I don't think it's a secret that NYRA's biggest concern about accepting the temporary extension was that they needed to be 100% certain it would not compromise their land claim in the future.....and for that reason they were going to be extremely careful going forward.
Regardless of what anybody wants to say, NYRA wants racing to go forward, for the fans and the horsemen. They have the absolute ability to dig their heels in and hold out for everything they feel entitled to and take the land claim to court if this does not come to fruition. However, even if they are over 50% to win the claim, which they are ( albeit barely ), in an expected value equation this is not in everyone's benefit, perhaps including their own.
I think it is patently unfair to suggest that Charlie Hayward was in any way disingenous on the OTB show. He is trying to fight the good fight, against a very difficult force, in an attempt to appease a great many players in this game. He was pretty simply saying we want to race but we won't do it if it is in any major way against or basic interests. Nobody can blame him for that and he didn't present it in any other manner.
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