from the SOA of NY

Yonkers, NY — Sunday matinee racing returns to Yonkers Raceway this Sunday (Nov. 8) and the 12-race card which starts at 11:25 a.m. also marks the one year anniversary of simulcasting races from Yonkers to the French PMU distribution hub.

The European simulcasting began on Nov. 9, 2014 and through the first year nearly $20 million have been wagered on races from Yonkers throughout Europe.

In total, 27 cards from Yonkers were simulcast, featuring a total of 141 races. That works out to an average of $700,000 per card or $138,000 per race. Most days when simulcasting is scheduled, only five races are broadcast to Europe, all trotting races with bigger fields and 1-1/4 mile distances.

“We’ve been extremely pleased with the results through the first year of our relationship,” said SOA of NY President Joe Faraldo. “The track and the horsemen have all worked together to make this experiment successful and we couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help. The work involved has been no small investment by everyone both in terms of money and sacrifice.”

To accommodate the new market, and the six hour time difference, Yonkers raced their Tuesday cards in the afternoons, along with some special early Sunday cards. Five of the next six Sundays in 2015 will feature post times of approximately 11:15 a.m. at Yonkers Raceway as the simulcasting schedule continues.

“With the strength of this simulcasting relationship and with complete support from Tim Rooney, Sr., Bob Galterio and the whole Yonkers staff, we were able to bring back the Yonkers International Trot last month,” continued Faraldo. “It’s another step in strengthening the Yonkers product, reaching new markets and positioning Yonkers for growth.”

Yonkers anticipates a similar European simulcasting schedule for 2016, with the first Sunday matinee simulcast scheduled for Jan. 10.

The 2015 meet continues at Yonkers Raceway with racing on Sundays at 11:15 a.m., Tuesday afternoons at 1 p.m., as well as Monday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:10 p.m. Closing day is Sunday (Dec. 13).