Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack in New York has announced that it will eliminate four consecutive Sundays from its live racing schedule beginning Oct. 24, and add an equal number of Thursday dates beginning Oct. 28 in an effort to increase off-track handle opportunities.Sundays eliminated from the racing schedule include Octo.24, 31, Nov. 7 and 14. The four new Thursday dates begin on Oct. 28, with a post time of 12:50 p.m., and also include Nov. 4, Nov. 11 and Nov. 18, which all will begin with a 12:15 p.m. first post. Simulcasting will continue daily as scheduled.
"As the fall season progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult for us to generate the handle we would strive for on Sunday due to several competitive factors, both within racing and outside of the sport. With our off-track handle being such an important component of our business, we are experimenting with a switch to Thursday dates for potential enhanced total handle opportunities," said Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack president and general manager Chris Riegle.The schedule change does not affect the total of 161 scheduled days for the entire meet, which continues through Nov. 27. Post time through the end of October is 12:50 p.m. for all Thursday through Sunday dates, and 1:10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. As of Nov. 1, post time changes to 12:15 p.m. everyday for the remainder of the season.
