NYRA gets Grilled again

[Storm Cadet]

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=88045@wcbs.dayport.com

Hit the PLAY button

Not that we already didn't know the place was very poor!!! :eek: :eek:

[alysheba88]

Yes, NYRA tracks are obviously the only tracks in the world where conditions for the backside are not good. Clearly the only one

[cj]

NYRA is the top dog in racing. They have the best horses and the best run daily racing program in my opinion. I think they should set the example for others to follow.

Unfortunately, to provide adequate quarters, why do I suspect a takeout increase would be the most suggested form of funding?

[JustRalph]

Dana Tyler seems to be aging well........she looked great............

[alysheba88]

How come no mention of the trainers? After all the trainers pay them and are the ones demanding 12 hour days. Guess that is NYRA'a fault too.

Listen backstretch conditions are awful everywhere. It is a definite blight on racing. Those crying tears about Barbaro and asking "why God why" should be looking at the conditions of humans and also the other lesser horses. But NYRA doesnt own this problem.

[46zilzal]

The barn area is another world. It is dirty, tough, demanding, time consuming, often frustrating, job that most back there really love. It is a small community of like minded people who have to look out for one another. I found it friendly and educational and even thought about taking out a trainer's license for a time until I realized that you had to cow tow to the whims of owners and not the best interests of the horses.

[Storm Cadet]

How come no mention of the trainers? After all the trainers pay them and are the ones demanding 12 hour days. Guess that is NYRA'a fault too.

Listen backstretch conditions are awful everywhere. It is a definite blight on racing. Those crying tears about Barbaro and asking "why God why" should be looking at the conditions of humans and also the other lesser horses. But NYRA doesnt own this problem.


Go to Calder and Gulfstream...their stable hand quarters are definately NOT as bad as NYRA's. NYRA's are about as BAD as they are ANYWHERE and as CJ said, NYRA is not a small time track. Just because that's the way all backstretches are DOES NOT make it right.

Trainers? They don't own the property there...they can't even paint their stalls because NYRA gets on their asses if they do. I asked my two trainers why we as owners can't come in on a weekend and fix up her office and repaint the stalls and NYRA said NO. We owners can't even BUY our staff summer fans because there's no power for them in their living quarters.

We're lucky NYRA let's us bring flowers to our barns for the trainers. :mad:

[alysheba88]

Trainers PAY the backside workers. They employ them. Where is their accountability for a living wage? Why dont you pay your workers more so they can afford alternate housing?

[Tom]

What about the owners - the ones who get the most of the purse? And shouldn't the tracks bear a large part of the burden? It is their property.

[PaceAdvantage]

Trainers PAY the backside workers. They employ them. Where is their accountability for a living wage? Why dont you pay your workers more so they can afford alternate housing?

My guess is most trainers would be out of business if they had to pay their workers substantially more than they do now....

When you're not one of the top outfits in this game, the margins can be rough.

[Ponyplayr]

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=88045@wcbs.dayport.com

Hit the PLAY button

Not that we already didn't know the place was very poor!!! :eek: :eek:
Compared to what?..Tijuana..Guadalajara? I'm not saying that the conditions are acceptable.

It is the workers who freely choose to live and work under those conditions therefore they must share the blame.

[Two Bucks To Win]

Every morning a car parks down the street from the stable gates at Aqueduct and Belmont and sells little glass bottles of Go Baby Go to the stable help.

[linrom1]

Bienevidos amicos. Here are directions where you can file your griviences with the gringos about the working conditions.


1. 1. Head west from Hempstead Tpke - go 0.4 mi
2. 2. Bear right into the Cross Island Pkwy North entry ramp to Whitestone Br - go 0.2 mi
3. 3. Merge into Cross Island Pky N - go 6.8 mi
4. 4. Take the I-295 exit 33 to Bronx/New England - go 0.5 mi
5. 5. Merge into I-295 N - go 4.5 mi
6. 6. Continue on I-95 S - go 9.8 mi
7. 7. Take the I-80 W exit 69 to Garden State Parkway/Hackensack - go 24 mi
...
8. 8. Take the I-80 W ramp to Del Water Gap - go 0.3 mi
9. 9. Merge into I-80 Express Ln W - go 0.5 mi
10. 10. Continue on I-80 W - go 371 mi
...
11. 11. Continue on I-76 W toward Akron - go 40 mi
...
12. 12. Bear right onto the I-76 W ramp to Barberton/(I-277) - go 2.0 mi
13. 13. Take the ramp to Barberton - go 0.3 mi
14. 14. Merge into I-76 W - go 17 mi
...
15. 15. Take the I-71 exit 1 to Cleveland/Columbus - go 0.6 mi
16. 16. Bear right onto the I-71 S ramp to Columbus - go 90 mi
...
17. 17. Take the I-270 W exit 119B to Dayton - go 17 mi
...
18. 18. Take the I-70 exit 8 to Indianapolis/Columbus - go 0.2 mi
19. 19. Bear right onto the I-70 W ramp to Indianapolis - go 159 mi
...
20. 20. Take the I-465 N/I-465 S exit 90 - go 0.2 mi
21. 21. Take the I-465 S ramp - go 19 mi
...
22. 22. Take the I-70 E/I-70 W exit 9A-B to Terre Haute/St. Louis/Indianapolis - go 3.1 mi
23. 23. Merge into I-70 W - go 210 mi
...
24. 24. Take the I-55/I-70 ramp to St Louis - go 1.4 mi
25. 25. Merge into I-55 S/I-70 W - go 8.2 mi
26. 26. Bear right onto the I-255 ramp to Memphis (I-270) - go 1.4 mi
27. 27. Merge into I-255 S - go 24 mi
...
28. 28. Continue on I-270 N - go 5.7 mi
29. 29. Take the I-44 W exit 5B to Tulsa - go 364 mi
...
30. 30. Take the I-44 W exit 34 to Tulsa - go 107 mi
...
31. 31. Take the I-35 S/I-44 W ramp to Okla. City/Downtown - go 0.4 mi
32. 32. Merge into I-35 S - go 4.2 mi
33. 33. Bear right at I-44 W and head toward Lawton/Amarillo - go 7.1 mi
34. 34. Take the I-44 W exit 123B to Lawton/Amarillo - go 3.7 mi
35. 35. Take the I-40 W exit 120A to Amarillo - go 536 mi
...
36. 36. Take the I-25 N/I-25 S exit 159BC to Las Cruces/Santa Fe - go 0.4 mi
37. 37. Take the I-25 S ramp to Las Cruces - go 227 mi
...
38. 38. Take the I-10 E/I-10 W ramp to Tucson/El Paso - go 1.4 mi
39. 39. Merge into I-10 E - go 38 mi
...
40. 40. Take exit 19 to Downtown (TX-20)/Convention Center - go 0.2 mi
41. 41. Continue on Wyoming Ave - go 0.2 mi
42. 42. Turn right at N Mesa St - go 0.3 mi
43. 43. Turn right at E Mills Ave - go 0.1 mi
44. 44. Bear left at W Mills Ave - go 0.1 mi
45. 45. Make a U-turn at W Mills Ave - go 0.1 mi
46. 46. Turn right at N Oregon St - go 0.1 mi
47. 47. Continue on S Oregon St - go 0.4 mi
48. 48. Turn right at E 6th Ave - go 0.1 mi
49. 49. Turn left at S El Paso St - go 0.3 mi
50. Keep going!!!!
51. Viva Mexico!!!!

Asata la vista baby.... :jump:

[PaceAdvantage]

Every morning a car parks down the street from the stable gates at Aqueduct and Belmont and sells little glass bottles of Go Baby Go to the stable help.

I hear that's the only place you can get those little bottles in the NYC, correct? :rolleyes:

They only sell them near racetracks. Ooops....and school yards....forgot about that....probably one or two other places as well (pick a nightclub)

And once again, your post begs the question:

WHAT'S YOUR POINT?

[Two Bucks To Win]

Well you asked for it so I'll tell you... most of the backstretch help are druggies, drunks, or illegal aliens. They would be happy living in a gutter or a hole in the wall.

[GeTydOn]

People who choose to live in those dorms pay rent or don't pay rent?

[Storm Cadet]

Compared to what?..Tijuana..Guadalajara? I'm not saying that the conditions are acceptable.

It is the workers who freely choose to live and work under those conditions therefore they must share the blame.

Even if those guys and girls, and they are NOT all illegal immigrants you dumb bastards, wanted to install fans, radios, etc, they CANNOT...there are NO OUTLETS with electricity that works and NYRA FORBIDS them from using them even if they had juice.

Thats like saying, your kid goes and enlists in the ARMY...and the conditions there are putrid...no showers that work...no electricity...etc. On YOUR thinking...they choose to enlist and therefore they must share the blame.

Its a job...yes they chose it...that doesn't mean that the owner of the property does not have the responsibility to at least keep it clean. It the county health dept ever came in...they'd condem all the living quarters.

Again, they are NOT ALL ILLEGALS, DRUGGIES, ALCHOLHOLICS. HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY interpersonal relationships with any of them??? If you did, you would be singing a different tune.

[PaceAdvantage]

Two Bucks To Win is a troll. And I've tired of this particular incarnation....took me long enough, eh?

[PaceAdvantage]

Its a job...yes they chose it...that doesn't mean that the owner of the property does not have the responsibility to at least keep it clean. It the county health dept ever came in...they'd condem all the living quarters.

Believe me, if Ti-Hua Chang thought the health dept would condemn the place, he wouldn't have hesitated to give them a call, now would he? Would have made for a better piece.

Also, it seems to me everybody wants to have their cake and eat it too in this instance.

Over the last few years, NYRA has been slammed with a multitude of half-baked charges and investigations, designed to weaken not only their claim to a franchise renewal, but also meant to cripple them financially. We don't need to rehash the reasons why or the legitimacy of the actions...that's not the point.

Suffice it to say, success was realized on all fronts by Eliot Spitzer, State Sen. Joe Bruno, and their backers. NYRA is now barely solvent.

Do you really expect an organization that is fighting for its survival to give two shits about the free housing they are providing to people on the backstretch? They can't function financially without begging the state for $$$....plus, there is now a very good chance they won't even be in charge in a little over a year.....it goes without saying that they are not going to be doing much outside the realm of simply surviving as a functioning entity.

In my opinion, you can thank Elliot Spitzer, Joe Bruno, and their ilk for the conditions on the NYRA backstretch. Instead of spending millions of dollars defending themselves from the ridiculous charges brought forth against the ENTIRE ORGANIZATION because of the actions of a handful of tellers and their supervisor, perhaps some of that money could have gone to upkeep and improvements to backstretch housing.

In the end, you can't get blood from a stone.

[Ponyplayr]

Even if those guys and girls, and they are NOT all illegal immigrants you dumb bastards, wanted to install fans, radios, etc, they CANNOT...there are NO OUTLETS with electricity that works and NYRA FORBIDS them from using them even if they had juice.

Thats like saying, your kid goes and enlists in the ARMY...and the conditions there are putrid...no showers that work...no electricity...etc. On YOUR thinking...they choose to enlist and therefore they must share the blame.

Its a job...yes they chose it...that doesn't mean that the owner of the property does not have the responsibility to at least keep it clean. It the county health dept ever came in...they'd condem all the living quarters.

Again, they are NOT ALL ILLEGALS, DRUGGIES, ALCHOLHOLICS. HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY interpersonal relationships with any of them??? If you did, you would be singing a different tune.
Watch the video again..they are sitting on the bed WATCHING TV..no outlets:lol:

[alysheba88]

What about the owners - the ones who get the most of the purse? And shouldn't the tracks bear a large part of the burden? It is their property.

So the guy who owns commercial real estate is responsible for what Walmart pays its workers?

[cj]

So the guy who owns commercial real estate is responsible for what Walmart pays its workers?

You are talking about two different things. NYRA, or any track for that matter, provides the quarters. What the trainer pays is not the issue.

PA is making the best point. NYRA has no incentive to make them better, so they won't. Business decision. Sucks for the workers, but such is life. I'm sure the workers have avenues to pursue if they have a legitimate complaint.

[Suff]

Watch the video again..they are sitting on the bed WATCHING TV..no outlets:lol:

It's jerry rigged from a panel nearby.

[alysheba88]

You are talking about two different things. NYRA, or any track for that matter, provides the quarters. What the trainer pays is not the issue.

PA is making the best point. NYRA has no incentive to make them better, so they won't. Business decision. Sucks for the workers, but such is life. I'm sure the workers have avenues to pursue if they have a legitimate complaint.

How is what the trainer pays not the issue? Thats their employer. They work for the trainer NOT the track. Again, I am not saying conditions shouldnt be improved- they should be- but two issues which have gone past most in this thread is the pay and the working hours. Its pretty clear to see how this ties in with where one can live

[cj]

I'm not arguing that they shouldn't be paid more or work less.

But, NYRA provides the quarters, so they should be better. If they don't want to provide decent living conditions, they shouldn't provide any. That would force trainers to pick up the slack. This is supposed to be the premier racing circuit in the country. If they are going to do something, do it right.

[Tom]

So the guy who owns commercial real estate is responsible for what Walmart pays its workers?

The real esate agent is not running his business on the land - NTRA et al are.
Tracks are part of the whole game, they have responsibilities, too.
Would you say they are excempt from selling hores meat burgers in the food courts?

[alysheba88]

The real esate agent is not running his business on the land - NTRA et al are.
Tracks are part of the whole game, they have responsibilities, too.
Would you say they are excempt from selling hores meat burgers in the food courts?

Actually it looks like they do- Never eat at the food courts but wouldnt be surprised.

By the way who is the person(s) who sells the horses to slaughterhouses? The trainers and owners. But guess thats the tracks fault too

[Ponyplayr]

If I have read this report correctly it would appear that NYRA is not in violation of the housing regulations.


http://www.housingnyc.com/html/research/html_reports/schill/schill2.html

[Tom]

Actually it looks like they do- Never eat at the food courts but wouldnt be surprised.

By the way who is the person(s) who sells the horses to slaughterhouses? The trainers and owners. But guess thats the tracks fault too

Get real.

[sniezer]

I have lived on the backside of 20 or so tracks. I made enough money that I didn't have to, but since I would spend most of my time in the barn with my horses, I didn't see any reason to pay rent just to have a place to sleep and shower. I also moved every 3 months and it was difficult most places to find short term leases.

The majority of the backsides have sparse (12 by 12 rooms) but clean facilities. If the rooms needed any sprucing up, the tracks willingly gave you what you needed (paint,wood, nails, etc) to clean them. Other than fixing heaters major window, door repair, or shower trouble, all you had to do was go to the maintenance shed and ask for what you wanted. For major fixing. hand in a request and it would be fixed within a day.

Granted some tracks were as disgusting as what I saw on that tape. BUT they were bottom of the barrel cheap $3,000 claiming type tracks. I ponied up the money for rent at those tracks.

I was born and raised in NY and recently moved back home. I am appalled that my state's premier racetrack cannot be bothered to at least fix the showers and throw some paint around.

The old dorms at Finger Lakes were a lot nicer than that. The new dorms, built pre-slots, are some of the nicest ones I've ever been in.

[Tom]

:ThmbUp: Finger Lakes - for a small trck, they do a good job. In many ways, FL is the major league track in NYS - in terms of taking care of thier own, fans included. Many so-called major tracks could take lessons fro the thumb. It is hands down the most comfortable track to watch races - clear, unobstructed view no matter where you are or at what angle.
The beer is a little high, but......:eek: