Yonkers Raceway in New York
In operation since 1899, Yonkers Raceway is a half-mile oval racetrack for harness racing. The raceway is situated in Yonkers, New York State, and it has enjoyed a long and prosperous history as a trotting club. Recent years have seen a number of new additions and upgrades made to the both the track itself and to the surrounding facilities. These upgrades have helped to take Yonkers Raceway through to the 21st century without losing its sense of history and charm.
Since 1996, Yonkers Raceway has seen a number of developments and improvements such as the extending of the raceway from its original 440 feet to its present 660 feet. This particular improvement made for more exciting racing since the competitors now have more time to allow their horses’ true colors to shine through. Now, instead of the winning horse being the one who simply gets in the lead first, a horse who may have started out trailing at the back will have the opportunity to move forward, gain ground, and perhaps even complete the race in the top three. The following year, the aging grandstand was demolished and further improvements were made to the raceway. The raceway currently seats 7,500 people and enjoys racing all year around. As with most racing facilities, children under the age of eighteen are permitted to enter the raceway facilities as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
Yonkers has recently enjoyed another upgrade in the form of an impressive gaming facility – Empire City Casino. This state-of-the-art facility features 5,500 video gaming machines, fine dining and, of course, live harness racing. It is designed to carry the atmosphere of the more traditional side of Yonkers Raceway while keeping up with the 21st century. When you combine all this with annual events such as the multi-million dollar New York Sires Stakes or The Night of Champions, you simply cannot beat Yonkers Raceway as a gaming and harness racing venue.
