Frannie ran straight and fast and came from behind to win the Batavia Downs Wiener Dog Race on Sunday.

Her owner receives a "Stay and Play," which includes hotel accommodation for one night, $50 food gift certificate and $25 each in free play for two people.

In second, Piper, and in third Stacey.

More than 1,000 people attended this year's Family Fun Day.

Attendees enjoyed free pumpkins for kids 12 and under, pumpkin decorating and coloring, face painting, pony rides, and carriage rides. Mr. Scribbles was in attendance.

Press Release:

Officials at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel are asking for entrants into their Annual Dachshund Races, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct.15.

Up to 80 dachshunds will be racing for the crown of fastest wiener dog in Western New York.  Each “heat” winner will receive free play and the top 3 finishers in the championship race will receive free play, food vouchers, and a free hotel stay.

Family-related activities will also take place including; on-site entertainers, kettle corn stand, pumpkin decorating, carriage rides, pony rides, and discount hot dogs and sodas.  Those events will take place from Noon to 2 p.m.  The wiener dog races will commence at 2 p.m., giving all attendees plenty of time to get home or to the stadium prior to that night’s Buffalo Football Contest.

If you have a pure-bred dachshund and would like to enter your dog to participate, please call or email Arna Tygart at 585-343-3750 ex 6437 or email at atygart@bataviagaming.com.

Admission and Parking is free.

“Our Annual Family Fun Day and Wiener Dog Races have a great history here at Batavia Downs,” said President and CEO, Henry Wojtaszek.  “We look forward to welcoming families and the community back this fall for this highly anticipated event.”

Press Release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced the on-sale dates for several upcoming events taking place this fall at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel.

On Friday, September 22, the Ricky Palermo Foundation Comedy Night will be held inside Park Place. Attendees will receive admission to a night of comedy, a free drink, a buffet dinner, and $25 in Free Play. Tickets can be purchased at rickypalermofoundation.org.

Monday, September 25 will be Batavia Downs’ Oktoberfest featuring music from Fritz’s Polka Band. This free event will run from Noon - 3 p.m. The Homestretch Grill doors will be open and several Polish food specials will be available.

On Saturday, September 30, the 3rd annual Vodka & Gin Fest, presented by Deep Eddy Vodka and Ford’s Gin will take place from 4 to 6:30 p.m. For $40, attendees will have access to vodka and gin sampling as well as grazing stations and receive $25 in free play as well as a free program and $5 wager on that evening’s races at Batavia Downs. Designated Driver tickets will also be available. $35 early bird tickets are now on sale at BataviaConcerts.com for a limited time.

WBBZ’s popular show, Polka Buzz, will tape their show inside the Park Place Room on Thursday, October 5 – tickets and details will be available at a later date.

Batavia Downs’ famous Family Fun Day & Wiener Dog Races will take place on Sunday, October 15. Family-related activities will also take place including on-site entertainers, kettle corn stand, pumpkin decorating for kids 15 and under, carriage rides, and pony rides will take place from 12 - 2 p.m. with the wiener dog races commencing at 2 p.m. The time was moved up to accommodate guests who want to make sure they don’t miss the Buffalo Football game at 8:20 p.m. that evening.

The Batavia Bacchus Wine Festival will be happening on Sunday, November 5 from 1 - 3:30 p.m.  For $35, attendees will have access to wine sampling from local and national wineries as well as grazing stations. All attendees will receive $25 in free play. Designated Driver tickets will also be available. Tickets for this event will be on sale later in the fall. This event will take place well ahead of that night’s Buffalo Football game at 8:20 p.m. giving attendees time to watch the game after the event.

“Our event schedule remains jam-packed for the fall,” said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO of Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel. “We pride ourselves on providing a diverse variety of events for the people of Western New York.  Our guests will find that these events are fun, well run, and affordable.”

Tickets for other previously announced September events like the Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift Tribute show, the Elvis Tribute Show, and the Silent Disco are on sale now at BataviaConcerts.com.

Louie, #3, above, wins the annual wiener dog race Sunday at Batavia Downs. Below are Louie and his worthy contenders during the run on the gaming facility's outdoor track. Bottom photo shows the mighty racer with a bag full of goodies for his efforts.

Press Release

Louie bested 47 other dogs in a tightly contested competition on Sunday afternoon.  Following 2 hours of family related activities like face painting, balloon art, pumpkin decorating, carriage rides, and pony rides the assembled crowd of over 2,000 watched 6 heats of 8 dogs.

Louie and his owners received a Hotel and Restaurant Stay and Play at Batavia Downs along with a gift basket from Genesee Feeds.  Second place Piper and Third Place Ted also received a Hotel and Restaurant Stay and Play.  Each “heat” winner received a Free Play prize.

A video of the final race can be seen on the Batavia Downs Racetrack Facebook page.

 Photos by Steve Ognibene

Press release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel will host Family Fun Day and their famous wiener dog races on Sunday, Oct. 16.

Family-related activities will also take place including on-site entertainers, a kettle corn stand, pumpkin decorating for kids 15 and under, carriage rides, pony rides and $1 hot dogs and sodas will take place from 12 til 2 p.m. with the wiener dog races commencing at 2 p.m. 

The time was moved up to accommodate guests who want to ensure they don’t miss the Buffalo Bills football game at 4:25 p.m.

Sixty-four dachshunds will be racing for the crown of fastest wiener dog in Western New York.  Each “heat” winner will receive a prize and the top 3 finishers in the championship race will receive free play, food vouchers and a free hotel stay.

Admission and Parking are free.

Photo: File photo by Howard Owens from 2011 race.

After missing some time due to Covid-19,  Batavia Downs continued Family Fun Day and Weiner dog races Sunday afternoon. 

The Downs offered free pony rides, horse drawn wagon rides, magic shows and Mr. Squigels as entertainment for the children as well as food and beverage specials. Attendance and spirits were high as the fall weather cooperated for the festivities. 

Two of the crowd favorites were back as well: $1 hot dogs and wiener dogs. While both were enjoyed by all, the wiener dog races drew the most attention. 

The wiener dog race was stacked full of past winners and dominated by 7 year olds.  After nine heats, there was a "wiener take all" final.  

This year's champion repeated from 2018, Louie (pictured above). His trainers Bruce and Laurie attribute his speed to his love of whipped dairy desserts, specifically what kind? They politely requested that their secret no be divulged to prevent it from being copied and "whipped" next year. 

Press release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel announced today that Batavia Downs will be hosting their famous wiener dog races on Sunday, October 17^th. While there is no live harness racing that day, a different type of racing will go on at Batavia’s historic track.

Up to 80 dachshunds will be racing for the crown of the fastest wiener dog in Western New York.  Each “heat” winner will receive free play and the top 3 finishers in the championship race will receive free play, food vouchers, and a free hotel stay.

Family-related activities will also take place including on-site entertainers, kettle corn stand, pumpkin painting, carriage rides, pony rides and $1 hot dogs and sodas. These will take place from 1 to 3pm with the wiener dog races commencing at 3 pm.

If you have a pure-bred dachshund and would like to enter your dog to participate, please call or email Arna Tygart at 585-343-3750 ex 6437 or email at atygart@bataviagaming.com.

Admission and Parking is free.

“The Wiener Dog Races have a great history here at Batavia Downs,” said President and CEO, Henry Wojtaszek.  “We look forward to welcoming families and the community back for another fun and affordable event.”

Photo: File photo from 2017 race.

Batavia Downs had its annual “Family Fun Day” this afternoon, with the highlight being the Wiener Dog races.

Eighty dogs had entered for 10 heats with one final race, that was again this year, a photo finish.

Dallas owned by Kristy Hody (Dallas is pictured below) came from behind and won the Dachshund Dash by a nose in a near three-way tie. 

Dallas is a first-time winner of the race. He had a little light trainng in the days preceding the event and is seen here with his favorite treat, a carrot.

Apparently Dallas’s athletic training regiment will not allow for him to have a higher calorie snack even after a victory. 

There was also face painting, games, magic, and pony rides for the kids during the normal Sunday harness racing meet. 

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

The “Dog Days of Summer” at Batavia Downs doesn’t only refer to the weather. It also means it's time for the annual Genesee Feeds Wiener Dog races.

This popular event is happening once again on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 25) with post time for the first Dachshund Dash scheduled for approximately 4:30 p.m. after the completion of the live harness racing card.

There will be 10 heats contested with each heat winner scoring a $25 Free Play voucher to Batavia Downs Gaming. The heat winners will then return for a championship race where the winning owner will receive $100 in free play, second place finisher $75 in Free Play and third place $50 in Free Play. The owners of the top three finishers will also get two complementary buffets in the Batavia Downs clubhouse.

All entrants will receive doggy bags for their athletes from the official sponsor of the Wiener Dog races, Genesee Feeds of Batavia.

The doggy dashes draw one of the biggest crowds of the season to Batavia Downs and is the main event of “Family Fun Day” at the races.

"Family Fun Day is one of my favorite live racing days of the meet,” said Director/General Manager of Live Racing, Todd Haight. “The kids always have a great time.

"You can bring the whole family out because there is something for everyone and you can eat, drink and enjoy everything going on the entire afternoon and it costs next to nothing.”

Treat the kids to a fun, affordable day out with $1 Sahlen's hot dogs and soda. Then enjoy free pony rides from 2 to 4 p.m. provided courtesy of Castilone Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep of Batavia.

There will also be special guest appearances by Pringles The Clown, Mr. Scribbles, Jason the Juggler, Johnathan the Magician and other fun activities like face painting and sand art for kids of all ages. And everything is presented in a clean, safe environment where kids can just enjoy themselves.

Admission and parking are free and live harness racing action begins at 1:15 p.m.

For more information including news, promotions, race replays and the upcoming live racing schedule including the New York Sire Stakes Night of Champions go to www.bataviadownsgaming.com/live-racing.

Photos courtesy of Paul White.

Above is a Batavian file photo from the 2018 races.

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Registration for one of the most popular promotions of the season at Batavia Downs Gaming --- the annual “Dachshund Dash” wiener dog races --- begins on today (July 18) and will remain open until entry capacity is met. 

These races are scheduled to take place on Sunday (Aug. 25).

If you have a dog that has competed in this event in the past or have one you would like to enter for the first time, please call Sara Tenney at 585-343-3750, ext. 439, to register or for more information. If you leave a message you will receive a call back for confirmation. 

Please be aware that entries are limited to the first 80 dogs and the fields have filled fast the last several years.

This is the 15^th year Batavia Downs has hosted the annual races that are sponsored by Genesee Feeds of Batavia.

A total of 10 heats will be contested with eight dogs competing in each heat. The first race will begin after the last live harness race of the day, which will be approximately 4:30 p.m. 

All those who enter will receive doggie bags full of treats courtesy of Genesee Feeds of Batavia, the official sponsor of the race. The owners of all heat winners will receive $25 in gaming Free Play and the top three finishers in the championship race will receive two clubhouse buffet certificates and $100, $75 and $50 (first through third) in Free Play for the gaming floor. The top winner’s total prize package including the gaming Free Play is valued at $200.

The wiener dog races are the final part of Family Fun Day at Batavia Downs Gaming that runs from 2 until 4 p.m. This fun-filled event includes many activities for kids including free pony rides courtesy of Castilone Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Also on that day there will be $1 hot dogs and sodas from noon until last race.

Last year a crowd of nearly 3,000 people showed up to watch “Louie” nose out “Jasper” in a photo finish with “Dexter Tyberius” finishing a close third in the championship heat. The very friendly Louie, who is owned by Bruce Hummel, of Pittsford, quickly became a fan favorite in the Purple Haze winner’s circle after the race. 

Track officials expect to host a similar sized crowd again this year.