In preparation for the 127th season opener of the track on May 28, trainers and jockeys take to the dirt at the border oval.
The dirt track at Fort Erie Race Track opened for training on April 14 and was greeted with a warm reception by the regular group of riders and trainers returning from the off-season.
It's wonderful to return every time. It's great to see everyone again because we're like a large family here in the backstretch, said to Ken Albu, a veteran trainer at Fort Erie who has over 1,600 starts under his belt since 2001. After a few claims, Albu stated he intends to have eighteen horses at the track by the middle of the season, of which he now has ten. He stated, "I'm not in a rush to race most of my horses, but I have one that's looking really good already, so I'll have him take a run at that cup on opening day."
May 28 is the Opening Day at Fort Erie Race Track. There will be two major $30,000 cup races, the Sprint Into Summer Cup and the Summer Solstice Cup. Following the races, there will be a free concert featuring Revive The Rose, which Casey Langelaan and Marge Ott of Revel Realty sponsor. This summer, the track will host all of the regular events once again, including wiener dog races on July 21, basset hound and corgi races on August 18, and the Prince of Wales Stakes, the site's trademark race, on September 10.
Alongside this year's new Fort Foodie Fest, which will feature dozens of food trucks and local culinary experts setting up shop at the track to provide a range of scrumptious meals and delights, the track also added an extra Sunday of racing on July 7.
Albu, who won't be the only one hoping for a cup race on Opening Day, stated, "The Sunday races are great because the track is always so busy, the local fans seem to really enjoy those weekend races."
Another veteran trainer from Fort Erie, Paula Loescher, has approximately 200 first place finishes in the last 20 years, and she too has her sights set on the Opening Day cups.
Watching one of her horses dash by, Loescher remarked, "I've got one coming down from Florida soon who's real fast, so I'll have him take a shot at that cup."
There was a lot going on on the famous border oval, even though it had rained for three days in a row before the track opening for spring training.
"The boys did an amazing job getting the track ready for us; it looks gorgeous even with this weather," she remarked.
Visit www.forterieracing.com for the complete schedule of live races as well as an events and stakes race list.