NY breeders lash out at irresponsible NYC OTB
 

New York breeders make statement at OTB hearing
by Paul Post

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/nat...B-hearing.aspx

New York breeders made a dramatic statement during Friday’s state hearing on the future of New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.

New York Thoroughbred Breeders Executive Director Jeff Cannizzo was accompanied by a four-foot tall mock headstone representing the state’s Thoroughbred breeding industry to underscore his testimony that if New York City OTB is allowed to reduce payments to breeders, it will threaten the very existence of Thoroughbred racing in New York.

New York City OTB has filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy and wants the state to change its system of statutory payments to racetracks and breeders as well as state and local government. Officials claim that distributions should be based on net income instead of gross income.

“This accounting trick will dramatically reduce revenues to those who are at the heart and soul of Thoroughbred racing, remove OTB accountability, and create a death spiral for an industry that employs tens of thousands of New Yorkers,” Cannizzo told state lawmakers.

“If OTB distributions to Thoroughbred breeders disappear, on top of the current financial distress breeders are suffering, the breeding industry will be decimated, putting the racing industry here in New York out of business. Without the product—the horses—there will be no race to hold, no ticket to wager, and no handle to disburse.”

The hearing on Friday before the Assembly and Senate Committees on Racing, Wagering, and Gaming was held in Manhattan. The New York Racing Association already has filed a legal objection to OTB’s bankruptcy petition, charging that it was not filed in good faith and should be thrown out of federal court.

Jeff Cannizzo is very shrewd and the new appointments to the Breeders board will only help to support not only the breeders, but racing in general in NY. I'm not at all surprised to see the NYTBA take an aggressive stance here, but expect them to get even more involved as long as NYRA is the state's current whipping boy.

Tens of thousands?

That's correct. Between 35,000-40,000 full time and seasonal jobs are directly or indirectly employed by horse racing in NY.

Not sure the jobs are the issues.. the chop is what this is about

People don't "count" on seasonal jobs as much as they do full-time ones. It's the nature of the business. If you can't work at the track you go to another sporting venue or similar job elsewhere. None of them take advanced degrees. Trainers and actual on-track help are another story, but I could not care less about the salaried employees. Most of us would work their jobs for half the pay.

Yeah. Whatever. A simple 'guess I didn't know that there were that many people working in racing-related jobs in NY' would have been fine.

Then go apply...

I have a good job. But when Hialeah gets dates I may check it out. :p

I don't believe it. I wouldn't believe it if someone said there were half that many racing-related jobs in Illinois either, especially as the article talks about the employ of New Yorkers so they can't be referring to people who are only there for certain meets. If they are counting every person who moonlights two or three days a week, or people who only work Sundays, then I believe it. But to imply it's tens of thousands of people making an actual living is BS.

Chuck..

Don't forget that this includes staff at horse farms too... And the people who work in the feed stores and all the related businesses that support racing in NY. And don't forget that this also folds in the harness industry too. Do you know how many harness tracks there are in this state?

The economic impact of the horse industry is a real number here. If you want to back out the Saratoga area employees sellers that work at the track the 6 weeks, OK... maybe we'd be better off putting a dollar figure on this instead. But the point is that it's a darn important contribution to the state.

It certainly is, I never meant to imply it isn't. When money is being thrown around to keep companies that employ a couple hundred people I have no problem with racing interests getting some too. It is the politicians throwing numbers around that irks me. Yesterday I read the Census Bureau is hiring a MILLION people this spring. Then I read most of the jobs in NY will last 1-3 weeks. These were both on official Census sites and definitely imply two totally different things.