Finger Lakes Racetrack publicity/Pickin’ Splinters
Opening Day at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack, a rite of spring in the Finger Lakes Region since 1962, is set for Monday afternoon.
Eight races are scheduled for the first day of the 64th season of racing at Finger Lakes. First-race post time is 1 p.m., with the highlight of the program coming in race seven, the $26,500 Opening Day Dash. Nine runners will sprint 4 ½ furlongs in the allowance test.
The season features 91 days of Thoroughbred action at “The Thumb,” from Monday through Nov. 26. The first two weeks feature Monday-Tuesday racing, with Wednesdays added to the weekly schedule starting on May 14.
The 2025 season will ring in a new wagering menu, including the addition of a second Pick 5. The new Pick 5 begins in the first race, with a mandatory daily payoff required. The late Pick 5 is offered on the day’s final five races and will continue to feature a carryover provision if there are no winning tickets.
That addition prompted a move of the early Pick 4 from race one to race three. There is no change with the late Pick 4, which will continue to span the final four races on the card each afternoon. There will no longer be a Pick 6 wager.
Among the days to mark on the calendar:
• New York Derby Day on July 14, headlined by the $150,000 New York Derby for 3-year-old state-breds and also featuring the $75,000 New York Oaks for 3-year-old state-bred fillies and the $50,000 Leon Reed Memorial.
• Stars of the future will be display on Sept. 22 with four sprint stakes for New York-breds: the $100,000 (est.) Aspirant for 2-year-olds, the Lady Fingers for 2-year-old fillies, plus the $50,000 Ontario County for 3-year-olds and $50,000 Niagara for 3-year-old fillies.
• Oct. 13, the richest race of the season, the $200,000 (est.) New York Breeders’ Futurity for New York-bred 2-year-olds, as well as a pair of $50,000 stakes, the Jack Betta Be Rite and Genesee Valley Breeders.
Also returning for 2025 are the lucrative Finger Lakes Claiming Series races: the North Warning, Unhinged Iron, Mt. Rushmore and Wise Awake.
The North Warning finals will be run for $35,000 and its counterpart for fillies and mares, the Unhinged Iron, has a $30,000 purse for the finals. Both will be run around two turns, with the finals carded as starter allowance races.
The sprint series has Mt. Rushmore for colts and geldings and Wise Awake for fillies and mares. The finals go for $30,000. All series feature three claiming legs prior to the finals, which will be run on Oct. 13 as part of the New York Breeders’ Futurity Day program.
On Opening Day, last year’s top performers will be presented with an award after the running of the fifth race: leading jockey Keiber Coa (105 victories for his second straight title) and leading trainer M. Anthony Ferraro (74 winners for his third career title and first since 2000).
Two others will be recognized for milestone achievements reached in 2024: Michael S. Ferraro for 3,500 training wins and James Acquilano for 2,000 training wins.
New to riding colony will be Florida native Sofia Vives, 22. Woodbine Racetrack in suburban Toronto will continue to be her first-call track but she plans to compete regularly at Finger Lakes.
Programs for opening day are free with $1 hot dogs, $1 sodas and $3 draft beers at The Wire concession stand from noon to 4:30 p.m.
Complimentary Equibase programs can be found every live racing day on the Finger Lakes website (fingerlakesgaming.com/racing).
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