Why is Belmont closed today?

[kernel]

Don't ever recall no racing day after Belmont Stakes and no info I can find on NYRA website

[Overlay]

The calendar on the NYRA site confirms that the track is dark today, but (as you indicated) it doesn't say why.

http://www.nyra.com/Belmont/GeneralInformation/Calendar/Calendar.shtml

[Imriledup]

I think that tracks close the day after big days to give cleaning crews time to actually clean the facility. Churchill doesn't open the day after the Derby because of this reason.

Also, they want to give horseplayers a day to rest after a big day of churn and burn.

One other good reason to close would be this. If no one hit that pick 6 yesterday, there would be a million dollar carryover heading into........well, the next day. With a few days off, that will make the pools much bigger, you have plenty of days to really prepare the right way to attack that huge carryover.

Churchill had an 800k carryover into the pentafecta after Derby day and their players got to really focus as they had a few days to really handicap and prepare with there being no racing the following day.

[cj]

Belmont has not closed the next day in the past, but why not? Nothing bad comes from less racing days.

[pat]

As a matter of fact this is the 2nd year in a row NYRA closed after the belmont. As i recall a few years ago NYRA was held hostage by the workers that were supposed to be cleaning the track for better wages and I guess this is their response, so no one can hold a gun to their head to have the track grounds ready for racing the next day after a major event

[DeltaLover]

NYRA does not want to pay overtime for the people that clean up yesterday's mess even though they are getting paid minimum wages. They don't seem to care much about neither their workers nor the betting crowd!

[lamboguy]

NYRA does not want to pay overtime for the people that clean up yesterday's mess even though they are getting paid minimum wages. They don't seem to care much about neither their workers nor the betting crowd!stop picking on NYRA, i got good friends that work there.

[ryesteve]

NYRA does not want to pay overtime for the people that clean up yesterday's mess even though they are getting paid minimum wages. Yeah, because the lost revenue in admissions, parking, concessions and handle won't come close to compensating for that :rolleyes:

[DeltaLover]

stop picking on NYRA, i got good friends that work there.
In contrary I am siding with NYRA's workers.... I am picking against the executive levels of NYRA who do not want to pay their stuff with better wages...

[cj]

Sounds like a smart, economical decision to me. What is the hurry to put on another race card?

[NYPlayer]

Sounds like a smart, economical decision to me. What is the hurry to put on another race card?

I agree. I think fewer races means better quality. I wish NYRA would eliminate maiden claimers and any claiming race less than 35k at Belmont. Let them run at Aqueduct in the off season. If people want to bet those races, they can always just play Churchill like they probably did today.

[ryesteve]

I wish NYRA would eliminate maiden claimers and any claiming race less than 35k at Belmont. Let them run at Aqueduct in the off season. If people want to bet those races, they can always just play Churchill like they probably did today.I don't think they card them because there's a big demand to bet on them. They card them because those races fill. If you chase all pf these horses away, what exactly is their motivation to come back to Aqueduct in the dead of winter?

[aaron]

I think its a good move by NYRA closing the Sunday after the Belmont. Years ago Belmont Day was not 13 races,so if it was a normal 9 or 10 race card there probably was no reason to close.
One question,is it really necessary to run 13 races ?
In my opinion,I don't think a 13 race card brings any extra people to the track or attracts any new fans from people who are in attendance,but are not regulars. Just curious what others think.

[macguy]

I agree. I think fewer races means better quality. I wish NYRA would eliminate maiden claimers and any claiming race less than 35k at Belmont. Let them run at Aqueduct in the off season. If people want to bet those races, they can always just play Churchill like they probably did today.


...I guess that's ok if you only want to run 8 races a day Friday-Sunday.

[cj's dad]

The 13 race card is to give folks a chance to get off the parking lot and for the area to clear out. This is after all a small town that is handling 50.000+ people.

The listed post of the 13th was 7:45 PM and did not in fact go off until 10 + minutes later. The traffic was still bad - imagine 100.000+ !!

[aaron]

The 13 race card is to give folks a chance to get off the parking lot and for the area to clear out. This is after all a small town that is handling 50.000+ people.

The listed post of the 13th was 7:45 PM and did not in fact go off until 10 + minutes later. The traffic was still bad - imagine 100.000+ !!
The 13 race card has nothing to do with giving the folks a chance to clear the parking lot. After all its harder to get out of Yankee Stadium when there is 50 000 people than it is to get out of Belmont. Belmont has good access to all highways and I have gotten out in reasonable time when they have had 100,000.
Note before OTB,Belmont used to handle 50,000 people every Saturday and no one complained about getting out.

[cj's dad]

Thanks for clearing that up - i spent 1 hour on the lot saturday after race 12.

Had race 12 been the last race of the day - heaven help us.

Bur thanks and I'll pass on your comments to NYRA; maybe next year we can all leave after the belmont Stakes since the police did such an excellent job of clearing traffic jams.:lol:

[aaron]

Thanks for clearing that up genius - i spent 1 hour on the lot saturday after race 12.

Had race 12 been the last race of the day - heaven help us.

Bur thanks and I'll pass on your comments to NYRA; maybe next year we can all leave after the belmont Stakes since the police did such an excellent job of clearing traffic jams.:lol:
I always find it amusing that when someone doesn't really have substantial information they get needlessly sarcastic.It WAS Belmont Day, and there is more traffic. But I have been going to Belmont for over 30 years and have always gotten out in a reasonable amount of time. If what you say has some merit, then comments should be made to the powers that be, whether Belmont security or the appropriate police force. Negative comments written to interested parties is a waste of rhetoric. I felt I needed to respond to you for all "the regulars" at Belmont, not just the once a year group.

[fmolf]

I always find it amusing that when someone doesn't really have substantial information they get needlessly sarcastic.It WAS Belmont Day, and there is more traffic. But I have been going to Belmont for over 30 years and have always gotten out in a reasonable amount of time. If what you say has some merit, then comments should be made to the powers that be, whether Belmont security or the appropriate police force. Negative comments written to interested parties is a waste of rhetoric. I felt I needed to respond to you for all "the regulars" at Belmont, not just the once a year group.
i agree i have been going to belmont for 34 yrs i grew up in the next town over.....getting out was never much of a problem on weekends with 50k plus.. which was a normal weekend in the early to mid seventies....the 13 races is to increase handle while the place is packed...end of story!

[Sid]

Whether the extra races are to provide for a gradual and orderly traffic situation, or because the host track is greedy, or to leave time for one-on-one with drunken stoopers, or for whatever reason it might be . . . it helps to note that many racetracks do the very same thing on their big days. For anyone who really worries about this stuff, the calendar offers very few big days for very few racetracks.

As for the day off, what the hey . . . if you just had a day that you've been working on for a year, and which in the case of Churchill accounts for your entire annual profit if you have one . . . then by all means take a day off. Especially in the simulcasted, virtual-reality era. Anyone who needs a fix can get a bet down.

[cj's dad]

I always find it amusing that when someone doesn't really have substantial information they get needlessly sarcastic.It WAS Belmont Day, and there is more traffic. But I have been going to Belmont for over 30 years and have always gotten out in a reasonable amount of time. If what you say has some merit, then comments should be made to the powers that be, whether Belmont security or the appropriate police force. Negative comments written to interested parties is a waste of rhetoric. I felt I needed to respond to you for all "the regulars" at Belmont, not just the once a year group.


FYI - I also attend on JCGC day so I'm a twice a year group

[rjorio]

The LIRR has reinstituted the train to Belmont for the remainder of the meet.

[onefast99]

In 2005 I went to see Afleet Alex win the Belmont I think there was about 60k in attendance. We parked in the valet lot, gave the guy $30 to keep us in front and we were out of there on our way to the GW bridge within 15 minutes.