Buffalo Raceway
5600 McKinley Parkway
Hamburg Fairgrounds
Hamburg, New York 14075
Phone: (716) 649-1280
Fax: (716) 649-0033
How it all began . . .
Hamburg, New York resident James J. Dunnigan opened the doors of Buffalo Raceway in June of 1942, shortly after New York State passed a bill allowing pari-mutuel harness racing.He selected the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg as the site of his venture.
The Fairgrounds had a half mile race track and grandstand in place for its Fair activities and, being only 14 miles from downtown Buffalo, provided an excellent location. Fifty-six years later the Raceway remains at the Fairgrounds.racing was very competitive and area residents welcomed a new sport to western New York.
Crowds of eight to ten thousand were often in attendance. Insufficient supply of local horsemen and horses caused many Canadian stables to arrive in Hamburg, along with stables from as far away as California. A number of worlds records were broken at the Raceway during its early years including the opening year effort of Dazzle Direct and driver Douglas Harvey in setting the standard for the three quarter mile distance of l:30 ½ for aged pacers. This record was not surpassed for two decades.
The past two decades, raceway management has worked to keep up with national trends in racing and changing patterns in wagering.early as the mid 1980's, Buffalo Raceway experimented with simulcast racing, and today offers full card simulcast racing from major harness tracks along with full card thoroughbred simulcasts. Buffalo Raceway also sends out a simulcast signal which allows wagering on our own live racing programs.
To insure the quality of our own racing, management has also realized the necessity to keep our own facility up to par. Several new barns have been erected and several racing strip renovations, including the banking of the entire track along with the changing of the curve of the turns have created faster and safer races. The wooden hub rail has been replaced by Pylons, and a passing lane added. |
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