NYRA Price Increases: Belmont, Saratoga

[Grits]

http://www.drf.com/news/belmont-park-modest-price-increases-admission-seating-rich-belmont-stakes-card

[Tom]

$30 to get in the clubhouse? :eek:
Not if Secretariat was giving me a ride to my seat.
Holy Moly!
I can only image what a hot dog and a beer would cost- do you get a payment book?

[Stillriledup]

$30 to get in the clubhouse? :eek:
Not if Secretariat was giving me a ride to my seat.
Holy Moly!
I can only image what a hot dog and a beer would cost- do you get a payment book?

Vegas is free admission and free drinks if you bet 5 WPS on a race or two. Free parking to boot. ;)

[lamboguy]

the price for the kentucky derby is $65 to get in, the Belmont is a better race and the rest of the program is too. i am glad they went up, the tickets deserve to cost more.

[burnsy]

the price for the kentucky derby is $65 to get in, the Belmont is a better race and the rest of the program is too. i am glad they went up, the tickets deserve to cost more.

I agree, NY is better than most tracks. In Kentucky they get you on Friday and Saturday. At the Preakness they want 90 to park your freaking car when I went to see Rachel vs. Mine That Bird......I pulled out of line and parked for 20 in some guys yard. 10 bucks for the Belmont or Travers card is a bargain. Raising the "everyday" price may not be a good idea though....especially up here. Does anyone know what the seasons pass prices are yet? If you go a lot it is the best way to save money on admission fees....it gets you in on the big days and includes all the give aways....plus you don't wait in line when the regular lines are busy. I was getting the Saratoga one (grandstand) for 35 bucks a year, can't beat it. On days I went to the clubhouse I paid the 2 buck exchange gate fee. Been doing it for years...curious to get my application this year to see how much they want.

[lamboguy]

they shouldn't go up on the daily admission at Belmont. i don't think there is any admission for Aqueduct. the people that go to Saratoga get a bargain. that place is not that cheap to insure and run. people can have picnic's in that place, bring their kids over to see the horses in the paddock, and get autographs from the jockey. the big gamblers that support that place should get a break on the admission though.

lately they have made some real good moves in New York racing, they have changed the rules concerning the days and amounts of clen beuterol and other medications. they have made the track at Aqueduct safer and have done a little more to promote their product.

[burnsy]

Once Belmont opens I'm mainly a NYRA bettor. I think the reason they offer the season passes is for horseplayers (supporters) and retired people. The only way you save money is to use thing. The track knows you come a lot if you buy one. I think NYRA is one of the best but I bitch because they can do even better. I know getting into Saratoga is a bargain and so do you. But I spend a majority of my time out there with the "vacation folk" in the backyard. Like you said the action is out there. The horses, the jocks parade to the paddock and the actual leg up so you see the horse walk with the jockey on board. I can't sit in a seat, I love that crap whether I'm betting that race or not. But these people do balk at cost, I know this for a fact. I over hear their conversations. I even have helped some people use the machines. If I don't, I'm behind them forever and its better to make them like the place. Being nice to these people goes a long way towards loosening them up. They are already intimidated by the wagering side. They (NYRA) should see the big picture. Two bucks more doesn't mean shit to bettors, it means more to families. I have autographs too......That kid that chased down a jockey in the path to paddock, is me 40 years later. My parents are not horseplayers, they go, and they brought me there. Sometimes I think the management and the horsemen don't realize that the people out there are the future and the handle more than is thought. Plus, there are other families out there that have gone through generations by now...they deserve a break too. If attendance goes down at Saratoga, at all...that should be viewed very negatively. Yeah, betting online is great, but that's not why I love it.

[ronsmac]

How times change. I paid two bucks Belmont day as a tenth grader and watched Caveat storm up the rail to win. I'll never forget that day, the late DD paid over 100 bucks, my biggest score to date. Maybe they gave me a student discount.

[Tom]

How times change. I paid two bucks Belmont day as a tenth grader and watched Caveat storm up the rail to win. I'll never forget that day, the late DD paid over 100 bucks, my biggest score to date. Maybe they gave me a student discount.

Today, you would have broken even with that bet! :bang:

[tzipi]

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/theraces/2014/03/nyra-announces-price-increases-for-belmont-and-saratoga-0

I saw an article in the NY Daily News about this today but also wanted to ask, is the WHOLE grandstand closed or just the upper levels? I thought it was just the top but it just says "grandstand". Tell me the Belmont grandstand and watching the horses come down the great stretch is not gone. :(


"When Belmont opens for its Spring/Summer meeting on May 1 only the $5 clubhouse admission charge will be available to fans as the grandstand will no longer be open because of the small daily crowds. Preferred parking at Belmont increased by a dollar to $3 and clubhouse parking has increased from $5 to $7."

[andtheyreoff]

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/theraces/2014/03/nyra-announces-price-increases-for-belmont-and-saratoga-0

I saw an article in the NY Daily News about this today but also wanted to ask, is the WHOLE grandstand closed or just the upper levels? I thought it was just the top but it just says "grandstand". Tell me the Belmont grandstand and watching the horses come down the great stretch is not gone. :(


"When Belmont opens for its Spring/Summer meeting on May 1 only the $5 clubhouse admission charge will be available to fans as the grandstand will no longer be open because of the small daily crowds. Preferred parking at Belmont increased by a dollar to $3 and clubhouse parking has increased from $5 to $7."

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Here I thought, too, that it would only be the upper levels that would be closed. And now the entire thing is being closed? So I gotta pay $5 to watch any racing at Belmont at all? You gotta be kidding me.

[tzipi]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Here I thought, too, that it would only be the upper levels that would be closed. And now the entire thing is being closed? So I gotta pay $5 to watch any racing at Belmont at all? You gotta be kidding me.

That's what's freaking me out!!! :eek:

I thought this was just the upper levels. It seems like the grandstand is closed form the articles I'm looking at now. I hope not or I am wrong. How the heck can you not be able to stand in the grandstand or apron and watch the horses run? I am not going to the clubhouse to watch a race after it's over. Hopefully the bottom level is open.

But if the grandstand is open at the bottom why wouldn't they charge? If they closed the grandstand at Belmont....I'm done.

[titans1127]

From NYRA's website it states that admission to either the grandstand or clubhouse is $5 so it looks like one prices lets you cross over to either side. It doesn't state anywhere which specific areas of the grandstand are closed to the public.

[tanner12oz]

Anyone have an opinion on the best seats for Belmont day? Preakness tickets have increased like $40 since I started going when afleet Alex won...

[tzipi]

From NYRA's website it states that admission to either the grandstand or clubhouse is $5 so it looks like one prices lets you cross over to either side. It doesn't state anywhere which specific areas of the grandstand are closed to the public.

OK good because on DRF it says, "as the grandstand will no longer be open because of the small daily crowds.". No way could they close it down. If it open and you can pass back and forth, then awesome. Not sure why they are writing that it's closed?

[Grits]

Anyone have an opinion on the best seats for Belmont day? Preakness tickets have increased like $40 since I started going when afleet Alex won...

Preferred Grandstand on 2nd or 3rd floor. Don't care for 2nd floor, the view is better on the 3rd floor. This is what I have each year.

A seating chart to view. http://www.vividseats.com/sports/belmont-stakes-tickets/belmont-stakes-6-7-1452914.html (http://www.vividseats.com/sports/belmont-stakes-tickets/belmont-stakes-6-7-1452914.html)

[titans1127]

OK good because on DRF it says, "as the grandstand will no longer be open because of the small daily crowds.". No way could they close it down. If it open and you can pass back and forth, then awesome. Not sure why they are writing that it's closed?The Daily News pretty much reported the same thing as the DRF so I wanted to make sure. My dad is none too thrilled about this. If we were to opt for preferred parking, hes down almost $17 before placing a single bet. Interesting to note though underneath the pricing on NYRA's site it states:

Admission fees will be at the discretion of management throughout the 2014 racing season.

[Tom]

So, the way to deal with small daily crowds is to raise the prices?
Am I reading this right, or is my cold medicine making me groggy?

[PICSIX]

So, the way to deal with small daily crowds is to raise the prices?
Am I reading this right, or is my cold medicine making me groggy?

They could at least try to be clever......something like: free admission with the purchase of a $5 hotdog :lol: :lol:

[Little Watermelon]

OK good because on DRF it says, "as the grandstand will no longer be open because of the small daily crowds.". No way could they close it down. If it open and you can pass back and forth, then awesome. Not sure why they are writing that it's closed?

I just give up. Someone in the NYRA could explain what sections of the grandstand, 2nd floor, 3rd floor are open or closed, but they can't even write a press release that states things clearly. Will all the secions be open for Belmont day? I assume so. What about next year's Belmont? I assume this ends any speculation about the Breeders Cup returning to NY. Geez. Someone can write a complicated condition for a race but they can't get simple stuff straight. Or Do I need a course in remedial reading?

[badcompany]

So, the way to deal with small daily crowds is to raise the prices?
Am I reading this right, or is my cold medicine making me groggy?

It's government Economic Theory:

You increase demand by raising prices.

[Grits]

I just give up. Someone in the NYRA could explain what sections of the grandstand, 2nd floor, 3rd floor are open or closed, but they can't even write a press release that states things clearly. Will all the secions be open for Belmont day? I assume so. What about next year's Belmont? I assume this ends any speculation about the Breeders Cup returning to NY. Geez. Someone can write a complicated condition for a race but they can't get simple stuff straight. Or Do I need a course in remedial reading?

I don't believe you need any course in reading skills. None of us do. I feel you're correct. How is it, a business/organization of this size can easily make a clear statement on price increases, yet fly completely inept in the wording of grandstand closure? The days of, the sections of, the floors closed, etc. Though one can understand that every seat in the plant will be available for Belmont Day. Its the big money day.

Still, this is unacceptable. Its incompetence in business management and in media relations. As a customer who travels 700 miles each way to NYC to watch races at Aqueduct and Belmont, (and to attend the Saratoga meet each summer) its frustrating that NYRA is not doing a better job clarifying this particular press release. Their bettors, fans, and patrons are owed more consideration and more respect. Maybe we should all give up. JMO