{"id":64270,"date":"2025-04-30T10:46:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T14:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=64270"},"modified":"2025-04-30T10:46:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T14:46:09","slug":"genesee-county-kentucky-derby-means-its-super-saturday-at-batavia-downs-gaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/04\/30\/genesee-county-kentucky-derby-means-its-super-saturday-at-batavia-downs-gaming\/","title":{"rendered":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Kentucky Derby means it\u2019s \u2018Super Saturday\u2019\u00a0at Batavia Downs Gaming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n

By Mike Pettinella
For Video News Service<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Billed as \u201cthe most exciting two minutes in sports,\u201d the Kentucky Derby will generate hours of enthusiasm this weekend for patrons at Batavia Downs Gaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something in the air on Derby Day. It\u2019s like our Super Bowl,\u201d said Ryan Hasenauer, vice president of Business Development for Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., parent company of the gaming facility, harness horse racing track and hotel on Park Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ryan Hasenauer, vice president of Business Development at Batavia Downs Gaming, holds the T-shirt and mint julep glass that await guests who have purchased tickets for the Kentucky Derby Gala this Saturday. Photo by Mike Pettinella.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post time for the 151st<\/sup> edition of thoroughbred racing\u2019s crown jewel eventat Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., is set for 6:57 p.m. Saturday (Eastern Time). It could be pushed back a few minutes, however, depending on last-minute wagering and how horses are behaving getting to their post positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Activities at Batavia Downs Gaming (are there are several) actually get underway on Friday with advance wagering on the Derby at all OTB branches and EZ-Bet locations and at the ITW (Intertrack Wagering) site at Batavia Downs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who opt to place at least a $100 bet at Bataviabets.com will receive a $25 voucher for wagers at a later time, Hasenauer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many of the ladies at the gala will be dressed in style, similar to those in this photo from a past gala. Photo courtesy of Batavia Downs Gaming.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Saturday, the Downs kicks things off with a chicken barbecue dinner promotion starting at 11:30 a.m., followed by the \u201cmain event\u201d \u2013 the annual Kentucky Derby Gala from 4:30 to 7 p.m. in the clubhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hasenauer said the \u201cfirst come, first served\u201d chicken barbecue will be set up inside of Park Place on the first floor. He said that promotion sold out (600 dinners) last year by 5 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt costs $35 but you get back $25 in free play and also receive a $5 bet on the Derby,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, basically, you\u2019re eating for five bucks. Plus, everyone receives a free program for the Derby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big screen televisions will be showing the Derby as well as the Churchill Downs races leading up to the Run for the Roses.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kentucky Derby Gala is sold out, Hasenauer said, noting that the 275 people who have paid $175 each will receive a free $20 wager on the Derby, $60 in free play on the gaming floor, a complimentary mint julep glass, Kentucky Derby T-shirt, open bar and buffet dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s T-shirt has a comic book theme because the first Saturday in May is also Free Comic Book Day,\u201d he said while displaying a shirt and glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone gets dressed up for the event and we\u2019ll run two contests — one for best dressed and one for the best hat,\u201d he said. \u201cThe two winners will receive a free stay at the hotel, free play and free food on their next visit to Batavia Downs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, three other gathering places at Batavia Downs — The Gatsby, 34 Rush and the bar inside Park Place \u2013 will be selling the mint julep glasses for $5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrder a mint julep for $5 and keep the glass,\u201d Hasenauer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coors Light representatives will be at 34 Rush from noon to 2 p.m. for beer sampling, and WGR 550AM radio will be broadcasting live from 2-5 p.m. Saturday at 34 Rush, Hasenauer added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the day is one of anticipation and thrills for horse racing fans, it is a highly profitable one for the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hasenauer said the Derby will generate about $1 million in handle just on that race itself from all WROTB sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe reason why the Derby is so exciting is that it\u2019s a 20-horse field,\u201d Hasenauer offered. \u201cWith more horses in the field, there are more horses to cover, if you will. If someone wants to bet on this race, he or she may not pick just two horses, but maybe pick five to get all the horses they like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd that puts more money in the pool. If a longshot wins the race, (then) the exacta, trifecta and superfecta may pay into the thousands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Hasenauer in his colorful (to say the least) Derby outfit. Photo courtesy of Batavia Downs Gaming<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hasenauer said he will be there throughout the day, wearing his yellow suit highlighted with red roses, and expects WROTB President Byron Brown, Chief of Staff Steven Casey and Communications Director Mike DeGeorge to be on site as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KENTUCKY DERBY MAY 3, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

— Coverage starts: 2:30 p.m. ET; Post time: 6:57 p.m. ET; Where: Churchill Downs; Louisville, Kentucky; TV: NBC; Streaming: Peacock; YouTube TV; Fubo; 1 \u00bc mile race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— 2025 Kentucky Derby post positions, jockey, odds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 — Citizen Bull, Martin Garcia (20-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 — Neoequos, Flavien Prat (30-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 — Final Gambit, Luan Machado (30-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 — Rodriguez, Mike Smith (12-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 — American Promise, Nik Juarez (30-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 — Admire Daytona, Christophe Lemaire (30-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 — Luxor Cafe, Joao Moreira (15-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8 — Journalism, Umberto Rispoli (3-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 — Burnham Square, Brian Hernandez Jr. (12-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 — Grande, John Velazquez (20-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11 — Flying Mohawk, Joe Ramos (30-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12 — East Avenue, Manny Franco (20-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13 — Publisher, Irad Ortiz Jr. (20-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14 — Tiztastic, Joel Rosario (20-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15 — Render Judgement, Julien Leparoux (30-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16 — Coal Battle, Juan Vargas (30-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17 — Sandman, Jose Ortiz (6-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18 — Sovereignty, Junior Alvarado (5-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

19 — Chunk of Gold, Jareth Loveberry (30-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

20 — Owen Almighty, Javier Castellano (30-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also eligible: 21 — Baeza, Flavien Prat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mike PettinellaFor Video News Service Billed as \u201cthe most exciting two minutes in sports,\u201d the Kentucky Derby will generate hours of enthusiasm this weekend for patrons at Batavia Downs Gaming. \u201cThere\u2019s something in the air on Derby Day. It\u2019s like our Super Bowl,\u201d said Ryan Hasenauer, vice president of \u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8,23],"tags":[376,5098],"class_list":["post-64270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-batavia","category-genesee-county","tag-batavia-downs","tag-kentucky-derby"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-gIC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39248,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2023\/01\/19\/genesee-county-batavia-downs-announces-tickets-will-go-on-sale-for-spring-tribute-acts-and-brew-fest-tomorrow\/","url_meta":{"origin":64270,"position":0},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Batavia Downs announces tickets will go on sale for Spring tribute acts and Brew Fest tomorrow","author":"aka","date":"January 19, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Tickets Will Go On Sale Friday at 10am Press Release BATAVIA \u2013 Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced the on sale dates for 2 upcoming events taking place at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel\u2019s Park Place Room.\u00a0 These 2 events join other, already announced spring events.\u00a0 The\u00a04th\u00a0annual Batavia Brew\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Batavia"","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51105,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/02\/28\/genesee-county-batavia-downs-announces-spring-and-triple-crown-events\/","url_meta":{"origin":64270,"position":1},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Batavia Downs announces Spring and Triple Crown events","author":"aka","date":"February 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Derby Gala, Tacos and Tequila and the Bourbon and Whiskey Fest return Press release BATAVIA \u2013 Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced the lineup for events taking place onsite alongside the 3 Triple Crown Races this spring as well as newly announced vendor shows and fundraisers. The Derby Gala\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Batavia"","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69410,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/25\/genesee-county-batavia-downs-announces-first-ever-trick-or-treat-at-the-track-night\/","url_meta":{"origin":64270,"position":2},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Batavia Downs announces first ever Trick or Treat at the Track night","author":"aka","date":"October 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"An Early Start on Halloween Fun with Candy and Activities for Families Press release BATAVIA \u2013 Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced that on Wednesday, October 29th, they will be hosting their first ever Trick or Treat at the Track event. Starting at 5:00pm, Kids 13 and under are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genesee County"","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55934,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/08\/15\/genesee-county-batavia-bid-hosting-boxcar-derby-saturday\/","url_meta":{"origin":64270,"position":3},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Batavia BID hosting Boxcar Derby Saturday","author":"aka","date":"August 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Press release\/submitted photo BATAVIA - The Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) invites the community to join thefestivities planned for the 3rd annual BID Boxcar Derby Saturday August 17th.The Derby will once again be held on Ellicott Avenue in Batavia, with 24 racers competing to win the Suozzi Memorial Cup.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Batavia"","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4756,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2018\/05\/25\/genesee-county-batavia-downs-announces-ground-force-fights-throwdown-at-the-downs-mma-event-for-june-23rd\/","url_meta":{"origin":64270,"position":4},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/BATAVIA DOWNS ANNOUNCES GROUND FORCE FIGHT\u2019S THROWDOWN AT THE DOWNS MMA EVENT FOR JUNE 23rd","author":"aka","date":"May 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Press Release BATAVIA \u2013 Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced that Ground Force Fight\u2019s \u201cThrowdown at the Downs\u201d event will take place on Saturday, June 23rd. \u201cWe are excited to host our first MMA event on the track,\u201d said Henry Wojtaszek, CEO\/President at Batavia Downs Gaming. \u201cGround Force Fights\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Batavia"","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/MMA-still.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/MMA-still.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/MMA-still.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":69136,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/18\/genesee-county-batavia-downs-extends-the-2025-meet-by-four-nights\/","url_meta":{"origin":64270,"position":5},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Batavia Downs extends the 2025 meet by four nights","author":"aka","date":"October 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs Gaming Batavia, NY --- The 2025 summer\/fall live harness racing meet at Batavia Downs was originally scheduled to conclude on Saturday (Dec. 6). However, management at the track announced today that the New York State Gaming Commission has approved their request to add four\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Batavia"","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/derby-dress-up-1.jpg?fit=800%2C528&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64270"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64277,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64270\/revisions\/64277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}