The Raceway underwent a dramatic facelift in late 1997 with the demolition of the aging grandstand. Yonkers continued to make news on the track in 1997, as Western Dreamer won the Raceway's final Cane Pace en route to capturing the sport's first Pacing Triple Crown since Ralph Hanover some 14 years earlier.

Following the 1997 Cane, the race relocated to Freehold Raceway, where it is still contested. The 1998 season saw driver Walter Case Jr. rewrite the records books. Case won 978 races at Yonkers, smashing the record for the most wins by one driver at one track in a single year. Case's 1,076 total wins also set a single-season standard.

Yonkers Raceway threw itself a party in 1999, celebrating the track's centennial. Many of the sport's luminaries stopped by to be part of the festivities, and the Raceway ran a week-long series of promotions leading up to the '99 Yonkers Trot (won by CR Renegade). The Raceway entered the new millennium as it left the old one, as one of the premier venues for harness racing in North America.

September 11, 2001. What began as a normal Tuesday changed very quickly, and very tragically. For those of us at Yonkers Raceway, the reactions -- grief, horror, shock, anger, disbelief -- echoed those from all around the world. The Raceway remained dark for a week (five programs) following the tragedy before getting back to business in a radically changed world. As they did then, our hearts and prayers reach out to those affected by the hideous series of events.

On the track, Yonkers raceway played host to yet another New York-bred Harness Horse of the Year. The 3-year-old pacing filly sensation Bunny Lake made Yonkers Raceway her own personal playground, winning all four of her local starts (9-for-9 at Yonkers through ages 2 and 3). Bunny Lake joined other Empire State standouts -- 2000 Harness Horse of the Year Gallo Blue Chip along with '95 and '96 Horse of the Year Moni Maker -- as those who excelled at Yonkers.

The multi-million-dollar New York Sires Stakes program is annually among the richest in the country. Each year, the NYSS culminates with the New York Night of Champions, showcasing the "best of the best" among the 2- and 3-year olds of both sexes and gaits in the richest night of racing in the state. The Night of Champions, begun at Yonkers in 1991 and hosted there ever since, offers a total $1.2 million purse.