Bearing the whips and scorns of time

[my miss storm cat]

I appreciate your answer and your insight.

How long have they been suggesting they'd be needing my land for their freeway?

I don't follow the day to day stuff and am, admittedly, not up to speed on the goings in terms of the big picture so when there are hit pieces in the media... I don't know, Chuck I read something like this...

'You bring a friend to Saratoga and you turn him into a racing. You take them to Belmont and he gets a great experience. You take him to Aqueduct and he never speaks to you again.'

(... said by Mr. Repole) it's sad!

I think of the whole incident with that poor woman in the bathroom and cannot figure out for the life of me why the track doesn't use this horrible thing and make something good from it.

I don't mean cash in on it... I don't mean to USE it... to lie and say they'll put attendants in the bathrooms (although...?) and, you know the bit about the pigeons pecking at the salad bar in the NY Post thing? I don't mean make it like it's an aviary or a place to come and enjoy nature.

Why, though, can they not see they should maybe consider grabbing this chance, doing like a back page on the front (NYT) section letter to the public and email campaign, a stupid committee, suggestions from the public, charitable things related to violence against women and the impaired... a special day for handicapped persons and their families...

Let the public know they will NOT stand for this kind of thing, any of it, the track will be made worthy of the people of NY... that they are implementing plans for safety, cleanliness, and this and that and the other thing...

This is a chance to wear the white hat and to actually do something.

I don't mean they have to pay attorneys fees for the poor lady but isn't there something they could do because basically they can either keep quiet and wait for it to go away OR take the lead. Who would you respect more? It is just sense here that they can have some good come out of this if they're the ones to be vocal now.

Do no people in racing understand the dynamics of pr?

If I'm being unfair and they have done or said something I apologize but I haven't heard it.

It just seems like from the (very) little I know that Aqueduct has always been the maybe track. Maybe it will stay or maybe it will go and now that we have lost Baze Meadows and HP out here on the west coast... maybe after being smacked across the face with reality it's the slightest bit easier to wonder if there are just too damned many tracks and the whole thing should be streamlined (?) OR if the opposite should be done all these places should finally be fixed up.

Sorry I know I am all over the map here BUT this is the only place where I can ask questions about the things I don't know in regards to racing and I have wanted to flat out ask about Aqueduct since waaaay back, on another forum, when this old guy from Brooklyn would...

You know how in The Iliad lines and phrases would be repeated? Well it was kinda like that only his were always about being the track in the dead of winter, the steam from Nathans hot dogs, the snow outside and the frost on the windows and okay... I won't go on but it was a sad refrain even back then so yeah... after ten years figured I would finally ask.

[pmayjr]

bracing for impact on this one, because from the Del Mar Dirt thread I saw how much of a sever minority I'm in (I kinda knew it already, it just confirmed it)-

If Aqueduct is going to stay open- they should make the Inner Dirt track synthetic.

As much as you guys are rolling your eye on this- it would do 2 things: First, if they do make that investment, it means the track is here to stay.

2nd, it would hopefully hold up better to harsh winter weather conditions?

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by pmayjr

bracing for impact on this one, because from the Del Mar Dirt thread I saw how much of a sever minority I'm in (I kinda knew it already, it just confirmed it)-

If Aqueduct is going to stay open- they should make the Inner Dirt track synthetic.

As much as you guys are rolling your eye on this- it would do 2 things: First, if they do make that investment, it means the track is here to stay.

2nd, it would hopefully hold up better to harsh winter weather conditions?

The inner track has been incredibly safe this meet (as it has long been). The 2012 meet was an aberration and many of the measures put in place to prevent something similar have worked well.

This has been a crazy winter, which has obviously taken its toll, but I don't think there's a better surface for winter racing than the inner.

[pmayjr]

I wasn't really alluding to safety issues. I'll agree that no one has really made a peep about that this winter.

I'm just wondering with a big winter storm that asynth track might hold up or recover quicker from those conditions?

Also because I like betting surface switches and would love outer-inner-outer trade off ;P

[Cannon Shell]

One issue that Aqueduct doesnt have is track surface.
A lot of times with these early cancellations from storms the issue isnt with the track but the driving conditions for employees, patrons and horses, many of which are shipping from Belmont.

Being that Aqueduct is running in the middle of the winter, in Ozone Park, the Saratoga comparisons are unfair and pretty dumb. While NYRA surely hasn't kept appearances up there, putting money into an uncertain situation is dicey.

NYRA used to have attendants in the restrooms but they were eliminated in a cost cutting measure which in part was caused by NYCOTB not paying their bill to NYRA which caused financial issues long before slots money started flowing. Like someone else said recently Aqueduct never had issues with attacks, homeless squatters or other criminal activity being reported on until the casino opened.