A Day (Two Really) at the Races

[OTM Al]

Sorry to the Marx Bros. and subsequently Queen for robbing the title of some of their best work, but I thought I'd give a little travelogue of my weekend at Belmont.

I'll say up front my experience was neccessarily different from most of those of you who went as I was a temp worker there both Friday and Saturday. A friend of mine is in charge of sponsorships for NYRA so I have helped her on days like the Belmont Stakes when there is way more work than hands to do it. This wasn't my first time doing this. I was around the Friday before in 2008 and as the day went on I started running errands for her. Did much the same the next year. After that she asked me to help with sponsorship fullfillment so I became a credentialed volunteer, with my primary task being to make sure the contarcted hospitality was taken care of for my groups and of course everything else a pair of hands were needed for. Sadly had to miss last year due to family issues but was happy to be back this year. Oddly, due to policy changes i evidently was not allowed to volunteer this year but had to go on payroll for those days. I did have to go through security checks like before, but this year had to do the whole W-4, I-9 and statement on anti-terrorism and money laudering route. Whatever. Just being able to be there was good enough and still is.

Friday was quiet in terms of patrons but is a super busy day for workers. We try to set up as much as we can during the day, but we can't do many things until the track closes for the day. My main job Friday was to get the TVG giveaway sites set up as TVG was my group this year. Boxes and boxes of hats and three pallets of posters had to be moved from the basement to the three sites. Also hepled prep the displays for the Knob Creek sites as well as moving the second pallet of the HRTV posters to their tent in the back yard. Though that last was going to get us killed as we had to roll that lift with a broken pallet loaded with several hundred pounds of posters down an incline. We went really slowly and were quite tired. One other interesting thing I got to do was call jason Pierre paul's people to see if he wanted to be a celebrity judge for the Longines contest on Saturday. Unfortunately it didn't work out, but his rep was a very nice guy. Went from 9am-9pm Friday and had more that I could have done but was already exhausted and had to be up by 5 the next day. Others kept going, including ol Earle Crochety (not his real name, but that's the name I've used for him here before) who was going past midnight. Surprised I was able to sleep at all though after the LL Cool J sound check went off around 8:30. Good lord it was loud!

Have a few pictures I was able to snap. This is the calm before the storm at the LIRR entrance

[OTM Al]

So Saturday has come and the alarm didn't go off. Fortunately it was only 5:15 when I woke up so no disaster. After the paranoid/sleepy checking of my suit bag 3 times to make sure everything was in there we set off for the track around 6:30.

So let's talk parking. I was lucky. I was credentialed and was able to have a red lot tag. That is the one down by the LIRR station. Of course on Belmont Day, gate 5 is closed. So we had to go around to Gate 8 on Plainview. We hit Hempstead right at 7am but weren't in the building until 8am. It was already backed up that badly. Further, they were still doing training so once we did finally get in, we must have waited at least 10 minutes to get through the horse path. Regular parking staff is very low now. I believe they have only 8 full time people as there were cuts lately. Parking Guy Steve is still there, but he doesn't have much help. So when you say that parking staff didn't know what they were doing, you aren't far from wrong. Almost all of them were temps.

Gates opened at 8:30. I'm glad I wore a t-shirt and jeans for the morning as I was already soaked by then setting up the last bit of TVG stations. Couldn't even get on the freight elevators as they were jammed with food service but it was still light enough to use the regular elevators at that time. I was fortuantely saved by security at this point as patrons were already trying to take the giveaway items off the tables. The staff for that was late and stuck in traffic. I kept trying to tell people that I did not have the right to hand the stuff out and the staff would be there soon. Most were good about it but some people had some entitlement issues. I just don't get it. It's free stuff. Come back a little later if you want it.

As for concessions, because of what I dealt with in the morning, I believe they had to stock in as much as they could in the morning. Restocks during the day with that crowd would have been near impossible. Even when it was fairly empty people were still just meandering and paying no attention to their surroundings. I nearly ran some lady over with my last cart load because she decided to stop right in front of me to check her phone. That just drives me nuts, but she was a guest so no words were said. Can you imagine trying to restock beer around 4pm. You'd need the armed security detail to even get through the crowd, let alone trying to prevent people from just grabbing stuff. Trust me, it happens.

The crowd just kept getting bigger and bigger. Even the back ways got a little crazy during the day. I wasn't there in 2004 for Smarty Jones, but when PA says he thinks the crowd was bigger Saturday, he may well be right. It's pretty well known numbers were padded a bit back then. Those record Saratoga crowds will never be broken as they never really existed in the first place. However you look at it though, 100K is a lot of people.

Here's a shot looking down the apron. It was later in the day, maybe around Manhattan time

[OTM Al]

Rumors abound on a day like Saturday. I have no idea if they were true or not as once you are in the site you aren't going anywhere for a long time.

We heard one report that some 10K people were stuck on the platforms waiting for more trains to show up and were never going to get there. Not sure what was done as far as arrangements with the LIRR but it did seem that there were too few trains. I told people that asked to not take the direct train but rather take a regular one and go to the Belrose stop, which is only about a mile away from the gates. Yeah, it's a bit of a walk, but I'd rather be walking than standing in line. It sounds like many were left stranded at the Park, which if true is inexcusable.

We heard around 3 pm or so that there was only 700 parking spots left. Belmont is massive and covers a lot of ground so that really boggles the mind and if true gives a good idea how crowded it really got.

We heard that both Andrew and Mario Cuomo had come. Couldn't be true....

We also had heard that Andrew Cuomo had instructed his staff that they could not cheer for California Chrome as he was not a New York bred. He'd also done investigations to find who was tied to NY and who wasn't. This is probably one of those ridiculous claims people make about polititians. I can show you some that come from Sallust writing 2000 years ago about Cataline, so despite the fact that i would like such silliness to be true, I don't put much credit to this.

But one of these things was actually true. Like all bigfoot sighting photos it's a little blurry, but I swear I did see him...

[OTM Al]

I really like working on Belmont Stakes day. It is exhausting but I do get a chance to see and do things that are pretty cool. TVG was my sponsorship group. They were sponsoring and presenting for the Acorn so I had to get their group down to the paddock and then to the winner's circle for the race. This was only the 6th race but it was packed already. Leading them down was tricky. We would normally use the Press elevator for special groups but that was off limits due to the largest press presence there in memory. Had to keep 8 people together to get them downstairs by way of public areas. Fortunately I am tall so I just kept my arm up so they could see me and we got down there in one piece. These weren't all execs in the group so i always get a kick out of seeing people that haven't got to do the paddock thing before. They love getting down that close and are snapping pictures right and left.

The race was great, but the part I enjoyed the most was watching Maggie being so excited for the connections. She tweeted about it as well. If I remember correctly she works some of their horses in the morning still. Maggie is good people.

Went upstairs for a bit of a break afterward as what i thought was my biggest part was done. Wrong. Did ask Jason Blewitt if the Woody Stephens was "the best Woody in recent memory" as he tweeted the day before. He says he meant to say that. I still don't believe him.

We got to the Just a Game when the next crisis hit. The watches that were supposed to go to the winning trainer, jock amd owner from Longines didn't make it down to the track. At this time I learned the fastest way from the 3rd floor to the winner's circle, which we fortunately made in plenty of time. Bernie Williams and Miss New York were there as presenters and there was also a presentation to a young woman who won the "most glamourous" contest (the one I tried to get JPP for). Got to say the winner made Miss New York look like a high school prom queen, and she was an attractive young lady. Bernie made the day of some of his fans afterward by going to say hi to them. He's added a little weight but still looks good and still has that smile.

A little break again for a spectacular Met Mile and then I was put in charge of bringing the big bottle of Knob Creek whiskey down to the trophy table for the Manhattan. Wrapped that bad boy up in a bag as I was taking no chances with that one. I think my most important contribution though was after the race. The winner was pretty skittish when the brought him into the winner's circle LL Cool J's people decided to start their sound checks. Horse was starting to get even more jumpy but was able to yell over to one of the NYRA staff people I know and he got them stopped very quickly. That could have been bad as the horse was definitely not a fan of the genre.

At this point I wasn't that interested in watching the Belmont live, but was called in for help in the winner's circle again. If needed, I was going to be that guy. the one who pulls some of the stuff off the trophy table that says "Triple Crown Winner" on it if the bid fails before the winning connections and TV gets there. Made me think about the stories I'd heard about the Red Sox locker room in game 6 of 1986. Sadly I was that guy.

But before I had to do that, the hardware appeared.

[PaceAdvantage]

Awesome write up Al...enjoyed reading every word... :ThmbUp:

[Shelby]

Me too. Loving the "behind the scenes" look.

[OTM Al]

I've been in the winner's circle before for the Belmont. It was the year Animal Kingdom won the Derby. What I remember best was the wall of sound when they started. This year was different. I think the sound was always there but when the race started, it just kept going. Every time California Chrome's number moved up on the board there was a roar and every time it slipped down there was a groan. It was like wave crashing on a beach, he ran a damn good race but not good enough. I still think Rachel in the Woodward felt loader but it was wild all the same.

I feel tremendously lucky to have a chance to do the things I have in racing. The real employees see it a lot, but it's their job. Sure they get excited about it, but they barely have a minute to really think about it. A whole lot of people worked themselves to exhaustion trying to make this a great event. Someone had brough a cheesecake into the office after the race. Earle was so wiped he just sat slumped in his chair dangling his empty plate and unable to move. I took care of that for him.

All that said, I hear what some of you are saying about your trip. These big days are chaotic but certainly there are things that can be improved on. I can believe the parking lot situation was bad if you were parked out in the back. Access roads are bad back there and it isn't well lit. The front side did clear pretty quickly. I left a half an hour after the last race and got out much faster than I got in. the LIRR situation was even worse though as they got stranded. That just can't happen. I only used the bathroom on the third floor of the clubhouse and that one not too much as I was dehydrating badly over the day. A lot more went in than was coming out if you know what I mean. Women were going into the men's room. Most people were laughing and joking about it and no one really cared that much as long as they stayed in line. Clearly though, there just aren't ernough bathrooms for a crowd that size. The food was expensive compared to every other day, but i've got to say pretty much in line with NY prices. Yankee Stadium costs just about as much for stuff on a regular day. All concessions there are contracted to a company called Centerplate. They are the ones who call the shots on that stuff. I've got to say i personally liked the food service at the tracks better before they took over. As to the alternate programs, something like that is nothing new. I don't know whay anyone would really care about different covers and if you wanted all 3 as a collector, then that's ok too.

I know a lot of people who go to the track do not like days like Saturday. As crowds go, it is definitely amatuer hour. There were a lot of pretty drunk people running around but overall I didn't see too many people having to be dragged off by the police (ok I saw 1). The cops had a pretty tough day there to and we made sure to thank them and give some water to the ones around the offices.

I didn't win a single bet. I had to put in early as I was going to be working and i was sure the cell and wifi wouldeventually crash. It has at every big event i've ever gone to and I have no idea how it can be changed to serve a crowd that size when every other person is hitting the network. The only thing I cashed was for my frined Kristi who wanted me to put $10 on both Tonalist and Commissioner to win. Wish we would have boxed that bad boy up in an exacta....

So that's my story to share, and for those of you who liked california chrome it would have been fun if this was the end of the race instead of the beginning.

[Zydeco]

Good report Al..enjoyed it.

[OTM Al]

A few more random thoughts that I meant to include but so tired still I'm not thinking straight.

The Belmont doesn't have a signature drink anymore. They have been making different ones to correspond with major sponsorship deals. This year we had the Belmont Jewel which was the Knob Creek whiskey with pomegranate or so such. I got one around noon. Yeah I was working but I had a little time and I was only getting one, mainly for the glass. That first taste was pretty sour, but lo and behold as I made it further through the drink it just started tasting better. And all the pain in my legs and back went away for a while. Go figure....

Forgot about a couple celeb sittings too. My favorite was on Friday. There, sitting on a clubhouse bench with regular players was Hank Goldberg. Not the first time I've seen him sitting there either. Don't care what people say about him, the man has forgotten more about gambling than I'll ever know.

Saw Bob Costas up close as he went to stand on the platform he broadcast from after the Belmont. Youthful looking head on still, but not so much in profile.

While not a celeb per se, I met the TVG CEO. He's a younger guy and comes more from the TV side of things, but he did seem to really be liking being there. The two execs with him for the trophy presentation were much more on the racing side of things. One of them was telling us how he was claiming horses when he was still in college. Pretty cool.

Also ran into Gavin Landry, who is the travel tourism director for the State of New York. Does all that I Love NY stuff. I know him from his stint with NYRA. You might ask, why I mention him and what makes him a celeb. Well, for all you HANA people, he was the guy who made the "quote" that got your group started. Why quote is in quotes is because his words were not taken in context, and as a long time Saratoga resident, he loved playing the horses despite not being too good at it. Still makes me chuckle to think of it.

I didn't see him but someone said that guy in the silver suit and horse head was Christian Helmers.

Finally, I saw the wonderful Susan Lucci, who had come to represent the also wonderful Marylou Whitney. She still looks great and was dressed impeccably.

I guess the only other thing that has crossed my mind is that I really wonder how much complaining would have happened had California Chrome won. After Big Brown imploded, you should have seen all the letters sent to NYRA complaint about all the money and time spent. I wouldn't have done it but they gave refunds to quite a few. Doubt that will happen this year, but if you do have a real complaint, don't post it here, or at least not just here. Write them a rational and respectful letter. Much better chance you'll be heard if you present a rational and reasonable case.

[wiffleball whizz]

Great report!!!!

[wiffleball whizz]

I've been in the winner's circle before for the Belmont. It was the year Animal Kingdom won the Derby. What I remember best was the wall of sound when they started. This year was different. I think the sound was always there but when the race started, it just kept going. Every time California Chrome's number moved up on the board there was a roar and every time it slipped down there was a groan. It was like wave crashing on a beach, he ran a damn good race but not good enough. I still think Rachel in the Woodward felt loader but it was wild all the same.

I feel tremendously lucky to have a chance to do the things I have in racing. The real employees see it a lot, but it's their job. Sure they get excited about it, but they barely have a minute to really think about it. A whole lot of people worked themselves to exhaustion trying to make this a great event. Someone had brough a cheesecake into the office after the race. Earle was so wiped he just sat slumped in his chair dangling his empty plate and unable to move. I took care of that for him.

All that said, I hear what some of you are saying about your trip. These big days are chaotic but certainly there are things that can be improved on. I can believe the parking lot situation was bad if you were parked out in the back. Access roads are bad back there and it isn't well lit. The front side did clear pretty quickly. I left a half an hour after the last race and got out much faster than I got in. the LIRR situation was even worse though as they got stranded. That just can't happen. I only used the bathroom on the third floor of the clubhouse and that one not too much as I was dehydrating badly over the day. A lot more went in than was coming out if you know what I mean. Women were going into the men's room. Most people were laughing and joking about it and no one really cared that much as long as they stayed in line. Clearly though, there just aren't ernough bathrooms for a crowd that size. The food was expensive compared to every other day, but i've got to say pretty much in line with NY prices. Yankee Stadium costs just about as much for stuff on a regular day. All concessions there are contracted to a company called Centerplate. They are the ones who call the shots on that stuff. I've got to say i personally liked the food service at the tracks better before they took over. As to the alternate programs, something like that is nothing new. I don't know whay anyone would really care about different covers and if you wanted all 3 as a collector, then that's ok too.

I know a lot of people who go to the track do not like days like Saturday. As crowds go, it is definitely amatuer hour. There were a lot of pretty drunk people running around but overall I didn't see too many people having to be dragged off by the police (ok I saw 1). The cops had a pretty tough day there to and we made sure to thank them and give some water to the ones around the offices.

I didn't win a single bet. I had to put in early as I was going to be working and i was sure the cell and wifi wouldeventually crash. It has at every big event i've ever gone to and I have no idea how it can be changed to serve a crowd that size when every other person is hitting the network. The only thing I cashed was for my frined Kristi who wanted me to put $10 on both Tonalist and Commissioner to win. Wish we would have boxed that bad boy up in an exacta....

So that's my story to share, and for those of you who liked california chrome it would have been fun if this was the end of the race instead of the beginning.

Hmmmmmmm.....the 11 at 11/1 and gets hammered down to 9/1 with those pools.....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmnn and a low 9/1 at that

[Greyfox]

Well done Al. Good reporting. :ThmbUp:

(I noticed on TV that Costas finally found someone shorter than him to interview. None other than Victor Espinoza.)

[OTM Al]

Well done Al. Good reporting. :ThmbUp:

(I noticed on TV that Costas finally found someone shorter than him to interview. None other than Victor Espinoza.)

He's tiny. He makes TLG look 6 ft tall :)

[aaron]

Thanks Al,great report. I had a conversation with Hank Goldberg on Friday. He seems to be a very nice man. Also,spoke to Jerry Bailey and watched while they filmed on the 3rd floor. Friday was nice.It was good to see people at the track. I didn't go Saturday.The day has just become to drawn out for me.I stopped going a few years ago after attending the Belmont for about 25 years. I enjoyed details about the day a great deal.You probably had a better time working there,than most people had attending the Belmont.
Good for you.

[pele polo]

That was great, thank you Al.

[OTM Al]

Thanks Al,great report. I had a conversation with Hank Goldberg on Friday. He seems to be a very nice man. Also,spoke to Jerry Bailey and watched while they filmed on the 3rd floor. Friday was nice.It was good to see people at the track. I didn't go Saturday.The day has just become to drawn out for me.I stopped going a few years ago after attending the Belmont for about 25 years. I enjoyed details about the day a great deal.You probably had a better time working there,than most people had attending the Belmont.
Good for you.

Hey Aaron. I've never talked to Jerry Bailey except for the time I got his autograph on a photo of Medaglia d'Oro the day after he won the Donn. Richie Migliore and I have (jokingly) plotted on how to get him to ride again so Richie could get his network spot.

Forgot about talking to Richie this weekend. Guess I could have written for a few more hours and still not hit it all though. We found out a while back that his favorite racing movie is Boots Malone. The wife got him a copy for his birthday. Had to get a VHS tape as that is the only format you can find it on. He was overjoyed and had the TV guys dub it onto DVD. We were talking about it the other day and I just typed it into Amazon to see what would come up. Found a Hollywood company selling publicity photos form the movie so I got him one. He loved it. I told him he's got to tweet a picture of it when he gets it hung in his office. Can't wait to see it. Richie is the best and if you get a chance to say hello to him, he'll talk your ear off if he has a few minutes.

[OTM Al]

Teresa Genaro is one of the best writing about racing these days and it isn't even her day job. Here's her take

http://www.forbes.com/sites/teresagenaro/2014/06/09/belmont-stakes-a-for-racing-but-customer-service-fails/?commentId=comment_blogAndPostId/blog/comment/1752-1784-504

[aaron]

Hey Aaron. I've never talked to Jerry Bailey except for the time I got his autograph on a photo of Medaglia d'Oro the day after he won the Donn. Richie Migliore and I have (jokingly) plotted on how to get him to ride again so Richie could get his network spot.

Forgot about talking to Richie this weekend. Guess I could have written for a few more hours and still not hit it all though. We found out a while back that his favorite racing movie is Boots Malone. The wife got him a copy for his birthday. Had to get a VHS tape as that is the only format you can find it on. He was overjoyed and had the TV guys dub it onto DVD. We were talking about it the other day and I just typed it into Amazon to see what would come up. Found a Hollywood company selling publicity photos form the movie so I got him one. He loved it. I told him he's got to tweet a picture of it when he gets it hung in his office. Can't wait to see it. Richie is the best and if you get a chance to say hello to him, he'll talk your ear off if he has a few minutes.
Al, It wasn't exactly a long talk with Bailey,but he was friendly and seemed to be enjoying himself. When one of the guys yells "your best jockey ever" it would be hard not to smile and talk for a second or two.Goldberg was wandering around the track like one of the guys.Seemed to be a real nice man. I have always likes Migliore's commentary and he would be a great analyst on the national level. You get the impression from watching him,that he is a good guy.Again,thanks I enjoyed your story of the day.

[thespaah]

Great report Al....I'm glad for you that it was 80 instead of 95 degrees.
I've done stuff like that before. setting up events. Nothing in the magnitude of your tasks this past Saturday. I can tell you when I stress, I'm the Niagara Falls of sweat. It would have been a 3 shirt day for me.
Glad you got through it all.

[OTM Al]

Great report Al....I'm glad for you that it was 80 instead of 95 degrees.
I've done stuff like that before. setting up events. Nothing in the magnitude of your tasks this past Saturday. I can tell you when I stress, I'm the Niagara Falls of sweat. It would have been a 3 shirt day for me.
Glad you got through it all.

It easily could have been a 3 shirt day Saturday. Definitely went through 2. Felt like I was dehydrating almost from the beginning but fortunately we had access to liquids all day. Can't say much for the lunch that was provided us but evidently Centerplate told the office manager that she was getting what she was sent. Wish we could have had a bit of what they were serving upstairs as that actually looked pretty good. Saddest part was that when we all were finally done, we couldn't even go get a cocktail as they were shut down.

[thespaah]

Teresa Genaro is one of the best writing about racing these days and it isn't even her day job. Here's her take

http://www.forbes.com/sites/teresagenaro/2014/06/09/belmont-stakes-a-for-racing-but-customer-service-fails/?commentId=comment_blogAndPostId/blog/comment/1752-1784-504
Perhaps NYRA should consider an infield option.
Build a bridge of some kind over the track at the 3/16ths pole or a tunnel under the track. Whatever it takes.
A few things..
Traffic control.
I go NASCAR races. The track closest to where I live gets 150,000 people out of the parking lots in less than three hours.
I was home 30 miles away in an hour and 15 minutes.
If there are enough police officers and trained traffic directors such as they have for Saratoga, to direct and control traffic to the exits and stage the surface roads so that race traffic can exit smoothly, there would not be near the issues with traffic jams.
As far as the issues with mutuel tellers, all NYRA can do is train them well. They should 'stress test' the tellers a week or so before the event to see how they handle a crisis or two. And fix the glitches before hand.
Same goes for the refreshment people and bartenders.
There are but a few ways to handle an event like this properly. And about a thousand ways to do it wrong.
Perhaps NYRA could consult with the PGA Tour or USGA on their methods of planning and execution for large events. The US Open is right down the road here in Pinehurst this week. There will be 50,000 ticket holders plus at least 5,000 other people on the property each day.

The event in Phoenix gets over 150,000 people per day.
I work the Wells Fargo PGA tournament in Charlotte. The event employs over 3,000 volunteers for the week. It's amazing how the people in charge get these events to run so smoothly.
Perhaps NYRA should take a few pages from that book.
This is not to imply that those entities do it right 100% of the time, but it's possible for NYRA to learn a few things.

[thespaah]

It easily could have been a 3 shirt day Saturday. Definitely went through 2. Felt like I was dehydrating almost from the beginning but fortunately we had access to liquids all day. Can't say much for the lunch that was provided us but evidently Centerplate told the office manager that she was getting what she was sent. Wish we could have had a bit of what they were serving upstairs as that actually looked pretty good. Saddest part was that when we all were finally done, we couldn't even go get a cocktail as they were shut down.
I wonder why they cut everyone loose early.
The smartest thing they could have done would be to keep some bars and food stations/restaurants open later to keep people from all leaving at once.
Yeah, it's a very long day for the workers but they are getting paid and getting tips. So it's potentially worth it for them to stick around.
Anyway, my hope is that once those who felt the situation was handled poorly will calm down and realize that things can only get better for the next time.
Hopefully the newbies will come back.

[KingChas]

The bottom line is why were all the gates available not being used or open upon entering and exiting.

Lack of staff is a piss-poor excuse for the NYRA.

This was my 5th live Belmont,2nd with shot at TC.
Everything inside during the day was as expected.
Not happy about the price of beer & byob policy as I have stated previously.
I do think infield must be considered in future when TC is on the line and concerts becoming mainstream.
Never had these gate problems previously and I am far removed from being a Newbie.

Al thanks for the insight.

[KingChas]

Renting a big screen for the day(Philly Park did this when Smarty ran) or elevating the existing ones would not be a bad idea either.

Churchill Downs figured this out already and they are not my favorite venue.

Saturday was a complete lack of foresight and forethought by the so-called educated people.

[OTM Al]

I wonder why they cut everyone loose early.
The smartest thing they could have done would be to keep some bars and food stations/restaurants open later to keep people from all leaving at once.
Yeah, it's a very long day for the workers but they are getting paid and getting tips. So it's potentially worth it for them to stick around.
Anyway, my hope is that once those who felt the situation was handled poorly will calm down and realize that things can only get better for the next time.
Hopefully the newbies will come back.

My best guess is that it is a stocking problem. As I said earlier, moving product through a crowd like that would have been very difficult so my guess is that they just plain ran out. Maybe they tried to base amounts to order on previous TC shots, but those years I think you could still bring your own.

We can say we hope they learn from this but remember that NYRA is supposed to reprivatize in about a year so there will likely be executive turnover again. Of course whether or not the reprivitization actually does happen is an entirely different subject. I can tell you though that a big part of the problem was due to the fact that a lot of people who knew what they were doing were let go, others have left in frustration, and there was a real problem with communication from the top so those still there weren't listened to. There were, as I said, only 8 regular parking staff left. Group sales was all but completely scuttled earlier this year and the reason both Belmont and Saratoga ticketing was so late. Morale is very low in many of the offices where I know people. Many good people have been marginalized and aren't able to even do their jobs as they know how. I understand that you can still find forum posts on the web from Toys R Us employees when Kay took over there and the same source said it was no surprise to see the things they were saying were exactly what they themselves were feeling. I won't say it can't get worse under new management, but I can say a bunch of people would like to find out.

The State has done untold damage to New York racing, but it wasn't easy to see until some of the stumbles Saturday. I expect some major issues at Saratoga as well as I have heard that there will be increased reliance on temps and some people who would have been up there working 7 days a week in past years were prevented from going this summer. One person I know had said that they were expecting people to commute for big events. Who knows where they were supposed to stay as most events there take several days for prep execution and breakdown.

Saturday had great racing, of that we cannot doubt. But the racing made for smoke and mirrors to try to obscure what else is going on there and not a single "real" turf writer is reporting these things. If you want real news, stick to the blogs. Some of the people there have to be a little careful with what they say, but the facts are there.

I do get upset when people go after NYRA as a whole, because I have gotten to know several people there who work their asses off to make sure that the customers have a good time and everything goes off as it should. I wouldn't pitch in like I do if that wasn't the case. Too many people act like these events just happen and I have no problem calling such people stupid. There are still many people there who put the customer first, but they are getting fewer and they are getting frustrated.

[thaskalos]

I do get upset when people go after NYRA as a whole, because I have gotten to know several people there who work their asses off to make sure that the customers have a good time and everything goes off as it should. I wouldn't pitch in like I do if that wasn't the case. Too many people act like these events just happen and I have no problem calling such people stupid. There are still many people there who put the customer first, but they are getting fewer and they are getting frustrated.

The problem, Al, is that you sometimes call us "stupid" even when we have a very VALID reason to "go after NYRA as a whole". You remain silent when we attack other racing institutions...and then you spring into action when we eventually get to criticizing NYRA, as if the criticism is levied against you personally. NYRA is not a sacred institution...it's a racetrack operator. And as such, they, and other racing jurisdictions as well, sometimes DESERVE to be criticized. But you seem to have a problem with that...and take any criticism that we direct towards NYRA as a personal affront.

At least that's how it looks to me...and my apologies if my impression is inaccurate.

[KingChas]

Too many people act like these events just happen and I have no problem calling such people stupid.

If I ever attend another Belmont.
I have no problem with you calling me "Stupid" ;)

[OTM Al]

The problem, Al, is that you sometimes call us "stupid" even when we have a very VALID reason to "go after NYRA as a whole". You remain silent when we attack other racing institutions...and then you spring into action when we eventually get to criticizing NYRA, as if the criticism is levied against you personally. NYRA is not a sacred institution...it's a racetrack operator. And as such, they, and other racing jurisdictions as well, sometimes DESERVE to be criticized. But you seem to have a problem with that...and take any criticism that we direct towards NYRA as a personal affront.

At least that's how it looks to me...and my apologies if my impression is inaccurate.

Ok, let me clear that up for you. I don't talk too often about what goes on at other places because I don't know what goes on, in most cases, at other places. If I did that would make me stupid wouldn't it?

You want to criticize certain people at NYRA, please do. Bet I could make a far longer list of screwups than you could. All I ask is you do your homework first and blame the parties responsible rather than a blanket straw man approach.

I'll let you in on a secret. People that work at tracks do read these boards. There are times when they do agree with what people are saying and there are other times they would like to set you straight but cannot because doing such would be irresponsible.

If you have an issue, the appropriate thing to do is write to the executives at the track. Don't take silence for an answer. But at the same time if you want something done, be respectful and rational. You might be listened to. Remember all the complaining that was done about the pink saddle blankets on Lady's day at Saratoga a couple years back? I know who did that. And for all the complaining that was done on the web in 2 years time she got exactly 2 letters about it after the second year. She changed it. When i asked her about it, she said all it would have took was ONE letter. Oh yeah, she's another one that was marginalized out of a job....

Another thing you might not realize is that a lot of people take some pride about where they work. When you slam the whole organization, you are slamming them. And after a while of getting kicked in the teeth after trying to do everything you can to help people, you start getting a little numb and then a lot numb. Its such a great way to turn people who want to help you against you don't you think?

So by all means, blame the people who screwed up. Just make sure you are blaming the ones who deserve it.

EDIT: And by the way, I was calling people stupid who think there is nothing to running an event like Saturday. That's about as ignorant as it gets.

[OTM Al]

If I ever attend another Belmont.
I have no problem with you calling me "Stupid" ;)

Never say never. I'm still wrecked today and will be happy to do it again next year if such opportunity exists.

[KingChas]

You are a good man Al, love your Spa diaries...... :ThmbUp:

[ShenanigansGirl]

Ok, let me clear that up for you. I don't talk too often about what goes on at other places because I don't know what goes on, in most cases, at other places. If I did that would make me stupid wouldn't it?

You want to criticize certain people at NYRA, please do. Bet I could make a far longer list of screwups than you could. All I ask is you do your homework first and blame the parties responsible rather than a blanket straw man approach.

I'll let you in on a secret. People that work at tracks do read these boards. There are times when they do agree with what people are saying and there are other times they would like to set you straight but cannot because doing such would be irresponsible.

If you have an issue, the appropriate thing to do is write to the executives at the track. Don't take silence for an answer. But at the same time if you want something done, be respectful and rational. You might be listened to. Remember all the complaining that was done about the pink saddle blankets on Lady's day at Saratoga a couple years back? I know who did that. And for all the complaining that was done on the web in 2 years time she got exactly 2 letters about it after the second year. She changed it. When i asked her about it, she said all it would have took was ONE letter. Oh yeah, she's another one that was marginalized out of a job....

Another thing you might not realize is that a lot of people take some pride about where they work. When you slam the whole organization, you are slamming them. And after a while of getting kicked in the teeth after trying to do everything you can to help people, you start getting a little numb and then a lot numb. Its such a great way to turn people who want to help you against you don't you think?

So by all means, blame the people who screwed up. Just make sure you are blaming the ones who deserve it.

EDIT: And by the way, I was calling people stupid who think there is nothing to running an event like Saturday. That's about as ignorant as it gets.
Bravo. I could not have said it better myself, and I lived it. Thank you.

[BettinBilly]

What a great thread. Thanks Al.

I bet you were tired for a while. I'm a Race Director in another Sport, and some of my working days can go 18 to 20 hours. Producing a racing venue is much harder than most realize. Great job. Really appreciate this thread.

-Billy

[OTM Al]

You are a good man Al, love your Spa diaries...... :ThmbUp:

Loved doing them. Another experience I've had in my life that I was so lucky to have. Some people never get a chance to do stuff like that so I like to share with them so they can feel a part too. I'm going to try to get up there for a weekend this year. Earle said we can crash at his place for a couple days, but it won't be the same again. Then again, I just did say never say never didn't i?

[OTM Al]

Two more blogs that are dead on about NY racing issues

Chris Kay's most hated blogger...
http://tenoonan.com/

and a very sharp observer
http://leftatthegate.blogspot.com/

Along with Teresa's blog, these are the ones where you get real news and real stories instead of fluff from crusty out of touch turf writers.