NYRA Franchise: "Backwards, not forwards"
 

Posted it on The Racing Dispatch (www.racingdispatch.com) and available on the Left at the Gate blog.

Statement From Nyra Chairman, C. Steven Duncker
 

STATEMENT FROM NYRA CHAIRMAN, C. STEVEN DUNCKER
Feb 11, 2008

Over the weekend, NYRA met with representatives of the State government and reviewed drafts of a proposed new franchise bill in a bid to resolve the franchise stalemate. Unfortunately, this review process indicated that the franchise discussions are going backward, not forward. The areas of concern continue to be the economic model for the future of racing in New York And governance.

It is essential that this legislation provides a proper framework to ensure that New York thoroughbred racing maintains its leadership position for the life of the new franchise. The bill does not provide the proper business model and economic terms that permits NYRA to emerge from bankruptcy nor does it correct the broken business model of thoroughbred racing in New York, a broken model that can only worsen and further imperil this industry under the legislation currently proposed.

While we agree that the NYRA Board should be streamlined, as we earlier resolved with the Governor in a Memorandum of Understanding last September, the newly proposed structure would politicize the Board and endanger the very reforms that have been accomplished to date. Such a significant step backwards would serve neither the best interests of the racing industry nor the people of New York State.

We find the current state of negotiation to be pointing irrevocably towards a cessation of racing this week.

unreal.. any one got stock in sallee horse vans...

Un b f'ing lievable. I find it hard to fathom that this process has gone on for the better part of a year to establish a working model for racing in this state and this is the point we are at 72 hours before a shutdown of racing. I don't know how the politicians involved in this can look at themselves in the mirror let alone face the public. As a horseman in NY I am just disgusted with the whole process. I hope my NY breds can compete out of town because I don't see this coming to a good conclusion any time soon.

Bruno has repeatedly " bargained " in bad faith against the interests of racing. And, even at this late date, he continues to do so.

this is horrible for the horseman in Ny this winter who rely heavily on the purses during the winter months. If there is stoppage of racing then i would have to think that most of the Ny breds are going to be hurt the most, especially the mdn claimers. I would doubt that they can compete anywhere else. Im sorry you have to through this aggrivation. Hope things turn the corner soon!

While it sucks for the horsemen, and I feel for them, my point of view is from the gambling end, and as I hardly ever go to the track, and having recently branched out to other tracks, rather than having POLITICAL hands in the pot, just shut the damn thing down. Plenty of other action out there.

If the NY politicians won't allow the game to operate without their intervention then tear down AQU and put up condos. I'd certainly want to live in the HIGHLY DESIRABLE Ozone Park area of Queens, directly UNDER the JFK Apt's flight path. I'd move in tomorrow.

Last thing we need is NYRA run as if it were OTB.

Screw 'em.

Agreed. But where have all our other state senators been? That includes mine, Sen. Owen Johnson who I have not heard a peep from. Nor has he answered my letters to him about nyra. Are they all scared of Bruno or are they just waiting to see what their cut will be? Albany, what a joke.

You're far from the only one asking that exact question.

The way the Pols operate is truly disgusting.

It's the culture of Albany. They won't take him on, especially with the Republicans only holding a two-seat majority in the State Senate. Furthermore, they don't know much on the subject; anyone who heard Senator Larkin, the head of the Senate Racing Committee, on the "Down the Stretch" show on the OTB channel in late December can attest to their general lack of knowledge on racing matters.

Perhaps the scariest thing is that I attended a party this past summer at which a highly-ranked member of the Senate majority was present. When I started to talk to him about the franchise issue, his response was that I shouldn't worry because Saratoga is in Bruno's district. The other implication from the conversation was that, because Bruno's district includes Saratoga, the other senators will defer to his "expertise" on the subject.

Bravo. Well said on the air Steve. I also would not support another extension so we can revisit this again in a few weeks.

Any thoughts on what a missed racing season would do to the economy of Bruno's Saratoga?

He better be careful what he wishes for. Horsemen and NYRA workers aren't the only ones with skin in this game.

http://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/stories/Feb112008b.shtml

From NYRA Press Staff | February 11, 2008


To Our New York Racing Fans

As I’m sure you may know NYRA is faced with the real possibility of having to suspend racing after the Wednesday, February 13th card is run.

NYRA’s franchise to run thoroughbred racing at Aqueduct, Saratoga and Belmont Park, which dates back to 1955, expired on December 31, 2007 without a franchise renewal in place. Acting in good faith and responding to assurances that an agreement would soon be reached mirroring the September 4th Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) already agreed to by NYRA, the Governor and the State Assembly, NYRA accepted a three-week temporary extension of its franchise until January 23rd and a second extension which will expire Wednesday.

NYRA can no longer operate under temporary extensions and will conclude racing at Aqueduct on Wednesday unless NYRA receives a new long-term franchise.

Without getting too deeply into the issues surrounding the franchise, NYRA is committed to securing an agreement that ensures the franchise is operated by people who have the best interests of thoroughbred racing at heart and are dedicated to ensuring that the thoroughbred industry is a vital contributor to the State of New York.

Absent an appropriate franchise agreement, on Thursday two-thirds of our employees will be laid-off, while the rest will take significant pay cuts with further cutbacks expected if the closure is prolonged. Trainers have been told they may train their horses at our tracks for two weeks, but that NYRA will not be able to accommodate horses or backstretch workers past February 27th.

Unfortunately, you will be affected as well, as your participation in the greatest game played outdoors also will be interrupted. We will keep you informed about any significant developments in the franchise process and deeply hope that any interruption in racing is brief. We understand your frustration and appreciate your patience.

NY STATE SENATORS

Senate Members welcome incoming correspondence from the public via e-mail
over the Internet. While Senators may choose to respond to your note
directly through e-mail, there may be cases where more extensive follow-up
is necessary. Please include a mailing address on your notes in addition
to your e-mail address.

Adams, Eric 20th eadams@senate.state.ny.us
Alesi, James S. 55th alesi@senate.state.ny.us
Bonacic, John J. 42nd bonacic@senate.state.ny.us
Breslin, Neil D. 46th breslin@senate.state.ny.us
Bruno, Joseph L. 43rd bruno@senate.state.ny.us
Connor, Martin 25th connor@senate.state.ny.us
DeFrancisco, John A. 50th jdefranc@senate.state.ny.us
Diaz, Ruben , Sr. 32nd diaz@senate.state.ny.us
Dilan, Martin Malave 17th dilan@senate.state.ny.us
Duane, Thomas K. 29th duane@senate.state.ny.us
Farley, Hugh T. 44th farley@senate.state.ny.us
Flanagan, John J. 2nd flanagan@senate.state.ny.us
Fuschillo, Charles J., Jr. 8th fuschill@senate.state.ny.us
Golden, Martin J. 22nd golden@senate.state.ny.us
Gonzalez, Efrain , Jr. 33rd gonzalez@senate.state.ny.us
Griffo, Joseph A. 47th griffo@senate.state.ny.us
Hannon, Kemp 6th hannon@senate.state.ny.us
Hassell-Thompson, Ruth 36th hassellt@senate.state.ny.us
Huntley, Shirley L. 10th shuntley@senate.state.ny.us
Johnson, Craig M. 7th johnson@senate.state.ny.us
Johnson, Owen H. 4th ojohnson@senate.state.ny.us
Klein, Jeffrey D. 34th jdklein@senate.state.ny.us
Krueger, Liz 26th lkrueger@senate.state.ny.us
Kruger, Carl 27th kruger@senate.state.ny.us
Lanza, Andrew J. 24th lanza@senate.state.ny.us
Larkin, William J., Jr. 39th larkin@senate.state.ny.us
LaValle, Kenneth P. 1st lavalle@senate.state.ny.us
Leibell, Vincent L., III 40th leibell@senate.state.ny.us
Libous, Thomas W. 52nd senator@senatorlibous.com
Little, Elizabeth O'C. 45th little@senate.state.ny.us
Maltese, Serphin R. 15th maltese@senate.state.ny.us
Marcellino, Carl L. 5th marcelli@senate.state.ny.us
Maziarz, George D. 62nd maziarz@senate.state.ny.us
Montgomery, Velmanette 18th montgome@senate.state.ny.us
Morahan, Thomas P. 38th morahan@senate.state.ny.us
Nozzolio, Michael F. 54th nozzolio@senate.state.ny.us
Onorato, George 12th onorato@senate.state.ny.us
Oppenheimer, Suzi 37th oppenhei@senate.state.ny.us
Padavan, Frank 11th padavan@senate.state.ny.us
Parker, Kevin S. 21st parker@senate.state.ny.us
Perkins, Bill 30th perkins@senate.state.ny.us
Rath, Mary Lou 61st rath@senate.state.ny.us
Robach, Joseph E. 56th robach@senate.state.ny.us
Sabini, John D. 13th sabini@senate.state.ny.us
Saland, Stephen M. 41st saland@senate.state.ny.us
Sampson, John L. 19th sampson@senate.state.ny.us
Savino, Diane J. 23rd savino@senate.state.ny.us
Schneiderman, Eric T. 31st schneide@senate.state.ny.us
Serrano, José M. 28th serrano@senate.state.ny.us
Seward, James L. 51st seward@senate.state.ny.us
Skelos, Dean G. 9th skelos@senate.state.ny.us
Smith, Malcolm A. 14th masmith@senate.state.ny.us
Stachowski, William T. 58th stachows@senate.state.ny.us
Stavisky, Toby Ann 16th stavisky@senate.state.ny.us
Stewart-Cousins, Andrea 35th scousins@senate.state.ny.us
Thompson, Antoine M. 60th athompso@senate.state.ny.us
Trunzo, Caesar 3rd trunzo@senate.state.ny.us
Vacancy, 48th SD48@senate.state.ny.us
Valesky, David J. 49th valesky@senate.state.ny.us
Volker, Dale M. 59th volker@senate.state.ny.us
Winner, George H., Jr. 53rd winner@senate.state.ny.us
Young, Catharine M. 57th cyoung@senate.state.ny.us

Doesn't really matter for his re-election chances. Saratoga Springs has 26,000 residents. Rensselaer County (also in his district) has 160,000. So as long as he keeps pumping state money into the revitalization of Rensselaer and Troy and at least does reasonably well in Clifton Park he would be able to win re-election without a vote from Saratoga.

Very true, but if the Democtrats funded a decent candidate against him, he'd be forced to spend resources defending his own seat that he'd rather spend elsewhere. That's the only way to get his attention.

Maybe he would get re-elected. Certainly don't think folks in Saratoga Springs itself would be the only ones hurt though.

I could see a missed meet putting a lot of businesses under. Can't imagine he wants that on his hands.

Hopefully not something that becomes a reality, but if NRYA lays off 2/3 of staff and can't race at Belmont. I would not rule it out in any fashion.

Interesting Editorial in the NY Times the other day.....



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/09/opinion/09sat2.html

Let me see if I got this right
Bruno use to be a strong supporter of NYRA until his son went to work for MAGNA.
Bruno is now supporting Capital Play to manage the slots at Aqueduct and possibly Belmont if they get them. According to published reports his son is now representing Capital Play.
Bruno has a two vote majority in the Senate. One seat I believe is up for a special election right now. If Hillary wins the nominations the Dems will come out in droves in NY and hand the Senate to the Democrats
Bruno is helping to screw up the racing franchise which generates millions of dollars to his district.
Bruno according to published reports has a Federal Grand Jury looking at his political and personal business dealing.
If I am incorrect please let me know.
I am not a resident of NY but I do own a home in Saratoga and if that information is correct maybe I should change my residency to Saratoga so I can vote against him in the fall.

Haven't the good folks of Saratoga suffered enough?

It is getting to a point that some drastic action has to be taken. It is obvious that if another extension is given we will be back at this same point in a couple of weeks. The NYRA employees have been wondering for over a year if their jobs are secure. Unfortunately most legislators only act when pressure is put on them. So I guess it is time to put pressure on them.
If they close on Thursday I will be one of the first to be affected, I have a horse in the fifth race that day.

NYRA has submitted a reorganization plan to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, but that plan’s financial details are based on a long-term extension. After May 2, 2008, if NYRA is unable to meet those obligations, by law another entity could come in, present a reorganization plan, and gain control of the franchise.

You're being too generous.

Not if the land claim is tied up in court.

A land claim, by the way, that I would gladly lay 2-1 NYRA will win.

I agree with you on this post not the previous
Don't make fun of Tuffy he got a second last time out. Maybe the "new" NYRA will run a $1,000 claimer and he could win:)

I bet him the last time. You know I rarely like closing sprinters when they stretch out.

Fair enough, but not as easy as saying "go" once you layoff a big number of folks and have horsemen forced to go elsewhere.

This ends up in court, have to say all bets are off as far as timing. Saratoga or no Saratoga.

The real shame of this is that even if the NYRA deal gets done, no one of political importance in NY has said one sane or reasonable thing about the OTB situation. Even if NYRA gets a great deal, the OTB's still are a huge drag on racing in the state. That they would carry on about adding political appointees onto NYRA's board with the hundreds of political jobs in the OTB machine is a disgrace.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/ny...l?ref=nyregion

NYC Mayor Bloomberg also wants to cease and close NYCOTB! :eek:

Which would be an improvement. Of course what he really wants a handout.

The NYRA/OTB issue is not on the table right now. Unfortunately, it wasn't on the table at any point in time, other than every single bidder agreeing that it needed to be addressed. It wasn't a priority and the focus was obviously elsewhere.

That being said, IMO, racing will probably shut down for a few days. Bruno will back down (if those are the right words), but will, without question, get to save face. More people believe he is the problem than believe he is the solution and "in it for the horsemen" so to speak. Other than Rick Violette, I don't know who else believes that.

One factor I think people have often discounted or neglected is the "who actually runs the country club" and where a great deal of power still resides. I guess we will soon see.

Eric

So does anyone have any estimate on how much money the state will lose per day that NY racing remains dark this winter now that it appears an immediate resolution seems unlikely before the deadline Weds.

Guess I have to start playing Sam Houston on the weekends now and not AQU :cool:

During the Aqueduct meet? They might make money.

That's funny when you figure in the losses which have amassed (not all NYRA's fault) that the state will ultimately subsidize its cheaper and for that matter better business to sell big A, pay the debt, and build Ozone Park into the housing/shopping mecca it should always have been. lol

Wouldn't it be more logically to turn Belmont into a superior facilty that could run 10 months a year?


Sell Aqueduct and use all the money to remodel Belmont into the very finest race track in the world. Run it like a real business. Re do the entire back stretch, level the huge grandstands, remake the training track to something synthetic and just have the very finest 10 month facilty on the planet.. BTW F the slots

If you read the John Nerud piece, you'll see that he laid that plan out a while ago. Except that they need to build the winterized Clubhouse/Grandstand on the opposite side of the track, and replace the inner turf course with a winter synthetic strip. Race at Aqueduct until the new Belmont is complete, and pay for the renovations with proceeds from a subsequent sale of Aqueduct.