Empire city casino

Racino in Yonkers, New York, U.S.

Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino, founded in as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbredharness racing dirt track and slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New York, near the New York City border. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International.

History[edit]

The original horse racing facility was opened in as Empire City Race Track by William H. Clark's 'Empire City Trotting Club. Clark died in and, with much litigation by his heirs over its proposed sale, the track remained closed for most of the next seven years except for special events. One such event occurred in when Barney Oldfield set a one-mile (&#;km) record in an automobile at Empire City Race Track. Driving the Ford '', he covered the distance in seconds.^[1]

The facility was purchased by New York grocery store magnate James Butler, who reopened it for Thoroughbred horse racing in Among the notable thoroughbreds who raced at Empire City, in Seabiscuit won the Scarsdale Handicap. After Butler's death in , the track continued to host "the flats" until when it was converted back to being a harness track. Some of its feature races were taken over by other New York area racetracks.

In , William H. Cane, for whom the Cane Pace is named, headed a syndicate formed as the Algam Corporation which acquired Empire City and converted it to Yonkers Raceway. Its popularity having greatly declined since the s (when crowds would occasionally reach 50,), the entire property, according to some, had become an eyesore due to its owners leaving it in a state of disrepair.^{[citation needed]}

In , the Rooney family acquired Yonkers Raceway.^[2] It underwent some cosmetic changes in the late s. It was used as a flea market, and hosted the annual Westchester County Fair, sponsored by the county's Parks Department. In , the finish line was relocated to the end of the stretch, increasing the length of the stretch from feet (&#;m) to the current feet (&#;m). The following year, the grandstand was demolished. There was consideration on selling the site to the National Football League’s New York Jets which would have included a stadium; however, the plan was shelved after the environmental impact statement showed there would be significant traffic from elsewhere in the metropolitan area, and there was not enough political support for it.

In , Yonkers Raceway applied for permission from the New York State Gaming Commission to relocate its finish line back by approximately feet. This proposal was endorsed by the New York division of the Standardbred Owners Association.^[3] As of , the new finish line has been in use for a considerable period of time. In January , Yonkers eliminated the "passing lane" in the stretch that allowed horses to be in the second spot on the inside in the stretch to move inside one spot and come up in the inside.

In January , MGM Resorts International bought the racetrack and casino from the Rooney family for $ million in cash and stock.^[4][5] MGM then immediately sold the land and buildings to its affiliated REIT, MGM Growth Properties, for $ million, leasing back the property and structures for $50 million per year.^[5]Vici Properties acquired MGM Growth, including Empire City, in ^[6]

Historic Thoroughbred flat races[edit]

Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway[edit]

Yonkers Raceway had a $million renovation designed by EwingCole^[7] to put in more than 7, slot machines. The first phase opened on October 11, , with 1, machines.^[8] Despite a "soft opening", with no major advertising or promotional campaigns, Yonkers netted $ million in revenue in its first week, outpacing its nearest competitor, Saratoga Casino and Raceway, by two-thirds.^[9] The second phase of the project, which opened on December 28, , added , square feet (11,&#;m²) of space to bring the total number of slot machines to 4, On March 12, , the third phase opened to bring the slot machine total to 5, Because the facility falls under state lottery laws, the minimum age to play the slot machines at Empire City is 18, unlike the other area casinos, where it is

In a report released in , Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway was the state's "most successful casino and racing venue".^[10] Through , the facility provided more than 3, jobs and contributed $ million in "economic output".^[10]

In January , Empire City Casino completed a new $50 million expansion designed by Studio V Architecture that added 66, square feet to the casino.^[11] The expansion featured a porte-cochere sculptural entrance; the largest window in the Northeast, a foot-long and foot-high depiction of the New York City skyline made entirely of nails; a new gaming floor with nearly slot machines; and two new restaurants.^[11]

As of , the casino hosts blackjack, craps, roulette, and baccarat tables in addition to the slot machines. The games are fully automated.

Restaurants[edit]

• Dan Rooney's Café & Bar: The first restaurant to open in Empire City Casino's $50 million expansion is an Irish Pub styled after the original Dan Rooney’s Café & Bar which was established in Pittsburgh in the early s by the Rooney family. The train car dining room hosts 35 flat-screen televisions and nightly dueling pianos.^[12] “Two-time Michelin star winner and local New Yorker, Chef Christopher Lee” created the pub's menu which contains a burger that won the Greenwich Food & Wine Festival Burger Battle in ^[13]
• Pinch: The second restaurant in Empire City Casino's expansion, Pinch, was created by Ducasse Studio, the consulting service of the “French chef and culinary impresario”, Alain Ducasse. The name, Pinch, is “a playful take on pintxo (pronounced PEEN-cho), a type of Basque tapa, as well as a hint that the menu mixes a bit of this and a bit of that.” Pinch seats people and has an international menu.
• Alley : A Craft cocktail lounge, opening in , that will have two bowling lanes.^{[citation needed]}
• Nonno's Trattoria: A staple of Empire City, Nonno's Trattoria is a classic Italian Restaurant.^[15]

Empire Terrace: A restaurant the overlooks the racetrack, allowing gamblers to dine while watching live races.^[16]

Feature stakes races[edit]

History[edit]

Yonkers used to be the site of the Cane Pace, one of the legs of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers. It is now the host track for another leg, the Messenger Stakes. Yonkers is also home to the Yonkers Trot, one of the legs of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters. Due to the renovations at Yonkers, the Messenger and Yonkers Trot were moved to different racetracks for the and editions. The Messenger was moved to Harrington Raceway in Delaware in both years, and the Yonkers Trot was moved to Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, IL in , and Freehold Raceway in New Jersey in

Yonkers Raceway ran the Yonkers Trot and the Messenger on November 25, , becoming the first harness track in America to host two Triple Crown races on the same day. Glidemaster, by virtue of winning the $, Yonkers Trot, became the eighth horse to clinch the Trotting Triple Crown; the trotter would go on to be named Harness Horse of the Year.

Yonkers Raceway is also home to the Art Rooney Pace for three-year-olds. However, continued delays in the reopening of the track forced the edition of the race to be moved to Monticello Raceway.^[17] The final of the Art Rooney Pace, run on June 2, , was the richest race in Yonkers history, with a $1 million purse. It was won by Southwind Lynx, driven by Tim Tetrick, with a late outside run in 3/5. The current track record for a trotting race horse is 3/5 set by Shutter Boy on October 30, , with the trainer John McDermott and driver Yannick Gingras; this was not a stakes race.

Notable stakes races[edit]

• George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series
• Blue Chip Matchmaker
• Art Rooney Pace
• Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace
• Lismore Pace
• Yonkers Trot
• Hudson Filly Trot
• Messenger Stakes
• Lady Maud Pace
• New York Night of Champions
• Several New York Sire Stakes Events

Transportation[edit]

The Metro-North Railroad offers a “one-day-getaway” package that includes a $10 free play and $10 food voucher, as well as free shuttle service to Empire City Casino from the Mount Vernon West train station.^[18]

Several Bee-Line bus routes make stops at Empire City Casino as well, including routes 7, 20, BxM4c, , , and ^[19]

Cross Country[edit]

The track was the site of the USA Cross Country Championships.^[20]

References[edit]

External links[edit]