race on Saturdays beginning this Saturday, October 6.

Question: 09/13/2007 - Why do we continue to write 3000.00 claimers and nw 1000?The public doesn't like to bet them, there usually non-competive races and we have plenty of 5,6,7 thousand claimers to make up for these two classes.Is it any wonder why owners are leaving and the track handle from all sources is at all time low..... Submitted by Chris Drongosky.

Question:  On 6/13/07 I submitted a concern about the problem of getting lower class horses raced. It was answered that when we went to 4 days a week the problem would clear it self up. It is my opinion that the problem is getting worse. My class horse had to wait 26 days to get raced. Based on this I do not belive the problem is getting better; and to make matters worse when I approached my horsemans rep. about this ongoing problem he stated its going to get worse when we go 3 days a week. If I go get a higher class horse, how much? and how do I know what class of horse will be eliminated next? now its 3,000.00 next 4,000, or 5,000? (like Delaware?) The mission Statement of our Horsemans Association states " to promote the welfare of Harness Racing in doing so promote the welfare of its members. By allowing this practice to continue you are driving away some of the people who your mission statement was design to represent. My sugestion is to run 1 less top event a week say for 6,000.00 purse and offer 2-3 lower events aS non betting events with the qualifiers, atleast we would be spreading some good will to the horseman who do this as a sport and enjoyment. And the plus side the money would stay in the local economy insted of going to out of state interests..... Submitted by marc shuttleworth.

Answer:  The two questions listed above are typical of the many suggestions we've been receiving on a daily basis. Obviously, everyone has different opinions based on their own individual situation. The fact is that there are certain times of the year when some classes do not get raced as often as we would like & it's been that way for as long as I can remember. The Racing & Wagering Board ruled two years ago that the race office cannot refuse an entry unless the individual has licensing issues. Consequently, our Race Office must accept all entries from horsemen in good standing, while, at the same time, many of our horsemen have been racing at other NY State tracks when necessary. We would like to see everyone racing as often as they wish, but, unfortunately it's not always possible.

Question: 09/08/2007 - I don't see any straight claimers for anything other than the PACING C&G. I guess we don't have enough to separate the TROTTERS and the PACING Fillies to make for more competitive races (even if we had to have a straight claimer with a range of $3500-$5000 or $6000-$8000 for example).....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer:  You are correct! We don't have enough to separate the Trotters & Pacing Fillies. As for claiming handicaps, the inside horses don't like racing against higher class horses & the outside horses don't like having the outside. It's a solution that sounds good, but almost always comes up short on entries.

Question: 09/05/2007 - I was wondering if there was any chance for Buffalo Raceway/Batavia Downs to have a replay show on TV. I used to like watching Buffalo Raceway Tonight on the old Adelphia Public Access Channel. It hasn't been on since end of the Buffalo meet in 2002. I think that watching replays of the races is a very important tool in training/driving. If I had a horse in, I could see what happened in a race, and see other horses that I've raced against. It also helped me claim horses as well. I was wondering if there was anyway to get a replay show back on? .....Submitted by Dean Dombrowski.

Answer: After 2002, Adelphia informed Buffalo Raceway thet they no longer had space available for our replay show. Currently, Time Warner has taken the same position. Unfortunately, there aren't enough fans like yourself who were tuning in. If there were, you can be sure they would find space for our show.

Question: 08/28/2007 - I SEE THE LIVE VIDEO BROADCAST FROM BATAVIA DOWNS WEBSITE IS STILL NOT WORKING. DOES THIS MEAN THE BATAVIA SIGNAL IS NOT BEING SENT TO OTHER TRACKS? IT SEEMS LIKE BATAVIA HAS ISSUES WITH THEIR SIGNAL. HAD A HORSE RACE ON LABOR DAY AND CANNOT WATCH THE REPLAY DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FIXED BY NOW.....Submitted by TOM BARZYCKI.

Answer: The Batavia signal is definitely being sent to other Racetracks & OTBs. The Racing & Wagering Board is being very "precise" as to how they want the video to operate. Apparently, they want it to be in the form of a replay instead of live. Management is working to get this cleared up as soon as possible, and they feel the signal will be available shortly.

Question: 08/18/2007 - Why can the live video of Batavia Downs Races no longer be accessed via their internet website?.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer:  There have been some technical difficulties with the Batavia Downs video feed. These problems will be corrected soon, & the video should be available before the end of August.

Question: 08/15/2007 - I enjoyed the horseman's picnic this year except for the lack of security. I saw many people ducking under the flags that had no stamps or wristbands and helping themselves to the food and beverages. Why was no one was around to prevent this from happening or at least checking the line going for food to make sure they belonged.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer:  I was also surprised to see that there was no security at the gate this year. Representatives of the Fair were frequently checking the area for problems, but we will definitely address the lack of security before next year's picnic. The food service employees will also be instructed to check for wristbands or stamps before serving people next year. I'm glad you enjoyed the picnic & thank you for voicing your concerns.

Question: 08/14/2007 - Why is Batavia the only track that only allows two owners in the paddock when thier horse is racing. While trying to bring back the racing industry and get more people interested in ownership, this is ridiculous and would definately be disincentive for any new comer. I myself am a part owner and actually enjoy being in the paddock with my horses. I hope to see this rule change......Submitted by Betty Lou Buckley.

Answer:  Racing & Wagering Rule 4104.8 (d) states, among other things, that "Not more than two owners of a horse, exclusive of the driver, shall be entitled to enter the paddock for said horse." This rule is currently being enforced at Batavia Downs. I have no idea whether it is being enforced at other tracks in NY State. Since the need for such a rule is very unclear, I will check with the R&W Board and try to determine the rationale for this section.

Question: 07/12/2007 - whats the associations thoughts of the condition events "mircle mile" that was run at vernon- where the race secretary put condition races togather strictly by money earned last 5 or 6 six starts. Do you think it would produce better quality racing?, and do you think that type of condition event could be used here on occasion.....Submitted by Marc Shuttleworth.

Answer: All of our conditioned races are based on last 5 starts. The race secretary would love to have straight claimers & straight condition races. Obviously, the races would be more competitive under those circumstances. Unfortunately, he's tried to write the condition sheet that way numerous times & we wind up with 4 & 5 horse fields and have to combine them.

Question: 07/05/2007 - why is it the race secretary doesnt put all of the $5000 claimers in one division and n/w 1750 in another?.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer: Normally, the race office attempts to split multiple divisions into claimers & conditions. Sometimes, due to trainer entries & owner conflicts it isn't possible for him to do so.

Question: 06/13/2007 - Getting in the box has been increasingly difficult for the cheaper classes. What is the thoughts of running a few non betting events with the qualifiers to help the horseman with these lower class horses out?.....Submitted by Marc Shuttleworth.

Answer:  Our next draw is this Saturday for races to be run on Wednesday, June 20. We begin racing four days per week on July 1. That schedule should alleviate the problem with the classes that are backed up.

Question: 06/03/2007 - I was wondering why if a horse breaks 3 times out of 12 starts any buffalo is trying to throw the horse off the grounds. I seen horses on the front end and break right in front of the pack and hes not off the grounds. He did it more than 3 times too. This place is getting ridiculas.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer:  To the best of my knowledge, only one horse has been eliminated from the current Buffalo Raceway meet, and not for the reasons stated in your question. If you provide me with more detailed information, I will certainly look into your specific situation.

Question: 04/23/2007 - Why is it that when you enter FM3000 claiming event you find that you draw in with colts and geldings. If you need to fill open it up to NWFM 1000 last five. There are plenty of them.....Submitted by Chris Drongosky.

Answer:  On the odd occasion when there are colts & geldings added to a F&M race it is done to fill the race. There are 2 options: add 1 or 2 C&G or scrap the race. I'm sure most people would rather race. F&M NW1000 L5 has a $4,000 tag added to the condition. They are not comparable to F&M $3,000 & would not be combined with that class.

Question: 02/16/2007 - Why cant they use in to go horses for the draw when there are only 40 horses in the box.....Submitted by Paul Szalay

Answer:  To be accurate, there were 85 horses in the box when the box was opened at 9:00am. on Friday. If you check next Wednesday's program, you'll find many horses that were in to go on Friday night when the races were drawn on Friday morning.

Question: 02/03/2007 - I was told that by 8:15am Saturday, February 3, 2007 that live racing was already canceled by a prominent horseman. Winter racing can be challenging at times. The forecast called for temperatures to range from 16 degrees at 6:00pm to 13 degrees at 11pm with some snow and wind. My question, was this a one person decision or was our association also involved in this decision? Horsemen depend on live racing and I hope our association has a voice.....Submitted by ALLAN KROLIKOWSKI

Answer:  The answer to your question is that our association is always involved in decisions of this kind. The final say belongs to the general manager, in this case, Jim Mango, but not without our input. Very early Saturday morning, Mr. Mango and I began reviewing all of the forecasts for the Hamburg area that evening. Every forecast called for a major snowfall event along with 30mph winds and -20 wind chills to begin between 5:00-6:00pm Saturday night. These were warnings, not watches or advisories. I realize the sun was shining when you asked your question, but there was no choice but to cancel due to what was coming. Obviously, Mr. Mango made the right decision as we are still digging out from the storm. We do not make these decisions without serious thought for everyone involved. In fact, I believe this is the first weather related cancellation at Buffalo Raceway in at least 3 years and I'm sure you'll agree that we've raced in many challenging situations.

Question: 02/02/2007 - I would like to know why we do not have more claiming handicap races. This would help fill races make more competive racing.Other half mile tracks do it all the time. Example 10-15 thousand enter in multiples of 500.5 -7500 enter in multiples of 500.....Submitted by Chris Drongosky.

Answer:  Your question should really be directed to the race office. My own experience is that higher claimers don't like being handicapped to the outside, and lower claimers don't like racing against higher claimers. The race office does use claiming handicaps when they are needed to help everyone get raced.

Question: 01/03/2007 - I see the drivers that don't finish in the top 5 get $10.00 starting January 19. Is is out of the purse account or somehow debited to the owner/trainer. Either way is fine.....Submitted by Eric Ruppert.

Answer:  The additional $10.00 will come directly out of the purse account and will not be charged to the owner.

Question: 12/27/2006 - Are there going to be qualifiers before the meet starts?.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Answer:  No! The first day for qualifiers will be January 19.

Question: 12/08/2006 - Do you have a date that the guys on the farm will be allowed to come to Buffalo Raceway and turn trips to get ready for the winter/spring meet......Submitted by Dave Knupfer.

Answer:  Horses may ship-in and train beginning on January 6.

Question: 11/11/2006 - What good is it to have an AE (also eligible horse)if the only way he can draw in is if an entered horse scratches out the Very Next morning after he was entered? What ever happened to printing an AE horse in the program so that scratch time would be more realistic and another horse could move in rather than going with a shorter field? With limited racing days, it is hard enough to draw in every week and to sit out and watch your race go with a short field when you could have drawn in due to a scratch is dishearting. Any possible way of revising this, or extending the scratch time to 10AM the day before the race? If it is just an issue of getting the programs printed, it doesn't seem fair to the horsemen. I discussed this with one of the judges and he agreed with me.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer:  Coincidently, I have been discussing this issue recently with both Jim Mango at Buffalo & Mike Kane at Batavia. It is not a problem of getting the programs printed at a certain time, it is a problem of what format is used. The format used by both of our tracks is the one used by the vast majority of harness tracks, and it does not include ae's. Each track cannot choose to individualize their specific program page; they must show only that info. contained in the format they choose. Our discussions have been designed to decide whether or not to change formats. A decision will certainly be made before the beginning of the Buffalo meet.

Question: 10/16/2006 - Is there any way that we can make up the two race dates that we missed? Perhaps an extra weekend in December?.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Answer:  Unfortunately, management is not obligated to make up dates canceled under last weekends circumstances. However, I have suggested a number of alternatives & am waiting for a response from management. I don't believe an extra weekend in December is a possibility.

Question: 10/14/2006 - I called saturday September 14 at 10:00 A.M. to find out if we were racing the raceoffice told me to call back at 11:00 A.M. ,they were having a meeting and would know then,I called back and she told me we were going to race.I got my horse ready and loaded on the trailor with the equipment only to find out on my way to the track that the races were canceled,why not notify the trainors if they were canceled?.....Submitted my Unnamed.

Answer:  The decision to cancel was made at 12:15pm on Saturday. At that time the race office made every effort to call all individuals scheduled to race that night & notify them as to the cancellation. Regrettably, they were unable to notify you.

Question: 10/03/2006 - Is there any way the enteries can be posted before 3 p.m.? The draw is usually done by noon. Am I the only one that thinks this is an issue?.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Answer:  Posting the entries on our site is a 4 step process.

1. The actual draw.
2. The overnight sheets have to be printed.
3. We fax the overnight sheets to Don Niles who created the site and is responsible for all of the content on the site.
4. Don posts the sheet.

We do our best to have the entries posted as soon as possible!

Question: 10/02/2006 - What is the rumor about earlier start date for Buffalo? Any truth to it?.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Question: 10/03/2006 - bruce there is alot of talk about buffalo raceway not opening until april. do you know if the race dates are set and when opening night will be? thanks for any information you mite have.....Submitted by gene walek.

Answer:  Our Association has tentatively worked out the 2007 racing schedule at Buffalo Raceway. I am respecting the wishes of the Buffalo Trotting Association that I do not comment on our agreement until their full Board of Directors has had an opportunity to approve the schedule. At that time I will be sending out a newsletter with full details. The newsletter should be in the mail next week. I am very confident that the dates will be approved and am also confident that our horsemen will be extremely pleased with the schedule we have arranged.

Question: 09/14/2006 - A note at the bottem of Saturday's (9/16/06) draw sheet says that as of 9/13/06 a 60 day claiming rule is in effect. What's that? Thanks......Submitted by Steve Lindell.

Answer: The 60 day claiming rule means that if a horse is claimed at Batavia Downs, he must race only at Batavia Downs for the next 60 days. The only exception to this rule occurs if the previous owner gives his approval to shorten the period of time. This step was taken by the race office due to a recent high number of claims by out of area trainers.

Question: 08/24/2006 - My horse was in a qualifier race last night. He threw a shoe warming up. After being told by the only blacksmith on the grounds that he did not start working the paddock until 7pm and could not put my horses shoe on, along with other rude remarks, we finally found a driver who didn't hesitate to help us. It came right down to the last minute, before we knew if we would have to scratch or not. I also witnessed two other horseman needing a blacksmith. Why won't the track have the blacksmith report 1 1/2 hr sooner, just one day a week to work the qualifier?.....Submitted by Tom Buckley.

Answer: The blacksmiths are paid a minimal amount for working the paddock during live racing. The agreement for years has been that the blacksmith is to be in the paddock 1/2 hour before first post and stay until the conclusion of live racing. Normally, if you ship in for qualifiers, there are a number of blacksmiths still on the grounds who will help you if you need a shoe tacked on. Unfortunately, you fell into an uncovered situation where you lost a shoe warming up for qualifiers. Your suggestion has considerable merit and is something I will pursue.

Question: 08/04/2006 - I was wondering why Batavia Downs Racing is not on Time Warner Cable? It has been on Time Warner the past few seasons. All of the horseman in the Buffalo area have been waiting to get it. Now, We have Time Warner, but with no Batavia Downs Racing. Also, I was wondering if by any chance would Batavia Downs get streaming video on it's website? I like to place my bets and watching the races @ home. I was just seeing if there's anyway of getting this accomplished......Submitted by Dean Dombrowski.

I asked Joe Zambito if Batavia races would be carried on Time Warner again this year and his answer was unfortunately "no". I just read on the WNY forum board that it is possible video streaming of the races may be on the internet. Can you confirm either of these? If they are to be on the internet do you have the URL address?.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer: Time Warner has informed Batavia Management that they have no room for our signal on their schedule this year. Within a few days there will be a link on the Batavia Downs website which will direct you to a location which provides streaming video of our signal.

Question: 06/10/2006 - With the increse in revinue, has anyone considered lowering the horsemans health insurance premiums? I was injured and have not been able to race for the last few years and have to pay the full rate for health insurance, while still raising, and now back training horses I hope to race.(Please note: my injurys were horse related) For the last few years horsemen have HAD to pay dearly if they don't get 50 starts and some have just droped the insurence because of the cost......Submitted by KTW.

Answer: I was quite surprised to read your comments regarding our health insurance plan. 2003 was the last year our plan members had an increase in their premium co-pays. At the same time, the cost of insurance has risen 15% each successive year, and our association has absorbed the entire increase; not to mention the fact that we have top of the line coverage. Naturally, if a member is no longer racing, we require them to self pay their premium. As we have in the past, our Board will continue to provide our members with the best health insurance coverage we can at the lowest possible cost to them.

Question: 05/26/2006 - With Tioga Downs anticipating opening on June 9th, will you be adding their condition sheet to our website?.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer:  Yes! It will be posted in our "For Horsemen" link along with other condition sheets of local interest.

Question: 04/21/2006 -Hi Bruce i just had a quick question if you don't mind i have been hearing from several people that batavia downs is not going to race this year and otb wants out and they are not going to open i was just wondering if there was any true to this becasue it is very important to me cause i want to run a memorial race there like i did last year and if they dont open i would have to hope to make arrangments at buffalo i would just like to know so that i can get the ball rolling and make it happen thanks for your time i look forward to hearing from you.....Submitted by Chase Lord.

Answer: I am extremely confident that Batavia Downs will open on schedule this year on July 31. I believe the several people you are listening to have some bad information.

Question: 0/41/2006 -How is it decided which classes will have more than one division? There are FM nw $1000 that haven't raced in 2 weeks and are AE this week. Yet, the FM $4,000 claimers have 2 divisions each week. Last week the FM $4,000 claimers had 2 divisions with no AE while 10 FM nw $1000 did not get in.....Submitted by Cherie Chatt.

Answer: Those decisions are made entirely by the race secretary. I will mention your concern, but you should also call Joe when you feel a situation needs to be looked at.

Question: 03/01/2006 - What's the status of the new Casino that is proposed to be going up in Buffalo? Will our Association be making any noise in protest or is this a done deal with no recourse?.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer:  I am not aware of anything regarding the Buffalo Casino that hasn't been reported in the newspaper. They appear to be moving forward and supposedly have a 12/31/07 deadline to be up & running. My personal opinion is that if and when that Casino begins operations it will not have a significant impact on our operation.  There are a number of lawsuits that have been filed to slow down or stop the Casino project, but it would be rather hypocritical of an Association & its members who are benefiting from slot machines to join the chorus of opposition to a gambling Casino.

Question: 02/22/2006 - Will qualifiers be changed to Wednesdays in March?.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer:  Yes! Qualifiers will be on Wednesdays starting immediately on March 1. Entries will be on Tuesdays.

Question: 02/01/2006 - With the track giving the simulcast signal away, are we getting any percentage off the money bet?.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Answer: When we export our signal to other locations we receive a very small percentage from the receiving location which is then split between the racetrack & purses. The percentage in most cases is 3% or less. We receive 19% on an on track wager which is also equally divided. Mr. Mango has reduced the export percentage, with our approval, to a lower amount, but in no case are we giving it away.

The purpose is to build up our pools so that we can increase our live (19%) handle. There is no question that people on track will wager larger amounts if the pools are increased.

Question: 01/28/2006 - Will horses coming in to train and leave that day be able to use the new paddock. What kind of arrangments will be made thanks Bob.....Submitted by Robert J Anderson.

Answer: No! Horses coming in to train will have to use the ship in barn (12b). The new paddock will only be used for racing & qualifying.

Question: 01/28/2006 - The new condition sheet has $3 clm as lowest class and says BR will accept horses racing for less if deemed competitive. What about the 25 clm from Bat? I asked Joe Z before the end of the Bat meet about the $25 clm and I was told we will get 5 fresh starts. Does this still hold true? I hope so, as the reason I asked was; I wasn't keeping him thru the winter if the horse was going to be deemed not competitive. Thanks.....Submitted by Dave Knupfer.

Answer: Joe informs me that any horse that raced at Buffalo or Batavia last year in $2,500 claimers, even those that were excluded, will be able to race in claiming $3,000 at Buffalo.

Question: 01/23/2006 - there is a rumor going around that tioga is currently accepting horses to be stabled and to jog and train at tioga downs any truth to this?.....Submitted by Chad Mothersell.

Answer: I would suggest that you contact the Southern Tier Harness Horsemen's Association www.sthha.com with any questions you have regarding Tioga Downs.

Question: 01/23/2006 - Thanx for the quick response on my Questions but i have just one more I raced at btva on nov 26 horse queenie rocks but then entered her at stga on dec 9 but scratched her sick and has yet to race her. Is she eligible to race without Qual?.....Submitted by Jack Rice.

Answer: Any horse that was entered after Nov. 26 must qualify even if they were scratched!

Question: 01/14/2006 - Is there any truth to the rumor that the track matted the stalls down in Dave Vance's old barn for Ken Holliday to move in? What about putting a 220 volt line in for a treadmill for Keith Kash? What is going next to Dr. Kanter's shop in front of the Niattross Barn, I heard it was going to be for the judges. Just trying to find out some truths.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Answer: 1) A few of the stalls in the section Ken Holliday will be using were matted due to recurring water problems;

2) No truth to the treadmill rumor;

3) Tibby Hunt, the lasix Vet., will be located next to Dr. Kanter, and the judges will remain where they are.

Question: 01/05/2006 -With the problems arising at Monticello, should other tracks in NY be worried when their contracts are due to expire? Will this add another speed bump to NY purse structures. Is there anything in the legislation penalizing management for what is happening in Monticello?.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Answer: The problems at Monticello are strictly contractual issues between the track and the horsemen's association. There is nothing in the legislation addressing issues of this type. This is exactly why we continually strive to maintain a strong and unified membership base which makes it much easier to handle situations of this kind.

Question: 12/23/2005 - I got a flyer from Fairgrounds that says racing will start at 6:35 p.m., a new post time, in 2006. Will the races get over sooner in the evening or will there be more races? Why the change?.....Submitted by Bob Summers.

Answer: An earlier post is one of many changes being instituted by new General Manager, Jim Mango. The plan is to race 13 races nightly which will lead to our last race being approximately 40 minutes earlier than before. Mr. Mango is attempting to increase the number of simulcast locations that will accept our signal and he feels that an earlier post takes us out of the large field of tracks that start around the 7:30 time period. The hope is that simulcast players will start the night out with our signal and continue throughout the evening.

Question: 11/04/2005 - Bruce Is it $150 a stall or $200 On the new Stall applications it's listed at $100 a stall per month?.....Submitted by Angelo Nappo.

Answer: The stall application was wrong! The total amount for the 2 month period per stall is $150 as was posted on this site originally. The starting date is also wrong. Opening night will be on Friday, February 10, not February 17. I am trying to arrange qualifiers for Monday of opening week.

Question: 10/14/2005 - How come the first billings at Batavia was canceled and the second a starting fee has been added? The Batavia billings was not suppose to have a starting fee. The horses that race in the billings are from the racetrack, why is Batavia making this so difficult?.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer: There will be no starting fee for the Billings this Saturday. That was a mistake on the condition sheet caused by a misunderstanding between management & the race office. This weeks' Billings is the leg that was originally scheduled. The earlier leg was an optional add on that was dropped.

Question: 10/03/2005 - My new question for the month: I subscribe to Trackmaster to get programs from other tracks when needed and notice they show "Earnings L5 starts". Since most of our conditions include "Earnings L5 starts" would it be possible to have our Program Director,Ginny Rosenfeld, change the Batavia program format to reflect the same?.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer: Both Buffalo Raceway & Batavia Downs have program formats that do not include the ability to provide earnings L5 information.

Question: 09/30/2005 - What is the policy at Batavia Downs, and Buffalo raceway for racing while under appeal in another jurisdiction? Also why the increase to 2 hours bicarb time from the state? Is this happening at the other NY tracks also?.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Answer: According to Batavia Downs management, their policy is to honor the decisions of other jurisdictions. The cause & severity of the suspensions and corresponding appeals are always taken into consideration. The new general manager at Buffalo Raceway has recently arrived and was not prepared to discuss policy as of yet.

The bicarb time increase was put into effect by Joel Leveson. The only mention of time in the rules is a "minimum" of one hour. I anticipate a reduction in the 2 hour period soon!

Question: 09/13/2005 - I can understand why Saratoga does better than we do, but Monticello is in the middle of nowhere. Are they doing something that Batavia and Buffalo do not? On another topic, when will Buffalo start up again?.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer: There is no area in NY State surrounded by casinos like Western New York. If it wasn't for the Seneca Casinos, the Canadian Casinos, & Ft. Erie slots, our purses would be 2 1/2 to 3 times larger than they are. In addition, Monticello is in New York City OTB's district & they must take them at all times. This leads to extremely large handles on a daily basis. If Monticello is in the middle of nowhere, where would you say Batavia is?

Buffalo will open for racing in February. I don't know the exact date yet.

Question: 09/09/2005 - why are other racetracks, monticello and saratoga racing 5 day a week with increased purses and batavia, have reduced there days to three and purses are so low its ludicrous. the only option I have as a owner is to take my horses(5) and give them to a different trainer at another track.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer: Monticello has 1800 machines; Saratoga has 1300 machines. Batavia has 586 machines with each machine doing less business than each machine at the other tracks you mentioned. Our racing handle is much less than those tracks. In addition, their machines have been up & running longer than those at Batavia. The math is very simple; we race for what we've got!!

Question: 09/10/2005 - Thanks for the update on Buffalo. Looks like the weekly average went down $6,000 in the month of August (since the meet ended there). Any correlation?.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer: The VLT average goes down in August because of the Fair. Because of player tracking & more give-aways, our handle during the Fair was actually up 20% from last year, but it still was lower than the rest of the year.

Question: 09/09/2005 -Will you be posting the Buffalo Purse Account figures for the month of August soon? Also, is there any chance of Batavia purses going up in the near future?.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer: As you know, the Buffalo purse figures for the end of August have been posted. The monthly figures will normally be available around the 10th of the following month.  I would say there is a chance for purses to be increased at Batavia by October 1 if the remainder of September is not a disaster. My intention is always to end a meet with as little in the purse account as possible.

Question: 08/20/2005 - This may sound kind of "picky", but I for one of many, find it annoying to sit in the grandstand and try to concentrate on the program or talk with my friends between races and have the loud speaker blasting continually. I know we are broadcasting live on Time Warner cable, but couldn't we have just the selections,post parade and call of the race turned on in the grandstand and leave the rest of the discussions for the Tv viewers ears only ? Showing the replay is nice too, but we really don't need to hear the race call all over again. If I'm off base on this and it is deemed beneficial, could we at least have it turned down a little so we can hear ourselves think !.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer: I couldn't agree with you more! There is no need for continuous yapping by the talking heads. It is unnecessary and annoying. I have spoken to management on a number of occasions trying to get them to have a few moments of silence between races and I have been told that it is intended for in home and OTB parlors only and that the sound would be turned off at the track. So far, no such luck!

Question: 08/16/2005 - What is it with NW1PMRLT:AE-NW$5000LTCD as written by our Director Of Racing for Fridays racing? Obviously I'm missing something here, because it is disgusting and unbelievable to permit NW1LT to compete against NW$5000. Think of our babies, [2yr olds]just learning to race,competing against horses that could have won 2 possibly 3 races, considering the low purses we are racing for. It is unfair to say the least. Please let me know what I fail to see. Thank you.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer: The NW1 was not going to fill without changing the condition. Most horsemen feel it is better to get a young horse raced than to sit out. A race secretary must change conditions at times in order to fill races.

Question: 08/11/2005 -Buffalo raceway had onlineracing.tv which made it possible to watch live racing and even wager on same. Who made the decision to have this? I thought it was great!! Will Batavia Downs have the same?.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer: The decision at Buffalo was made by G.M. Simon Crawford. The Batavia signal is going in-home to Time Warner cable subscribers. Do you think it's possible that the ease of watching & wagering at home had something to do with our dreadful on track handle at Buffalo? Remember it takes $4 of off track handle to equal $1 of on track handle.

Question: 08/11/2005 -When are the weekly recaps for the slots at Batavia going to be posted? Are we going to keep posting Buffalo also?.....Submitted by Paul Szalay.

Answer: The weekly recaps for Batavia will be posted shortly along with the final recap from Buffalo. Batavia will be updated weekly during the meet and Buffalo will be updated monthly while dark.

Question: 08/01/2005 -As a member of the western new york horsemans asociation I was wondering why we have not seen any numbers from the slots(purse fund contributions) from batavia downs? Also I wonder who came up with the present purse structure at batavia and what these amounts where based on.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer: When we begin racing at Batavia our purse account balance will be approximately $500,000. We will update our account weekly as we've done at Buffalo. The purse structure is based on our starting balance, the number of weeks we will race, and the difference between how much your commissions are and how much you pay out on a weekly basis. Of course, when you begin a meet you must estimate how much more you anticipate paying out weekly than you receive in commissions, and then set your purses accordingly.
The account must be very carefully managed to ensure that at meet's end you will be as close to $0 as possible. For example, at Buffalo we started with $ 1,049,000 and as you can see from our weekly recaps we ended very close to $0. I was asked many times in April and May why purses weren't going up as there was such a large balance. Now you know! Both racetracks have allowed our association to set the purses as our estimates have been very accurate.

Question: 07/27/2005 - When will Batavia begin issuing track badges, and will there be a charge for them?.....Submitted by Nick Butera.

Answer: You can get your badge immediately.  There is no charge for issuance of badges.

Question: 05/24/2005 -bruce how come the entries arent posted on website earlier you said they would be listed at 1 pm . sometimes there not on for days . it would help out if they were posted earlier like you said they would.....Submitted by robert kowalewski jr.

Answer: We can't post the entries before the overnight sheets are ready. We post them as soon as possible, and they are always posted on the day of the draw! Perhaps you need to hit the refresh button on your computer.

Question: 04/27/2005 - Are standardbreds allow to jog and train at tioga park yet?.....Submitted by Chad Mothersell.

Answer: Tioga Park will not be open for racing until 2006. The entire plant including the racetrack has to be renovated, so it will be next year before there will be any jogging or training at Tioga.

Question: 04/27/2005 - I have heard that the horseman's pension fund has been opened back up or will soon be so that people who are vested in but haven't been able to apply can now do so. Any truth to this?.....Submitted by Unnamed.

Answer:  Pension plan members began receiving new credits beginning in 2003. Vested members do not have to re-apply. New members may sign up at the Horsemen's Association Office.

Question: 04/07/2005 - Seems the On-Track handle averaged a little higher the week we raced on Sunday as apposed to the week before when we didn't race on Sunday. Can you elaborate on whether or not Sunday racing is financially better for us than on Wednesday? Or maybe it's just the change in the weather that brought up the handle a bit......Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer: Our on track handle is higher on Sunday vs. Wednesday as is the handle on exporting our signal. In addition, our slot handle is higher on Sunday when we race, while it doesn't seem to make a difference on Wednesday.

Question: 03/21/2005 - What is your opinion on the safety of ten horse race fields with the current design of our Buffalo racetrack?.....Submitted by Dr. Robert Hornberger.

Answer: Our Association has a clause in our contracts with both Buffalo and Batavia that does not allow more than 8 horse fields in "overnight" races. However, the race office has the final say on Stakes and Late Closers. Obviously, our Board of Directors cares a great deal about the safety factor which is why we continually refuse management requests for 9 horse fields in overnights at both racetracks.

Question: 01/30/2005 - Will there be a charge for the issuance of the badge?.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Question: 02/01/2005 - I noticed that we will be required to have photo ID by March 1,2005. Many of us have picture ID from the last time this was enforced three years ago. Is that ID acceptable or do we need to have our pictures taken again? I have a few more wrinkles, but most people look the same. Will this same ID be accepted at other tracks? Thanks.....Submitted by Cathy Barzycki.

Answer: There will be no charge for the new badges; however, everyone must get one. The old ones will not be accepted.

Question: 01/21/2005 -Regarding the article on Vernon Downs purchase offers; Scott's 9million offer rejected because they feel the Spring meet will be delayed while he is appealing his license denial and Gural's 8.5million offer on the table but contingent upon legislation passing to give the tracks double percentage. To me the possibility of either of these two things happening any time soon is very unrealistic. Do you think Vernon will open this Spring?.....Submitted by Pat Cappotelli.

Answer: If one of the two events that you mentioned have to happen in order for Vernon to open this Spring, I would say there is practically no chance. However, there's always a possibility of surprise when it comes to Vernon.

Question: 01/13/2005 - Is their any possibility that the track could extend the qualifier days from 30 to 45 days for the guys that had their last race at Buffalo before the shutdown and then raced at other tracks during the shutdown. The guys that want to come back will be handicaped with only 2 days racing and probably don't have much of a chance of getting in the first 2 weeks.....Submitted by Dave Knupfer.

Answer: The track does not set the qualifying rules; that is done by the Racing & Wagering Board. In this case, they will not extend the days from 30 to 45.