BY FRANK
DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY,
Thursday, November 13, 2014—It’s “Matinee Sunday, the Sequel” with Yonkers
Raceway set for another late-morning excursion across the Atlantic.
After a very
successful opener, the second of the Raceway’s six Sunday matinee racing
programs—post time 11 AM—goes this weekend, offering the same freebies and a
return to “wagering normal.”
Once
again, this Sunday’s card is front-loaded with trotters, with the French-based
audience wagering on the first five races. Those events are all added-distance
(1¼ miles) with higher purses and oversized fields (12, 12, 10, 10 and 10
horses, respectively).
The half-dozen
Sundays, running through Dec. 14th inclusive, replace five Tuesday
nights (through Dec. 9th).
With the first Sunday having proven popular, Yonkers, which had limited some of the exotic wagering options on the early races, is reinstating them this time around (triples in every race, a Pick 3 beginning in the 2nd and 4th races, a third-race superfecta and a Pick 4 beginning in the 3rd race).
“Despite some first-week glitches, we were very happy with the results,” Raceway
COO Bob Galterio said. (note North American handle for the 12-race card was
just under a half-million dollars—with that reduced exotics menu early—while
the French-based European number [which also includes Switzerland,
Belgium, Spanish Basque community, Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Holland,
Estonia and Malta] was about 1.4 million Euros,
or about $1.75 million U-S dollars).
“The
response was better than we expected, and our fans, both on- and off-track,
wanted us to return to the wagering menu they are familiar with.
“I
want to again express my appreciation to all involved,” Galterio said. “None of
this works without the help of any number of groups, including our staff and
horsemen, the News York State Gaming Commission, the French PMU and simulcast
partners who have accommodated our schedule change.”
As was the case
in Week One, Yonkers is enticing both its evening regulars and the Sunday early
risers with any number of freebies, including…
…a free Sunday
live program with the purchase of a Saturday live program
(advance wagering for YR’s Sunday races is available all day Saturday)
…free Sunday
breakfast (egg sandwich and coffee) trackside between 10 AM-12 Noon (mutuel
windows open on the track apron at 10 AM, and beginning at 10:30 AM at other
areas of the track).
…free
Sunday bets--a $2 daily double (races 1 & 2) and $1 exacta box (races 2, 3,
4 & 5)--to the first 200 existing (or newly-enrolled) Empire Club members
between 10 AM-11 AM (all tickets are “quick picks”). Also, there’s a free
promotional gift (while supplies last) and a chance to win dinner for two at
any of restaurants on premises.
All
Empire City Bets members receive a free, dollar-box triple wager (not a “quick
pick”) for Sunday’s third race, while selected ECB members are eligible for a
$10 bet/get for wagers made on the first five “French” races.
In
addition to Empire City Bets, several other ADW’s are continuing to offer
special incentives for those wagering on these Sunday matinees.
