by Tim Bojarski, USTA Web Newsroom Correspondent

Hamburg, NY — Buffalo Raceway will celebrate its 70th anniversary in June and the facility has provided western New York with a steady parade of harness racing’s brightest stars since 1942.

Many renovations have taken place at Buffalo Raceway.

In its heyday, every name on the Grand Circuit raced there and crowds of 8,000 to 10,000 came to watch. But as the city hit hard times in the 1970s and employers like Bethlehem Steel started closing their doors, local population began to wane along with the crowds at the track.

When video lottery terminals were legalized in New York in 2001, it marked the beginning of new hope for struggling harness tracks like Buffalo to stay afloat and become sustainable again. After many years of hanging on, the VLT revenue provided a collective sigh of relief for the racing community.

Buffalo Raceway’s story isn’t much different from most other small market race tracks in recent years. They were operating in an antiquated facility that did not offer an easy path to upgrade. The configuration of their timeworn grandstand and clubhouse offered limited options for placement of their new Racino but none the less, Fairgrounds Gaming opened to the public in March of 2004.

It was the expressed intention of CEO Dennis Lang and the Board of Directors of the Buffalo Trotting Association (the governing body of Fairgrounds Gaming and Buffalo Raceway) to take the necessary steps to invest in racing in Western New York and improve the facility for both the horsemen and the fans as money became available from the slots. The racino became popular very quickly and the race track found new life from the windfall.

The ship-in barn has a pleasing look to the eye and plenty of space.

Purses increased quickly and a new enclosed paddock was built in 2006 to replace the old open air barns. It features wider stalls and a horsemen’s viewing lounge. Then the clubhouse received a makeover in 2009. Renovations included new carpet, paint, flat screen televisions and an enhanced simulcast parlor. Many long deferred mechanical and maintenance items were also addressed.

With a growing gaming customer base, the decision was made to construct a new state of the art building on the grounds to grow the VLT operation. But in order to do that, it would have to be moved away from the grandstand. Some viewed this as an attempt to feature the slots and put racing on the back burner. But in reality the move would provide an immediate fiscal and aesthetic impact to the Raceway.

Jim Mango is the Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Buffalo Raceway. He has been methodically working towards putting a better product on the track at Buffalo and channeling improvement dollars towards needed projects.

Mango explained: “After we did a viability study of upgrading the existing casino building versus building a new one, the decision was obvious. We wanted a modern building with all the amenities and the existing one simply did not offer that. The new Hamburg Casino was opened in August of 2010 and as we thought, gaming’s new home brought higher profits and thus, bigger cuts for the horsemen.

Three new barns opened in 2012.

“The perception was we built the casino at the expense of racing. But the reality is quite the opposite. Shortly after the new casino was opened, there was an immediate 10 percent increase in purses for 2011. We also increased our number of racing days by 10 percent to provide our local horsemen with additional opportunities to race. We completely renovated the groom’s dormitory in order to make those who live here feel as comfortable as possible. We built three new barns which opened this year with all the amenities including spacious stalls with rubber matting in each. The remaining older barns had the walls and doors repaired for the short term, as they will be coming down soon.

“For our fans, we instituted a “Players Reward” card for those who bet the racing product, to try to keep them coming here to make their bets. We pay two percent back each month for members who bet racing (as well as an additional one percent for money wagered at the casino). So players can get up to three percent back on their investments. This has been very popular with our racing customers and we return thousands of dollars to them each month. We also rebuilt our toteboard and it now features a sharp LED display.”

Mango is quick to point out the large part the horsemen have played in the turnaround here. Their participation in upgrades already completed as well as some scheduled into 2015 show the commitment of everyone involved.

Mango said: “We have a very amicable relationship with the Western New York Harness Horsemen’s Association which is headed by their president, Bruce Tubin. It is through their co-operation that major renovations to the track have been able to be done. These include rebanking the turns, resurfacing the track, purchasing new equipment to maintain the track, blacktopping areas on the backstretch and also upgrading the drainage system. They are also partnering with us for more upgrades in the near future. The only way we can be successful is to work together and that has happened here to the benefit of all.”

Jon Cramer/Buffalo Raceway photos

The new barns built at Buffalo Raceway will house 450 horses.

When the meet concludes this year, two additional new barns will be built (bringing the total to five), which will make the whole stable area new construction and able to house 450 horses. Buffalo’s backstretch will be one of the best around.

A new high tech video and sound system will also be installed this year that will cover both the on-track and simulcast broadcasts. Their customers will now have a more appealing presentation through cutting edge productions.

Since 2006, the Buffalo Trotting Association has spent millions of dollars to fix up and build up a racing center that has suffered through hard times and the return on their investment has shown.

The numbers that Buffalo Raceway has posted this year are strong. Their export handle is up over 83 percent along with increases for on-track and simulcast too. Management attributes this to their relationship with TVG, advanced deposit and online wagering. But it takes more than access to make someone wager their money; it takes competitive racing.

Mango continued: “Along with larger purses and better facilities come better horses and drivers. That is what we have had here all year. The addition of Shawn Gray and Dan Noble to Kevin Cummings, Jack Flanigen and the rest of our local driver colony has brought the level of competition to new heights. Our races are as close and exciting as you will find at any track. And that is what’s driving our numbers.

“I am proud of our simulcast increase as well. We continue to carry a very large array of tracks to wager on where other outlets may not, due to online access. Our customers request it and we deliver in order to keep them coming back.”

Mango surmised: “It’s a big investment but we don’t expect it to double or triple our on-track handle. We are doing this because we want to be proud of the racing operation on the grounds. The horsemen here are pleased with the improvements we’ve made and we did it in partnership with them. We have tried to do the right things for the sport and we will continue to do what it takes to keep us viable and our racing product in demand.”