Vernon Downs
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Vernon Downs is a
horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
track,
racino A racino is a combined horse racing track, or other live parimutuel betting facility, and casino. In some cases, the permitted form of casino gambling is limited to slot machines or video lottery terminals, but many locations also offer table ...
and entertainment facility located in the town of Vernon in central
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, United States. The track was established in 1953 and in 1955 was the location that Adios Harry ran his "Miracle Mile". As tastes changed and competition increased, its attendance and revenues decreased. It has added simulcast harness racing, video gaming, and entertainment, in addition to building a 173-suite hotel.


History

The
harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...
track was opened in 1953 near
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...
, and operated successfully for many years as it quickly attained status as one of the most popular harness tracks in the country. In 1955, Adios Harry ran a "miracle mile" in 1:55, a record that stood for 18 years. As tastes changed in the late 20th century, and there was increased competition from the
Meadowlands Racetrack The Meadowlands Racetrack (currently referred to as Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment) is a horse racing track at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The track hosts both tho ...
and others who paid larger purses. At the same time, the state authorized forms of gambling to raise money. Beginning in the 1980s, Native American tribes began to establish bingo halls on their reservations and later, gaming
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
s to generate revenues. By 2001, the track faced closure due to regulatory issues. By 2001, prior to the addition of the casino, attendance declined to less than 1,000 from a peak of 4,000 plus in the 1960s and 1970s. From a one-time high of 162 race dates, Vernon Downs hosts only 70 as of the 2018 season, its 65th. Tax debts and other financial issues made it likely that the casino would shut down in 2002 despite legalization of the video slot machines which were legalized in New York following the success of Native American casinos, and as an attempt to stimulate New York's economy after
September 11 Events Pre-1600 * 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hu ...
. After receiving a new license, Vernon Downs added
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...
, on which bets could be placed, and
video gaming Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...
. This also allowed for an increase in the purse size paid to racers, although attendance was still low. Vernon Downs owner Jeff Gural cites the addition of VLTs as what saved racing. Some, like Vernon Downs, also began to host entertainment acts, particularly
rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
. However, in recent years, the entertainment and promotion have dwindled to zero. The owners of the track built an associated hotel for visitors to the facility. While the horse racing season runs from April to November, the racino elements are open year-round.


Tax situation

In the 21st century, owners appealed for lower taxes in order to make their operations viable. They complain of having to compete with the Turning Stone Casino and Resort of the
Oneida Indian Nation The Oneida Indian Nation (OIN) ( ) is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people in the United States. The tribe is headquartered in Verona, New York, where the tribe originated and held territory prior to European colonialism, and continues ...
, which does not have to collect state taxes on its sovereign land. The Nation does pay a portion of its revenues to the state under a gaming compact, essentially in lieu of taxes, as well as making donations and contributions to regional communities. On February 11, 2008, the racino/casino closed down after the
New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...
's Racing and Wagering Committee failed to pass a bill that would allow Vernon Downs and other racinos in New York pay less in taxes to the state. Legislation was quickly passed, and the ownership reopened the casino three days later. In 2017, Vernon Downs faced further financial issues still due to the tax difference between the casinos on Native American lands, and the opening of three additional "Las Vegas style" casinos: Del Lago Resort & Casino near Waterloo; Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady; and Tioga Downs in Nichols. The start of the track season was delayed when owner Jeff Gural again cited competition from Turning Stone and Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango and there were plans to close the facilities in the fall of 2017. However tax legislation that enabled a change in the fees the racino paid to the state and Tioga Downs' acquiring a full gaming license in 2016 both helped Vernon Downs as Tioga is owned by the same parent company. Despite citing plans to cut the number of slot machines by about 150, the racino still operated more than 750 as of April 2018.


Facilities and concerts

The track was the site of many of the annual K-Rockathon concerts. It has hosted many large-venue acts such as
Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...
. It has a 173-suite
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
and
fine dining Fine dining is a restaurant experience that is typically more sophisticated, special, and expensive than at a typical restaurant. The décor of such restaurants features higher-quality materials, with establishments having certain rules of din ...
restaurant. The hotel remains open at present.


Vernon Fairgrounds

In the years prior to opening as a harness racing track in 1953, the grounds served as the Vernon Fairgrounds. In the 1970s Vernon Downs returned to its roots by reinstating the Vernon “Mini-Fair,” which has since been hosted annually in different formats.


Stock car racing

A one-half mile clay oval on the premises featured the NASCAR Modified Division in 1949 and the Sportsman Division (predecessor of the
Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
) in 1950 on a weekly basis. The venue also hosted two
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (the top NASCAR series, known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 and 1970, then the NASCAR ...
(now NASCAR Cup) events, which were won respectively by racing pioneers
Bill Blair William "Bill" Sterling Blair (born April 9, 1954) is a Canadian politician and former police officer who served as the Minister of National Defence (Canada), Minister of National Defence from 2023 to 2025. A member of the Liberal Party of Can ...
and Dick Linder.


References


External links


Official site
{{NASCAR Cup Series racetracks NASCAR tracks Defunct motorsport venues in the United States Horse racing venues in New York (state) Sports venues in Oneida County, New York Sports venues in New York (state) 1953 establishments in New York (state) Sports venues completed in 1953 Motorsport venues in New York (state)