NYRA increases purses

[ELA]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

He threw NYRA under the bus so he could "rescue" them and claim credit for "cleaning up the sport in NY" like he did with Wall Street. Far easier to fix a problem of your own creation especially a sitting duck like NYRA instead of fixing a real problem. He is a politician's politician who campaigned on the premise that he was above politicians dirty games yet has been exposed as a complete hypocrite in that regard.

Chuck, I am not on either side of the Spitzer aspect to this, and I am not so sure it's important as to whether or not he can lay claim to being the savior. From afar, I am more positive than negative about him as Govenor. Be that as it may, I see 3 NYRA's here -- first, the NYRA that was, the one "thrown under the bus" so to speak. I don't care whether it was Spitzer or anyone else that did the throwing -- it was absolutely, positively neccessary. I have been a critic of NYRA's for many years and I've never hidden that fact.

I also see the NYRA of today -- much improved, certainly not ideal and perfect, but far improved nevertheless.

I also see -- and very much hope to see -- the potential newly created, reconstituted, reformatted, whatever you want to call it NYRA -- the NYRA of the very near future. I want to see a transparent NYRA, one that is held accountable and one that works WITH the NYTHA, the state, the legislature, the owners, breeders, fans, bettors and everyone else. That is what I see the state pretty much demanding from a new NYRA. If NYRA can't meet these standards, then there must be repercussions. I never saw that possibilility from the "for profit" model, the "investors" or whatever you might want to call it. Like I've always said, I like the Woodbine model and what I've seen there, but I don't like what I see at Finger Lakes. That is the business model of the "franchise holder" and that is what the success or failure of NY racing will hinge upon.

Who gets the credit is not important to me. If Al Gore wants to say he invented the internet, then so be it. It's semantics. I more care that the internet is there.

Eric