BY FRANK
DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Thursday, December 4, 2014—
Yonkers Raceway and the Standardbred Owners Association of New York have
announced an expanded simulcasting calendar with Le Trot and the French PMU for
the 2015 racing season.
Pending approval of the New York State
Gaming Commission, a total of 31 racing cards—featuring 173 trotting races--are
scheduled to be simulcast from Yonkers into Europe. Last month, Yonkers Raceway
began the experiment, sending four race dates (thus far) and a total of 20
races, all with oversized fields and at the added (mile-and-one-quarter)
distance.
The European response, has been strong.
averaging more than $300,000 (U-S) per race. The French-hubbed audience also
includes Switzerland, Belgium, Spanish Basque community, Germany, Austria,
Luxemburg, Holland, Estonia and Malta.
In addition to the successful
late-season Sunday afternoon cards, the 2015 French simulcasting calendar also
includes regular Tuesday afternoon simulcasts in the 3-5 PM (ET) range.
(Note that this Sunday, there is a
matinee card [first post 11 AM], but, as previous scheduled, it is not
simulcast overseas. European export returns Sunday, Dec. 14, for Yonkers’ final
live program of the season.)
"We are particularly pleased with
the initial results of the races from Yonkers,” Benoit Fabrega, Technical
Director at Le Trot in France, said. “To be honest, they exceeded the
goals we set. There was a real effort by the organizers in America to inform the
French public and it works. We are therefore delighted to intensify Yonkers’
product in 2015."
“We are very happy with the results that
have been achieved so far,” Raceway president Tim Rooney said. “It has very
much been a team effort and we’d like to thank the horsemen for being available
and enthusiastic about participating, our fans for coming out and supporting
our races at such an early hour and, of course, our French partners for
allowing us the opportunity to showcase our racing product. We look
forward to the expanded program.”
“We have carefully and systematically
worked for a long time to make sure this pilot program had the benefit of
expertise from both sides of the Atlantic,” Joe Faraldo, president of the SOA
of New York, said. “The relationship that the success of this effort has
produced will be further enhanced and nurtured cooperatively by Yonkers, the
SOA of New York and our French partners. The model built here at Yonkers can
well serve the industry in the cultivation of a global market.”
Again, pending NYSGC approval, Yonkers’ 2015 live season is scheduled to begin
Friday night, Jan. 9 (further information when available).
