Albany ups power play; State, Legislature, NYRA announce mgmt. deal

[Calzone Lord]

I have no idea what any of this means.

The more people and politicians involved -- the worse off horse racing has to be.

It shouldn't take much to competently conduct horse racing.

You've got a whole bunch of people with fancy formal educations who dress up in suits and have to look important because they went to school for something else -- and that's not good enough? Now you need politicians and people appointed by politicians ... to conduct horse racing? It's freaking horse racing.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by Kasept

"As the upcoming Belmont Stakes shows, the racing industry is a vital part of New York State's culture and economy, attracting millions of dollars in tourism revenue from across the nation and supporting thousands of jobs," Governor Cuomo said. "With the structure of the gaming industry changing here in New York, the state also needs to take a new approach to how it manages and governs racing. New Yorkers can be assured that the NYRA Reorganization Board will act in the interests of the members of the public who enjoy horse racing, the taxpayers who support it, and the horses themselves, to make racing in our state the strongest, safest and most enjoyable in the country."

You'd get far better results just handing the whole thing over to someone like Barry Schwartz and getting out of his way.

And considering NYRA tracks are in both the largest city with the most wealth (NYC) and have Saratoga for six weeks -- keeping the brand of racing the strongest in the country shouldn't be something you need an entire brain trust to accomplish.

[Kasept]

Another brilliant salvo on the State & NYRA from Tom Noonan...

http://tenoonan.com/2012/05/30/this-...w-york-racing/

So, there you have it. This current controversy has been going on since the Racing & Wagering Board released an “Interim Audit” on April 26. What new facts have come out since then? I cannot think of one, but that has not stopped a constant barrage questioning the integrity and character of anyone ever associated with NYRA. We have a Governor and his staff who engineered a coup with an entity established by law, taking actions of questionable legality, and by engaging in threats and assaults on the integrity and character of NYRA Board members without citing any evidence justifying the attacks. We have a media that has gone along all too willingly, either because they do not want to ask rather obvious questions, or because NYRA has become a convenient punching bag. None of these players have identified anything they would do differently. And this is the environment in which we are to believe that “integrity” will be the focus for New York racing? I know I won’t be holding my breath waiting for their changes.