Cuomo to sign NYRA reform legislation seeking to privatize - NYPOST.com

[rubicon55]

Originally Posted by cj

I was involved with lots of contracts in the military, and it is very hard for the government to get out of them even when the contractor performs sub-standard work, or even doesn't finish.

That is so true CJ, expierenced that in my work too. Lets hope this is not the case here. This is a historice event and will certainly tell the tale of who and how many fans of horseracing there really are and possibly will tell the tale of the future of horseracing as we know it. Will be interesting to see what happens as others have stated. IMO I think the State of NY may be possibly over optimistic but I really hope I am wrong on this one about private industries really strong interest in running things.

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by Itamaraca

Time for a long overdue change. How, really, could it be any worse with an entity other than NYRA running the ship? I know this much, there are things that need improvement that NYRA just won't address; they haven't to this point and they certainly won't in the future. Maybe new leadership will result in different/worse problems; maybe not. I'm tired of the same old shit. I suspect that quite a few others are as well.

Yeah, I'm tired of the best racing and the biggest mutuel pools in the country too...

I would much rather CDI take over and see NY become a second stringer to some of their other (what they consider) "more prestigious" holdings...

I mean, wouldn't you?

[BombsAway Bob]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Yeah, I'm tired of the best racing and the biggest mutuel pools in the country too...
I would much rather CDI take over and see NY become a second stringer to some of their other (what they consider) "more prestigious" holdings...
I mean, wouldn't you?

i can see the sales pitch to CDI now...
"YOU'LL GET Saratoga... & BELMONT... & Aqueduct...
but Fuggetabout the Big-A SLOTS money!"

[burnsy]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Yeah, I'm tired of the best racing and the biggest mutuel pools in the country too...

I would much rather CDI take over and see NY become a second stringer to some of their other (what they consider) "more prestigious" holdings...

I mean, wouldn't you?

Best post yet........on this subject. These people don't have a clue. NYRA has problems but somehow CDI is better????? What racing do these people watch and bet on? What tracks do they go to? Where do the best trainers and jockeys ride the best horses all summer long? I've been one of the first to criticize NYRA but these moves will hurt the racing. Look at the other "venues" ie. TRACKS and the racing......most (all) of it is inferior to NYRA except for certain days..NY has the best day in and day out racing....hands down!..gee, i wonder why? I almost feel like i should take back my bitching about the cards at Saratoga this year because it will surely get worse with these clowns coming in. I swear people don't think things through before they post or wish for something.......this will eventually be an excuse to divert money from the purses.....see how the state did this....make NYRA look like shit so you can steal the whole thing.....charge someone else to run it and line the states pockets. Which would be fine if it did not affect the racing. But wait and see fools......when they are running 5 k claimers at Belmont and Saratoga...Oh, I'm so glad they got CDI...lol...lol...lol. Remember when i said the State of Ny would ruin the chance to corner the summer market on racing? Here it comes. Its not some stupid political argument....NYRA works better because they are not some private entity.....they focus on having the best racing no matter what. Somehow these people get the idea that these politicians care about racing...its the biggest lie yet. Cuomo would not care if the thing (racing) shut down other than the political storm it would cause up here! Somehow fools come on here believing that these people give shit about racing.....thats your mistake before you even start typing........they don't. They see that Aqueduct pulled in more slot money than vegas at one point this year. Racing is an inconveinance.......a "problem".....to be villified........kill NYRA and the deal is sealed.....we will get the same shit racing that Gulfstream and Churchill gets now. Half the card is garbage, no purse money....a blow to quality racing...Oh, why wouldn't i be on board for this...lol...lol...because i know how this state works and see what they did to NJ...right next door...what did they have this weekend????...for a feature????!!!!!.....Ahhhhh, the ever exciting AOC 34,000 on a Saturday...are you kidding me?..........Yeah, this will be a great thing...lol.

[castaway01]

I've been looking forward to NYRA becoming another Calder in the CDI empire, because the one thing racing really needs is another Calder.

[OTM Al]

The question for today is simple. It involves a statement on the F. U. Dicker radio show to the following...

“The legal franchise is with the New York Racing Association — that doesn’t change,” Glaser said. But, he added without elaboration, “that’s a different question than who the operator ultimately is.”

WTF?????

[Tom]

Obviously, the best option is for Finger Lakes to take over NYRA.
They are already in NYS and just down the thruway......we're loaded with state breds already, so a circuit could be made easily. After they turn Aqueduct into a casino, the three NYRA tracks would be Belmont, Saratoga, and Finger Lakes. We have heaters, so we could run all winter. We would even consider a name change.....Aquelakes? Sounds better than Finger Duct.

And, if push came to shove, TLG could always stay at my place when he does his live broadcasts from beautiful downtown Farmington. (Got a Tim Horton's a block away, so I have breakfast covered!)

This has so many opportunities.....

[hibiscus]

Originally Posted by OTM Al

The question for today is simple. It involves a statement on the F. U. Dicker radio show to the following...

“The legal franchise is with the New York Racing Association — that doesn’t change,” Glaser said. But, he added without elaboration, “that’s a different question than who the operator ultimately is.”

WTF?????

What that means is "We duped NYRA into deeding the land to us in exchange for a 25-year deal to run racing. So as to avoid a lawsuit we'll keep NYRA as a the franchise-holder. But now that we've hijacked the board we'll simply order them to vote to outsource the operations to a third-party, like Magna or MSG, in exchange for graft. We'll also fold in a removal of the casino subsidy as part of the outsourcing deal and, presto, Cuomo has siezed all the Aqueduct casino money."

[OTM Al]

Originally Posted by hibiscus

What that means is "We duped NYRA into deeding the land to us in exchange for a 25-year deal to run racing. So as to avoid a lawsuit we'll keep NYRA as a the franchise-holder. But now that we've hijacked the board we'll simply order them to vote to outsource the operations to a third-party, like Magna or MSG, in exchange for graft. We'll also fold in a removal of the casino subsidy as part of the outsourcing deal and, presto, Cuomo has siezed all the Aqueduct casino money."

Of course that's what they mean, but if you've ever read the Franchise Agreement, you come across little nuggets like this

Section 2.1 Term of Franchise. As of the Effective Date, New NYRA
shall be granted the Franchise for the period from the date hereof up to and including the twenty-fifth (25th) anniversary hereof (the "Term"). Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, during the Term, New NYRA shall perform all of the functions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct racing, racing operations, pari-mutuel and
simulcast wagering at or with respect to the Racetracks.

It goes on to include hiring, vendors purses and so on as the responsibilty of the Franchise holder. So WTF refers to the question, exactly what's left to operate?

The agreement is here

http://nylottery.ny.gov/wps/wcm/conn...df?MOD=AJPERES

It's a good read and explains a lot of the moves the Cuomo administration is making to void it.

[cj]

http://tenoonan.com/2012/09/24/lates...w-york-racing/

[andymays]

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/hor...y-selling-nyra

Excerpt:


He basically explained his company was a business, and like all businesses, conducted its affairs to turn a profit. They believed the facilities in Connecticut needed so much work that it could not afford to pay the state and make the proper renovations. They wanted to pour the money into their business and create a better product for the fans. Their primary interest was not in lining the state’s pockets.

This is offered amid talk that the state will bring in someone like Churchill Downs to take over NYRA and all will be well with New York racing until mankind walks on Pluto.

We’ll see about that.

Certainly privatization can work.

And certainly it can also worsen deep-rooted problems.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by Tom

Obviously, the best option is for Finger Lakes to take over NYRA.
They are already in NYS and just down the thruway......we're loaded with state breds already, so a circuit could be made easily. After they turn Aqueduct into a casino, the three NYRA tracks would be Belmont, Saratoga, and Finger Lakes. We have heaters, so we could run all winter.


This has so many opportunities.....

I guess you are only kidding, but I think I like that idea. It makes some economic sense. The land at Aqueduct could be used more effectively economically and the trainers that only make money during the winter in NY could still race at Finger Lakes.

How is FL as a winter vacation destination?

[speed]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

How is FL as a winter vacation destination?

If you're a polar bear, fabulous.

[FantasticDan]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

How is FL as a winter vacation destination?

I've seen into the future, and have video of the 3rd race at Finger Lakes on Feb. 3, 2015..

[YT=""]mYl6GH2laSQ[/YT]

Damn it! I had $50 to win on the snowboard guy, and he lost the reigns!

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by speed

If you're a polar bear, fabulous.

LMAO.

Well, I don't ski, snow mobile, ice skate, ice fish etc... (at least anymore), but if there are nice winter resorts in the area, maybe they could turn it into a winter Saratoga. It will never be that good, but there could be some opportunity.