Enhancing the Spa guest experience

[FrankD.]

WOW,

I\'ve intentionally waited a couple of days to truly digest this latest round of enhancement before commenting.

In keeping with the spirit of a long range marketing plan to broaden racings fan base before the current crop of \"us\" end up in walkers or in a jar on the mantle, NYRA in all their infinite wisdom has discontinued the 30 plus year tradition of hosting an open house.

Brilliant:
Does anyone have a clue as to how many of those giveaway spinners and 6:00 AM waiting in line for a picnic table folks were first introduced to the Spa and racing at an open house? I would venture to say quite a few, it certainly would make an interesting marketing survey. Too bad our head enhancers are more concerned with revenue from hotel taxes.

I\'ll admit to never attending the freebie introduction day held the Sunday before opening day. As much as I love the Spa and its traditions I\'m gambler interested in the bottom line and all the chaos that entails.

I\'m old enough to remember my parents and other adults discussing in the late 60\'s and early 70\'s if Saratoga would remain viable? Yes before OTB\'s weekends at Aqueduct and Belmont drew in excess of 40,000 fans routinely while a Travers Day at the Spa was lucky to have 20,000 folks on hand. My first venture to the Spa for the 1973 Whitney to see the great Secretariat the first triple crown winner in 25 years saw a record crowd of 30,119 on track that day.

The evaluation of the Spa started with the 1978 Travers and the spectacular rivalry between Affirmed and Alydar which drew an unheard of crowd of 50,000 plus.
They were parking cars at the harness track and the old Spa was jammed packed. Through the 80\'s the atmosphere changed, I\'m sure the marketing and introduction to the product was \"enhanced\" by the open house. You never saw baby carriages, little kids, families with coolers and groups in mass in the back yard before.
In the late 70\'s early 80\'s there was a gang of us early 20 somethings who hung at the top of the stretch; we brought our coolers, sandwiches etc... Other than Travers day I never recall anyone going early to reserve a table, we put 2 or 3 picnic tables together when we got there, weekdays we nearly had the area to ourselves.

The tidal wave of popularity grew and grew until what has become a party in the park for the non gambling fans who have built the attendance figures that clueless and company now have to cook the books to maintain as they ring the lemon dry to extract every drop of short sighted revenue that they can.

The discontinuing of the open house because it cost money is a tremendous mistake in the long term. The taking down of trees and other guest enhancements to the Old Spa; No comment because it certainly would not ENHANCE my normally shy persona on the T-graph board!!!

Frank D.

[Niall]

I would counter the argument that the open house generated new fans with saying that for every new fan cultivated, 2 were lost because they saw a horse fall while jumping a fence (hedge). IMO you need some constitution to enjoy Steeplechase races. Now last year they had the Wait trials at OKLA. That was fun!!

[richiebee]

Chris Kay\'s Legacy: The Man Who Ruined Saratoga?

May be a bit of an overstatement.

Saratoga (the track) will never return to where it was in the 1970s, when I
first visited. Change is inevitable, and the track is, after all, located in
the small city which experienced the largest growth of any municipality in New
York State between the census years 1970 - 2000 (31.5% population increase).

I do not know how all this on site development is allowed to continue, but as
best as I can ascertain the Spa is not on the National Registry of Historic
Places nor does it enjoy \"landmark\" status, which may have been helpful with
regards to slowing/stopping the type of development being discussed by Dick
Powell and Tom Noonan.

The removal of trees from the paddock area is an infamiglia and I can
only hope that they are replaced with some younger timber somewhere on the
grounds.

The only renovation which Saratoga really ever needed was a thorough, yet
hopefully tasteful, renovation of the ancient grandstand, with updated
concession areas, comfort facilities and seating. Strangely, this overhaul was
never undertaken, but we have new structures such as the additional seating on
the clubhouse turn, and the Shake Shack and Blue Smoke eateries, which
partially owe their presence to the friendship between restaurant owner Danny
Meyer and former NYRA big C. Steven Duncker.

Turning the picnic tables into profit centers is both inevitable and not really
imaginative. I will not turn thumbs down on expanding the backyard into the
trackside parking area until I see the final results, but the problem with this
sort of renovation is that it is very hard to return toothpaste to the tube.

Maybe sometime in the 2030s, if pari-mutuel racing is still being conducted,
there will be a movement to \"retrofit\" Saratoga to the magical days of the
1970s, before the Spa was transformed into a Frank Stronach style multi-purpose
facility.

Kay will get the flak for bringing about the further \"strip mallization\" of the
Saratoga facility, but this process started when Aqueduct and Belmont began to
slide into decrepitude and Saratoga became the only NYRA property where growth
(and all of growth\'s negative bi-products) was feasible.

If the current round of development makes the backyard unbearable, remember the
alternative is to beat the ever increasing parking, admission and concession
fees and to spend a day watching the races at Saratoga Harness, the only
drawback being that that facility is at least partially owned by the evil
empire, Churchill Downs.

[moosepalm]

One thing that is being lost (in addition to trees) in this recent spate of Spa changes is a sense of egalitarianism that permeated at least part of the facility.  As a denizen of the backyard, I was, on occasion, annoyed by the \"tourists\" and the amusement park vibe, but at the same time, I appreciated the fact that the sport and experience I love was able to be shared by people other than the Whitneys and hardcore racing degenerates like myself.  I also assumed that, as had been the case for me, this kind of outing would serve as a gateway drug for many, and help stem the tide of attrition afflicting the sport, evidence of which is provided daily in the obit column.

I\'m sure that some MBA metrics wonk has run the numbers for Chris Kay (my own eyeballing of the figures suggests the picnic table surcharge could add close to half a million to the coffers).  Does that move the meter on the bottom line sufficiently to overcome concerns about keeping out potential new customers?  There is no way to know that. For one family, coming on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, that\'s now $160 that gets added to the trip expense.  That will be a deal breaker for some.  Of course, they wouldn\'t be adding to the bottom line of the handle very much anyway, but the problem is that they won\'t be replaced by those who will, because they\'re either already there, or have opted out of the live experience altogether.  The casualties, however, might be to potential customers who may now never set foot inside the best race track experience in the country, which really makes it a growth issue.  But, Chris Kay, like many CEO\'s, need only be concerned about the bottom line of the moment.  Apres lui, le deluge.

[gowand]

Have been going to the Spa for at least 40 years and have seen the backyard area change considerably in that time.  From the days of walking the horses around the numbered trees most of the changes I have seen have not adversely affected the \"experience\".  I even like the New food and bar area at the wright street entrance.  I have looked at the artist proofs for the new plans and it looks like they plan on a modern day strip mall on Wright street.  I also don\'t mind selling a portion of the picnic tables so people who can\'t get up at 5 and sit at the gate can get a table.  Change is inevitable.  After all there was a time when you could just walk in and slide your newspaper through your grandstand seat.

[PapaChach]

\"This kind of outing\" also served as a gateway drug for myself; spent many August Saturdays in the mid to late 1980\'s camped out in the backyard with friends. We used to be able to get there around noon and find a spot in our favorite area, a grassy area just north of the carousel with betting windows close by. We\'d put down the coolers, lawn chairs, and blankets and use that as home base. Was easy enough to run out to the frontside or ride the escalators upstairs to watch the races.

That spot is now (of course) filled in with a tent selling craft beer (which I love, by the way, but I\'d rather spend $12.99 for a four pack of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA at my local beverage center than $9 for a pint of something lukewarm and flat).

At some point in the early \'90s I lucked into almost unlimited availability of \"clubhouse\" seats - I use the quotes because I always regarded the \"clubhouse\" as the box seats and tables where the blue bloods sat, not the grandstand style seats closest to the finish line; not sure when they started including those seats in the clubhouse, I want to say mid-80\'s? - and spent less time out in the backyard, but I couldn\'t help but notice the ever-dwindling amount of picnicking space available.

And now it appears as though some or much of that space will be available on a paid basis.

Is that a good idea? Who knows. I do doubt the 1980\'s versions of my friends and I would have plunked down money for a picnic table, etc. I do know that once my seats pipeline dried up, my visits to the track have dwindled, reaching a career low of two last year. Too crowded out in back, too expensive to sit in the seats (I break down and buy seats for Travers Day last year and felt like I got a steal getting two in Section G for $150 each).

Rekindled my long-dormant passion for golf last year and spent money I used to spend on seats, parking, concessions, etc., at local courses. Cheaper to play 18 at the crack of dawn and then play the races from home. The negative, as I see it, is that once you drive someone such as myself away...that person eventually says to themselves, you know what, there\'s other things I can do with my time and money, and that customer doesn\'t come back.

[miff]

Clueless Kay and his band of merry female bean counters are trying to monetize every aspect of NYRA racing.NYRA board either asleep or seeing what appears to be a better P&L statement, going along.

When Cuomo flatly told NYRA they are on their own as far as any more financial bailouts, the game changed. Add that to a racing neophyte CEO, Chris Kaye, and voila, the agenda is the bottom line at any cost.

Clueless Kay refuses to acknowledge the gambler being a critical part of NY racing. Just yesterday, at the SPA,he lauded the owner as the life blood of NY racing, guy\'s a moron!

Kay a bonafide slug,does not have an original thought or a clue how to grow NY racing, just nickel and diming the gambler into further disgust.

[Topcat]

miff Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Clueless Kay and his band of merry female bean
> counters are trying to monetize every aspect of
> NYRA racing.NYRA board either asleep or seeing
> what appears to be a better P&L statement, going
> along.
>
> When Cuomo flatly told NYRA they are on their own
> as far as any more financial bailouts, the game
> changed. Add that to a racing neophyte CEO, Chris
> Kaye, and voila, the agenda is the bottom line at
> any cost.
>
> Clueless Kay refuses to acknowledge the gambler
> being a critical part of NY racing. Just
> yesterday, at the SPA,he lauded the owner as the
> life blood of NY racing, guy\'s a moron!
>
> Kay a bonafide slug,does not have an original
> thought or a clue how to grow NY racing, just
> nickel and diming the gambler into further
> disgust.


The \"owner as lifeblood of racing\" line from the Clothesless One is a broken record.  He\'s trotted that out, innumerable times.

[miff]

NYRA hikes restaurant seating prices at Saratoga

Posted on June 26, 2015 | By Dennis Yusko

The Turf Terrace (NYRA)
The New York Racing Association is trying to squeeze more bread out of dining at Saratoga Race Course.

Racing officials came to the city this week to preview the 2015 Saratoga meet, and a lot of the post-visit coverage focused on it scratching its annual Open House at the track, and creating paid/reserved seating at a new sports bar in the lower Carousel and 100 new "premium" picnic tables.

But an analysis of costs from 2014 and 2015 shows NYRA also upped its prices and created a tier system for reserve seating at the Saratoga track's three major restaurants. Individuals that wish to grab a bite to eat this summer at The Turf Terrace, The Club Terrace and The Porch will pay considerably more for their seats.

"There have been some price adjustments to some of our most popular hospitality inventory, which includes our premium restaurants," NYRA spokesman John Durso Jr. said. "A seat in one of our premium restaurants is no different than a reserved seat anywhere throughout the facility."

The Turf Terrace seats 800 people above the finish line on the third and fourth floor of the Clubhouse. Last summer, restaurant seats were $7.50 each and $20 each on the day of the Travers Stakes, according to NYRA. This summer, NYRA is charging $10 a seat on weekdays; $15 a seat on weekends; and $35 a seat on Whitney Festival Day (Aug. and Travers Day (Aug. 29).

Prices to sit in The Club Terrace, which seats 500 people on the second floor of the Clubhouse, were $3.50 per person and $16 per person in 2014. This year, diners will pay $5 each on weekdays; $8 each on weekends; and $20 on Whitney and Travers days, according to NYRA.

[P-Dub]

miff Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> "There have been some price adjustments to some of
> our most popular hospitality inventory, which
> includes our premium restaurants," NYRA spokesman
> John Durso Jr. said. "A seat in one of our premium
> restaurants is no different than a reserved seat
> anywhere throughout the facility."

I\'ll save you guys from wading through the corporate speak bullshit.

\"We\'ve raised the prices at the places where people like to sit down and eat.\"

These people are absolutely clueless. Nickel and diming people serves what purpose??

I swear, if they ran a casino they would find a way to make that unprofitable.  Which is almost impossible.

[Topcat]

miff Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NYRA hikes restaurant seating prices at Saratoga
>
> Posted on June 26, 2015 | By Dennis Yusko
>
> The Turf Terrace (NYRA)
> The New York Racing Association is trying to
> squeeze more bread out of dining at Saratoga Race
> Course.
>
> Racing officials came to the city this week to
> preview the 2015 Saratoga meet, and a lot of the
> post-visit coverage focused on it scratching its
> annual Open House at the track, and creating
> paid/reserved seating at a new sports bar in the
> lower Carousel and 100 new "premium" picnic
> tables.
>
> But an analysis of costs from 2014 and 2015 shows
> NYRA also upped its prices and created a tier
> system for reserve seating at the Saratoga track's
> three major restaurants. Individuals that wish to
> grab a bite to eat this summer at The Turf
> Terrace, The Club Terrace and The Porch will pay
> considerably more for their seats.
>
> "There have been some price adjustments to some of
> our most popular hospitality inventory, which
> includes our premium restaurants," NYRA spokesman
> John Durso Jr. said. "A seat in one of our premium
> restaurants is no different than a reserved seat
> anywhere throughout the facility."
>
> The Turf Terrace seats 800 people above the finish
> line on the third and fourth floor of the
> Clubhouse. Last summer, restaurant seats were
> $7.50 each and $20 each on the day of the Travers
> Stakes, according to NYRA. This summer, NYRA is
> charging $10 a seat on weekdays; $15 a seat on
> weekends; and $35 a seat on Whitney Festival Day
> (Aug. and Travers Day (Aug. 29).
>
> Prices to sit in The Club Terrace, which seats 500
> people on the second floor of the Clubhouse, were
> $3.50 per person and $16 per person in 2014. This
> year, diners will pay $5 each on weekdays; $8 each
> on weekends; and $20 on Whitney and Travers days,
> according to NYRA.


Alas, this is one of the isolated, specific areas where they\'re likely to get away with this, with relatively few grumbles.   Demand continues to outstrip supply.

[miff]

NYRA to Saratoga fans: Time to pony up

By Mike MacAdam Gazette
 

Chris Kay, CEO and President of the New York Racing Association, discusses the upcoming Saratoga meet Monday at the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion.


SARATOGA SPRINGS — I hear they're clearing some trees at Saratoga Race Course next year to make room for a pavilion where you'll be able to rent Xboxes and play video games.

The New York Racing Association hasn't decided how much to charge to get in the pavilion yet, but it'll be a small fee. The rental fee will be guest-friendly, too. They promise. But never mind that, because it's all in the interest of enhancing your guest experience. They promise.

Ha. Just kidding. But I had you for a second, didn't I?

It's one thing to look under every pebble in the quest to turn a profit. That's all that a corporation is about. And it isn't NYRA president and CEO Chris Kay's job to win a popularity contest.

But NYRA is playing with fire at Saratoga. People are — what is a "P" word I can use for angry? — perturbed. Perhaps there will come a point when that starts to reveal itself through the kind of metrics Kay prefers, like hotel tax revenue.

I almost have a perverse admiration for the way NYRA gouges people, then tries to convince the fans that it's for their own good. That takes skill.

It's easy to accuse complainers of being shrill, melodramatic and sentimental. Hey, the price of everything goes up. Deal with it.

Saratoga is different, though. It just is. People are possessive of it, and with that comes a protectiveness. They treat it like it's their own property, with respect and love, so don't screw with it. They're not just mad about price increases. It goes way deeper than that.

I received a bunch of emails from readers on Tuesday after writing about Monday's annual Saratoga preview press conference held at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion. They're mad about the prices, sure, but also about cutting down trees in the backyard. They hate being referred to as "guests" instead of as racing fans, bettors and handicappers.

"NYRA is losing touch fast with the commoners," one wrote.

"A sad day for the common man," another said.

It's telling that Kay said "Owners are the lifeblood of our sport" at the press conference, echoing a line he has used before.

But guess who gets bled.

Martin Panza, NYRA's vice president of racing operations — he's the guy who puts together the actual races— was not there, a departure from the 25 or so previous Saratoga previews I've covered. So I guess this wasn't about, you know, racing.

Kay was there, of course. With creepy corporate Disneyspeak, he comes across like a smarmy con man, telling us why cancelling the free open house the Sunday before the meet starts is a good idea, for instance.

Or why paying to reserve a picnic table is a good idea.

Or why paying to reserve a table at the new sports bar on the ground floor of the Carousel is a good idea.

They just keep adding layers of cost to the fans and bettors. They continue to introduce pockets of exclusivity in what historically has been one of the most democratic places in the country, the racetrack.

Let's start with the Carousel. Indisputably, it needed renovation, and is getting it. Great. But a sports bar? That tells me that NYRA has a low opinion of its own product.

Pay admission to get on the grounds, then pay more to reserve a table to watch baseball on TV. At the racetrack.

Oh, and don't bother trying to bring a cooler into this area. They're not allowed. Can't wait to see the craft beer and food prices in the sports bar.

Then we have the new picnic tables. They're bringing in 100 more and placing them in the coveted area between the paddock and the Big Red Spring, where people like to look at the horses warming up and being saddled before each race. There still will be 850 free tables on a first-come, first-served basis in the backyard, compressed into a smaller space. But the 100 new ones will cost you $40 on weekdays, $60 on weekends and $100 on Travers Day.

Kay is doing you a favor, he says, by eliminating the need to get to the track at 5 a.m. to wait in line and sprint to grab a table. But that'll be $100 on Travers Day, and instead of giving that money to backstretch charities, as NYRA did when they first implemented the Travers table fee a few years ago, it has been going in NYRA's pocket since 2013.

And watch, people will still gobble them up. NYRA knows this.

But Saratoga is about more than Travers Day. NYRA is risking the loss of the casual fan, who is more important to this track than any other of its properties.

After 34 years, the open house is no longer. Kay killed a fun event that gave people a free opportunity to walk the grounds and see for themselves, perhaps for the first time, the grandeur of Saratoga.

But the open house, which gave non-profits a venue to set up shop for the day, wasn't performing up to NYRA's liking. Kay said he walked around last year and didn't think the open house was well attended. Translation: NYRA wasn't making a thin dime off of it. This is the same operation that canceled Fan Appreciation Day — free admission on closing day — a few years ago.

But, hey, every Monday during the meet will be designated Family Day. Has Kay ever set foot in the backyard on a race day? Fans don't need designated "Family Days." Every day is family day back there.

Further manipulation comes in the form of the giveaway schedule.

The cooler bag will be given away on a Monday, Aug. 3, and the umbrella is scheduled for a Wednesday, Aug. 19. This is NYRA trying to prop up weak attendance days, which are weak, in part, because of NYRA's own decision to bolster the weekend "must-see" "big events" by clustering stakes races on Saturdays and Sundays.

This tent-pole approach results in some lousy, unappealing racing during the week and threatens to homogenize Saratoga as merely an extension of the Belmont Park meets, instead of being the day-to-day boutique showcase that it had been.

At the risk of sounding like the Lorax or Chicken Little, someday Saratoga will be indistinguishable from other racetracks, except for the graceful roofscape. Six of the trees you can see the tops of from the roof will be gone when the meet starts, cut down to make room for a new museum.

It's a move that is "sickening" to one reader who emailed and considers herself "not a guest, but a woman who loves horses and [is] a pretty decent handicapper."

She suggested that Kay read Joyce Kilmer's poem "Trees."

It wouldn't do any good.

He'd miss the forest

[jerry]

Sounds like they\'re running a restaurant. If they had any idea, they\'d give all that stuff away, throw everything into making it a truly fun experience and hope that those who show up aren\'t there just for the food.

[miff]

Tom Noonan continues to call out idiot Chris Kay

\"This NYRA can't be trusted on track changes
Monday is the deadline for commenting on the significant structural changes being proposed for Saratoga Race Course.  It has become clear that the current NYRA leadership, through a lethal combination of arrogance and obtuseness, cannot be trusted with the future of one of the nation's most hallowed sporting venues.

The deadline is occasioned by an environmental review process under a New York law known as SEQRA.  The NYRA web site has the complete description of the project that would make the following dramatic changes:

A permanent structure built on the other side of the horse path that runs next to the end of the current club house.  It would replace the tent and the temporary modular boxes that have been used in recent years.
A new picnic table area along Union Avenue, replacing the parking area now used by owners and trainers.
A "Top of the Stretch Club" to be built at the end of the grandstand, intended "to attract a younger crowd to the Race Course."
Moving the jockey quarters from the administration building to the Paddock.
While there are a host of other changes  –  many of them necessary or desirable  –  these are the ones that would be most noticeable to the fan.

What is striking about the document called the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement  –  the SEQRA DGEIS, for those addicted to acronyms  –  is that it institutionalizes the separation of the well-off from the "commoner."  Thus, the clubhouse extension would be a "high-end hospitality venue" with "higher-end amenities."  Changes to the existing clubhouse would provide a "higher-end entertainment experience."  Changes to the other end of the grandstand are designed to attract a "younger crowd to the Race Course by providing a more casual atmosphere."  And, of course, the picnic table area is being moved farther away from the paddock, grandstand, horses, and those looking for that "high-end" experience.

This separation of the well-off from the unwashed masses is consistent with the philosophy of this NYRA Board, spearheaded by its leader CEO Chris Kay.  Last year's modest admission and parking increases were controversial with the Board, although Kay ended up prevailing.  That paved the way this year for charging for the picnic tables near the paddock, as well as creating new areas in the Carousel for which NYRA is also charging a fee.

Kay and his "Chief Experience Officer" present these changes as a benefit to fans.  By paying to reserve a picnic table, you don't have to wait for the gates to open and then race to secure a spot  –  a tradition that I never heard anyone complain about.  NYRA cancelled the Open House held on the Sunday before the meet begins.  It was a free event that drew thousands, including many families with young kids.  The Chief Experience Officer reportedly said that the local non-profits that benefited from this event complained that it was too much work for little gain.  I asked NYRA what non-profits had said they would not participate this year.  NYRA did not respond.

When Chris Kay announced his "Red Jacket" program that would honor Saratoga greats with a permanent plaque and, presumably, a red jacket, I thought it was hokey, but harmless.  It became not harmless, however, when Kay decided to cut down a half-dozen trees in the backyard to make way for the new structure now being built near the Carousel to house the "museum" for the red jacket recipients.

Since the DGEIS is intended as the blue print for changes to the Race Course, I went through it to see how Kay's self-tribute was described.  It was not mentioned.  Even though the DGEIS identified certain "background projects" that did not have to be included  –  such as routine maintenance or repairs to existing projects  –  it did so anyway.  But Kay's vanity project  –  kind of an over-sized Saratoga doll house  –  is neither listed as a new structure nor a routine event not subject to SEQRA.  I asked NYRA to explain this curious omission.  NYRA did not respond.



What we have is a NYRA leadership that knows little about racing or the Saratoga experience that looks for every opportunity to gouge fans.  It has no accountability because of a Board of Directors that is impotent, and a communications strategy that simply ignores legitimate inquiries.  Chris Kay has referred to the red jacket program as a "new tradition."  Because he thought of it, I guess that makes it more important than the traditions most people associate with Saratoga  –  the trees in the backyard, going to the paddock, interacting with the jockeys on their way to the paddock, the mingling of the rich and the "ordinary" fan, the morning rush to get a picnic table.

The NYRA "Reorganization" Board was intended as a temporary transition according to the law that created it and its author, Andrew Cuomo.  The law required them to propose changes that would restore New York's premier racing to private control by April 18 of this year, with the new entity to assume control on October 18, 2015.  It was the sole responsibility of the new Board under the law.  They did nothing, and the law had to be extended for another year.  This is not a group that should be in charge of permanent changes to Saratoga.  One of the few actual things they have done in their almost three years of existence was approving a plaque honoring themselves.  They did it in their first months as a Board although I doubt anyone of them could actually identify a contribution they, as a Board, made to New York racing.



At the last meeting of the Board, member Michael Dubb urged Kay to expedite the improvements to the dormitories used by stable help.  The dorms have been described as deplorable, and were one of the reasons used by Governor Cuomo to seize control of NYRA three years ago.

But Dubb would have been as productive baying at the moon.  The construction workers building Kay's museum could, of course, have been working on the dorms.  But this leadership crew doesn't care about backstretch workers or the fans.  They only care about self-aggrandizement and squeezing as much money as possible from New York's racing fans.

[miff]

John Pricci\'s Saratoga Diary


Spa Fans Getting Nickeled and Dimed to Death

Wednesday, July 08, 2015

NYRA CEO Christopher Kay keeps finding new ways to squeeze money from Saratoga racing fans. Admission went up last year. Now 100 picnic tables will carry a charge every day instead of just Travers Day.Watch that number increase. It will cost this season to sit at formerly free seats in the Carousel area. Most disturbing is plans for a multi-million-dollar expansion of the clubhouse are going ahead even though the current regime is supposed to be gone next year. This is an ominous sign that Gov. Cuomo and his puppet Kay are confident they aren\'t going away any time soon.


MIAMI, July 7, 2015--Saratoga is starting to remind us of Las Vegas. The philosophy of Sin City in the not too distant past was, "We're going to get your money at the tables and slots, so we'll stay out of your pocket as much as possible in our lodging, bars, restaurants and shows."

Then the corporate guys took over. The first thing they did was decree that just getting your gambling money wasn't enough. The hotel, bars and restaurants had to show a profit, too. Drinks were measured shots, no doubles. In some race books, you had to ask for drink tickets when you made a bet, then turn them in to the cocktail waitresses. If you wanted a premium beer or umbrella drink, they commanded extra tickets. Entertainment in the main show rooms became as expensive as it was back home.

More recently, some numbers-crunchers came up with the concept of "resort fees," Las Vegas equivalent of airline baggage charges. These fees run as high as $25 a day. This, of course, is nothing more than a way to jack up the price of rooms, which are no longer bargains at face value.

Las Vegas is still doing OK but nothing like it once did. Unemployment, once unheard of, is soaring. Building has come to a halt, with some major projects abandoned unfinished. Homes are selling for half what they once cost. The economy is a factor but Las Vegas has survived previous recessions without the downturn it is suffering.

This brings us to Saratoga, which handles more money per day than any other racetrack in America. Under Christopher Kay, another bottom line corporate suit, a similar nickel and dime philosophy has taken hold. Admission, which was $2 grandstand and $5 clubhouse for what seemed like forever, jumped to $5 and $8 last season. Parking went up, too.

But it doesn't stop at the entry gate. Previously hard to get reserved seats also were jacked up in price. The result: thousands go unsold on many days.

Picnic tables, ALL picnic tables, were free. A few years ago, Kay put a $100 charge on some for Travers Day. The money was going to racetrack charities, he promised. It did...for one year. Now there will be 100 on sale every day and all the money is going to NYRA's bottom line.

Kay says there will still be 850 free tables. Anyone want to make an over-under on how long this will stand?

The Carousel area, with scores of seats, has been free throughout its existence. Kay has redubbed it a sports bar and will charge to sit there this season.

Has anyone clued in the Toy Man that there are few sports on TV during the hours races are run at Saratoga? NFL season doesn't start until the week after Saratoga closes. The NBA and NHL are in their off-seasons. People don't watch mundane regular season baseball games, most of which are at night anyway, at home. The Carousel "sports bar" is nothing but a way to grab another few bucks out of racing fans accustomed to sitting there for free.

The Top of the Stretch area, my personal favorite, is getting squeezed more each season. First it was pricey catered picnic areas along the rail. Even when they weren't being utilized, security guards made sure common fans didn't get to have the up close view they used to have.

A huge tent also has been added against the back fence. So far, fans are allowed to hang out when it is not being rented. By I hold my breath each season that this will change, too. I'm hesitant to call it to Kay's attention. In any case, an area which used to accommodate a thousand or more fans comfortably is now elbow to elbow with a couple of hundred.

The Saratoga Hall of Fame building Kay is constructing near the Carousel is not only resulting in the eradication of shade trees, it is also is going to cut into the space fans used to have at their disposal.This is where families, which make Saratoga so special, congregate. Keep charging them more and pushing them further from the horses and soon they decide, "This isn't fun anymore," and will find other things to do.

Saratoga locals are outraged that the Open House on a Sunday before the meeting opened, a tradition for more than three decades, was canceled by Kay. He said he did it because it wasn't well attended, which was widely disputed. He also said local charities, which were allowed to fund-raise on Open House Sunday, weren't as successful as they should be. Kay didn't quote one local charity to back this claim.

John Hendrickson, who has the title of being Gov. Cuomo's advisor to the NYRA board on Saratoga issues, was livid that he wasn't told of the cancellation until it was a done deal. "How can I advise when I'm not in the process?"

Kay let the true reason out when he said the Open House could be revived if a sponsor is found. In other words, as long as it doesn't cost NYRA a dime. Good will in the local community doesn't show up on balance sheets.

The most ominous development of all is the planning for a new building, which is being called an extension of the clubhouse. Essentially the plan is to build permanent skyboxes. They will be situated on the other side of the walking path from the paddock to the track, where temporary facilities have been the past several years.

That these are being built for a handful of the super wealthy is bad enough. How about spending some money to substantially increase the number of restrooms for women. It's a disgrace that they have to wait in endless lines on weekend days.

But the big issue is what business plans a significant, multi-million dollar expansion knowing it will not be there when the work is finished and the bills come due?

Political appointee Kay and company were supposed to be gone this fall, replaced by a return of NYRA to private ownership. Without warning or fanfare, Gov Cuomo extended this by a year. There is nothing to stop him for doing this ad infinitum, especially since there appears to be little to no effort to find a new operator.

That Kay, with the governor's approval, is moving ahead with this expansion suggests that the current regime plans to be around for a while.

This is not good news for Saratoga in particular and New York racing in general.
   
John Pricci says:
08 Jul 2015  at  01:32 pm | #
TJ, et al, this is a personal email from my HRI address online received several days ago:

"For this summer's Saratoga meeting, NYRA has created a full scale 'gouging plan' that attacks its most loyal fans--those who buy reserved seats in the Clubhouse or Grandstand for the full 40-day meet.

I've had my four seats in the Clubhouse for the last 35 years and renewed them for this year's meet.(My wife also had four sets in the Clubhouse for 35 years, but this year decided not to renew them, because of the greed shown by NYRA's ceo Christopher Kay and the rest of the NYRA hacks).

This is what NYRA is doing in 2015, a major step toward ruining the Saratoga experience for its many supporters. For simplicity's sake to make this easy to understand,

I am comparing the plight of one person with one reserved seat (A), with a second person with zero reserved seats(B).

A.  The person with one seat is forced to pay the combined price of the seat, plus the price of admission to the track. For the full 40 days, the cost of this one-seat plan is $757.50.

B.  The person with zero seats who needs to pay for clubhouse "admission only" is charged $55 for a season's pass for the 40-day season [ed. note: via Stewart's promotion].

This means the guy who supports the track with purchased seats needs to pay $320 for his admission to the track for 40 days while the no-seat person only pays $55 for his 40-day season's pass.

(Because of higher admission prices for Travers/Whitney days, the $320 admission number used is higher.)

For every seat compared this way, the "seat" person has to pay $265 more for clubhouse admission to the track than that paid by the "no seat" person to get into the track.

For a track customer who has purchased four reserved seats ($3,030), as I did, I need to pay in advance $1,280 to get my four people into the track compared with $220 costs for the non-seat pass person using four entries into the track.

NYRA is unable to grasp that maybe something is wrong here?

NYRA penalizes the seat-buying person and rewards the season's pass people. That is not a way to run a race track and that covers the very esteemed Saratoga Race Course, once No. 1 in the land."

Alan Hirsch

howardbeale says:
08 Jul 2015  at  01:48 pm | #
Forget the drugs, casino money being wasted on huge purses, and takeout, guys like this are the main reason for the continued decline in wagering and attendance. With parking, admission, program or racing form, a bite to eat...a place to sit, how much is the average person down before making the first bet? What is the attraction that I would use my limited discretionary income to attend Saratoga? Now I take my $50 or $100 bucks and use my adw account and spread the money around, maybe drinking a beer and munching on junk food.

As someone who has been doing this for over 40 years, the only on track experiences I miss are the camaraderie, the sense of us versus them, (did you see, they made the 6 the favorite) trading bad beats and stories, mixing with backside peeps, and the atmosphere. Now this isn't the kind of person who the bean counters want to attract. Is it the upscale client who comes once or twice a year and sees it as an outing and not a gambling venue that they are trying to attract? How many people even buy the racing form anymore? They have made handicapping a lost art.
Selling over priced lunches in the dining room is more important than catering to the guy who wants to bet a few bucks and try and make some money. More and more this is the way the industry is heading.

At some point the Saratoga bubble will burst.