FINGER LAKES TO KICK OFF 163-DAY MEET ON FRIDAY
Contact: Dave Mattice
585-924-3232 x234
FARMINGTON, N.Y. – The 49th live thoroughbred racing season at Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack will kick off Friday afternoon, April 16, with a nine-race card. First race post time for Opening Day is set at 12:35 p.m.
Beginning at 10:00 a.m., the first 2,000 Player Extras Members to check in receive a free commemorative opening day T-shirt. WYSL 1040 AM/92.1 FM will provide exclusive live coverage of the day’s events.
Trainer Chris Englehart and jockey John Davila, Jr. will both receive awards on Friday for winning their respective titles in 2009. Englehart finished last season with 158 victories to earn his seventh consecutive title, and ninth overall. The 54-year-old Canandaigua, N.Y. native crushed his own single season record of 141 victories that he set in 2006.
Englehart finished sixth in the 2009 North American trainer standings with 226 victories. 2,270 of his 2,617 career wins were achieved at Finger Lakes.
With 168 wins, John Davila, Jr. won the jockey title for the eighth consecutive year. Davila secured his tenth career Finger Lakes jockey title to break the record held by Kevin Whitley. Whitley was the top rider at Finger Lakes nine times during his career.
Apprentice jockey Amber Cobb will receive a ten pound advantage over her opponents while riding at Finger Lakes for the first time. Cobb began her career in an amateur race at Philadelphia Park in October and has gained riding experience at Laurel Park and Aqueduct. The 22-year-old from Somerdale, New Jersey has made 22 starts in her young career with two second and two third place finishes.
Janice Blake-Baeza will join the Finger Lakes jockey colony after riding at numerous tracks along the east coast. She most recently rode at Philadelphia Park before arriving at "The Thumb" last week. The veteran jockey from Michigan City, Indiana has amassed over $2.8 million dollars in earnings during her 12-year career.
Former jockey David Rivera made a change in vocations and will be a trainer at Finger Lakes during the 2010 meet. Rivera visited the Winners Circle 1,235 times during a span of 30 years as a jockey.
Trainer Amy Feathers-Murray will be missed in the stable area this season. The popular trainer passed away on March 15, 2010 at the age of 45. She had a small stable for ten years which included Large Popcorn, a $105,468 earner, who was purchased for $1,000 in 2006 as a gift from her husband. In recognition of Amy's support of the Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program, a brick will be placed on the Purple Haze Path of the Purple Haze Adoption Center.
Finger Lakes will offer live thoroughbred action on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in April. Thursdays will be added to the 163-day calendar on May 13. Post time will be at 1:10 p.m. with the exception of Friday which will start at 12:35 p.m.
Multi-card simulcasting is offered daily in addition to live racing, as well as on dark days. The gaming floor featuring nearly 1,200 slots is open 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily. Admission and parking are always free.
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