Was in the vicinity of Belmont Park and had time to stop in for the first 2 races.
I haven\'t been to Belmont for a few months so I stopped at all my old haunts-- the Paddock/ backyard area, the absolute top level of the grandstand (one of the great panaromic views in all of racing, a view which contains North Shore Towers (once and maybe still a very exclusive address)and the Creedmoor Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Now and then the relative silence is punctuated by a LIRR train; the leaves on the row of trees along the outside rail of the backstretch are beginning to change.
The seats on the grandstand side on the lower second level (the level where the LIRR ramp is) provide a tremendous viewing angle as the runners are on the final turn.
Still a sublime and unique setting for Racing. But ridiculous that counting the track employees and spectators, there were probably no more than 3000 people at a facility which could probably comfortably hold 75,000.
My mantra for NYRA has been as follows: Saratoga meet too long; Belmont is hallowed ground; Frank Stronach is the Devil; the road to Racing\'s ruin is paved with Polytrack.
I think that all changed today. Here is one man\'s vision:
A large portion of Belmont\'s property, including the property on which the grandstand and the main track sit, is sold to a public entity (NYC, Nassau County or NY State) and developed as public parkland. The rest of the property, where the barn area and training track is, is developed to stable more horses and to have multiple training surfaces (ie turf, dirt, all weather/Poly). The proceeds from the sale of the Belmont Property is used, partially, to fund the Renovation of Aqueduct (see below).
NYRA becomes a 2 venue circuit (Aqueduct/Saratoga). Aqueduct opens on January 1 and races 4 days a week until March 15, when 5 day a week racing begins.
Racing shifts to Saratoga sometime around June 20, for a meet which races 5 (not 6) days per week through Labor Day.
Racing reopens at Aqueduct the second week of September and runs through the end of November. Racing could be conducted on a limited basis (or not at all) in the month of December. (The idea of giving the entire horse population a mandated one month vacation might lead to a slightly sounder horse population, resulting in larger fields throughout the rest of the year).
The key to the plan is the total renovation of Aqueduct including: Renovation/ partial destruction of the entire existing facility, leaving a smaller, modern state of the art structure featuring the long awaited VLT facility, numerous simulcast facilities and dining options, sports bars, etc. The simulcast facilities will be very important during the winter months when the better racing is conducted in warmer climes and the live product is only presented four days a week.
Aqueduct surfaces would also have to be reconfigured: Lets say you start with a 10 furlong traditional dirt surface; inside of this main track a wide, Gulfstream style 9 furlong Turf course; inside of the grass course a one mile all weather/polytrack type surface. The Belmont Stakes would be contested over the main track at either 1- 1/4 or 1- 1/2 miles.
The capacity of Aqueduct\'s backstretch would have to be increased.
All in all, Aqueduct would have to be transformed from a pigeon smeared eyesore into one of the Nations great racing/ simulcasting venues.
The one man who has proven that he could probably orchestrate this type of total makeover: The Devil himself, Frank Stronach. I would sell Aqueduct to Magna, but Saratoga would be administered and preserved by a NYRA-like body or by authority or commission established by the state.
This pained me to write, because I still believe Belmont is hallowed ground. If you go through Racing\'s Hall of Fame, probably more than 80% of those enshrined (horses, trainers, owners, jockeys) had some connection with Belmont, if not a longstanding one.
This vision was partly inspired by the announcement on Monday that the VLT facility at Yonkers Raceway was to have its opening delayed. The VLT facility at Aqueduct continues to be just an awful example of what politics and politicians can do to a good idea. You need what the Yiddish language calls a \"tummler\"-- a Frank Stronach type, if not the Devil himself, to push projects such as this through.
Richie-- you\'re a Yiddish Jesuit???
Actually, Jerry, I am neither.
I like to consider myself a modified agnostic/atheist.
I do not believe in God, but I want him to know that, in case he exists, I\'m damned afraid of him.
Good Post
Much to think about.
Certainly the present model is unsustainalbe.
If it was my turn to brainstorm I might suggest tearing down the stands, but keeping the track intact. Have the new park be a horse themed park like the horse park in Kentucky. And maybe run a fair-like meet(if only to maintain the history) a week or two before heading up north.
Again, good post.
Nice Post - Sounds like \" Devine \" Insperation ( which Devine though - kidding ) Are you saying NO to Poly @ Bel but YES to a shorter racing season in NY ? That would be an excellent choice for NY Racing over the long haul ... and might be a viable option to Poly @ Ny tracks - Nctony had mentioned possibility of restricting some 2 yo races and someone should move on that one .
The situation here in NY is very different than in over racing circuts .
There will always be those who belive in extreme \" Super Bolshevic / Kgb type horse\'s right agenda\'s \" - problem for them is figuring out how to take credit for everything good and how to be above all the bad . So when these folks say Poly Tracks must become a reality in NY in order for racing to survive , it\'s fair to say that reactionary and revisionist tendencies are likely in play ...
W/ Aqu inner aside - I know that Poly Surfaces in NY are extranious and potentially frivolus when other good options are not being persued or even looked at .
I\'m in Spain next week and will find out then if there are any Racing Gods left over there when I try to find a computor to use for the Keeneland Online Contest and Bris Qualifier on the 14th ...
thoughtful post....but the Big A is such a dump....why not get rid of it and spend the money at Belmont and Saratoga....oh yeah the mindless slots are coming to save us all.
Richiebee,
Interesting concept. As I see the future of racing, it will be consolidated into mega race centers facilities, Possibly only racing in NY,CA,KY,FL and perhaps one or two other places for live racing within the US.
However, the big change for racing will come when and or if racing becomes a global sport, with merged parimutual pools with Asia (if the let us in) Europe,Canada, South America etc. In order for it to work,They will globally merge the entire pools and work out all legal and tax issues. This has to happen if racing is to attract the big betters back to racing. Not exactly sure of all the details but Big event days such as Arc Day or Royal Ascot meet, Saratoga, Delmar and Big event days in Japan combined with major US races all in one day in one common pool. They would have to work out the wagering menu\'s. Perhaps Friday-Sat & Sunday only racing for the globally merged pools racing 24 hours around the clock for 2 maybe 3 days a week or perhaps only 2 or 3 weekends a month. The rest of the time would be local racing only with merged US pools with much fewer tracks offered as one national race card. I would much prefer to have bigger fields and bigger betting pools in order to try to make the big scores similar to Derby day or BC Day. OTB type modern betting parlors and fewer actual racing (tracks) facilities will be the future of racing. With fewer venues, then you can better control and standardize drug testing & applications, race day medications etc. Make it a national board vs state. One or two national betting card vs the variety we have today. Maybe you have to have a few natoinal cards/versions per day (ie Major circuit & minor circuits), a Day or night national card from various tracks...just brainstorming idea\'s. May not be the best choice for the masses, but it may be what it takes to survive and attract new customers is huge payouts.
As I see it, those tracks without the additional funding of racino\'s will not survive without GLOBAL simulcasting and merging the pools.
NC Tony
NCT:
IMO, Globalization or Global interaction is essential to the future of Racing, and having less Racing and more Big Days is right in line with my current personal approach to Racing. My current thinking is that a good book or even a mediocre round of golf at a decent course is time better spent than betting an unspectacular racing card. A quick look at today\'s first 2 at Belmont sent me running for the bookshelf looking for that good book.
News Flash-- even the BIG DAYS can suck. JC Gold Cup drew 4 runners.
Right now a problem, which reflects the lack of Global co-ordination, is that the Dubai Brothers (and sons) are cornering the best bloodstock and are more than content to take their own purse money in their own big event in the Desert.
Its possible that Discreet Cat, Invasor and Jazil could all make their next U.S. start long after the Breeders Cup in order to prep for the Dubai World Cup. And hey, if they are not 100% sound they have all done enough to retire.
NCT, I hope you didn\'t miss out on the good old days of Racing, where the top trainers would have tried to work around obstacles created by missed conditioning and physical infirmities to make sure their horse was standing in the gate on that big day. It would have been interesting to see if Pletcher or Frankel could have flourished back in the day when owners expected to run their big horses in the big races-- at the time it was the only way anyone could make any money.
There was a lot of intrigue in the old days because the top runners would sometimes compete when not 100%; the intrigue was to find out if these runners could compensate with heart and class.
I have no doubt that the superior horsemen from past generations (Whittingham, MacK Miller, PG Johnson, TL Rondinello, Laz Barrera, Whiteleys (father and son), others) would have been very competitive today.
Richiebee,
You are hands down the most literate poster on this board. Some of the posters here can\'t spell and don\'t seem to realize how that detracts from their message.
Racing is in trouble, and nowhere has it fallen further, faster than New York (including the beloved Spa which is a pale shadow of what it once was). I don\'t even bother to look at Belmont anymore. It\'s gotten to the point where I prefer the Inner where there are no pretensions or expectations.
Something\'s got to give. Weekday racing is getting closer and closer to unbettable.
Richie,
I used to love the old days of Woody Stephens and Mack Miller, when Lukas was a renegade instead of the bufoon he is made to be today. Brings me back to a time when I can remember the Jamaican rasta\'s would shout to Mack Miller walking from the Belmont saddling ring in a Jamaican accent \"HEY Mista MILLA you got the ASS(horse) Man\". Stepehens would always play head games with the press. He would never tell you anything or run Conquistador Cielo on 7 days rest in the Belmont. Or when trainers would hide their workouts in the early mornings. It\'s unfortunate but lets face it winning $100 bucks at the track in 2006 dollars isn\'t as exciting as winning $100 bucks in 1975 dollars....1955 dollars etc. You could buy a TV back then, now you might be able to buy a remote control with it, unless you find some guys selling one off the back of a truck because Best Buy didn\'t get their delivery today....
NC Tony