One Third of Aqueduct Better Than None?

- I walked into Aqueduct for the 4th on Sunday, and gee, this seems like a pretty lively day here, I thought. That was a bit surprising given the anemic attendance there thus far plus the fact that it was a NY football Sunday. But, as I soon discovered, the speculation that NYRA would close the grandstand was indeed true. What a sad sight to see what has to be at least two-thirds of the grand old track shuttered, and the mere 4,050 in attendance on a gorgeous Indian summer day (it ain’t gonna get any better than that, folks) crammed into the clubhouse side.

If there’s anything good about that, it’s that it at least creates the illusion of a crowd, and a little buzz and atmosphere. But man, who ever thought that the Big A would go the way of Yonkers Raceway, which shuttered its grandstand many years ago. I thought too of all the regular workers who manned the familiar concession stands that are no longer open, including the West Indian food stand, which makes any appearance by the Head Chef there highly unlikely.

And unlike Yonkers, which is currently closed for construction of their slots parlor, the building of NYRA’s casino has STILL not started on the second floor of that grandstand, even though the association reached an agreement with horsemen over the splits last week.

NYRA president Charles Hayward, who over the summer said he expected work to start by Oct. 1, now predicts "hammers to be flying in a couple of weeks" after three more requirements are met. First, an overall construction manager has to be selected; second, NYRA has to hire a project manager.

"We're in the red zone," he said. "I expect both of those to be resolved by early next week at the latest."

Third, the state lottery commission has to give final approval to MGM Mirage to operate the casino for NYRA.

"We're about ready to tie that bow," said Hayward. [NY Post]

I hope they’re better in the red zone than the Jets are. Each day that’s wasted is another day that NYRA has to scrimp and save in order to survive until the day that slots come to Ozone Park.

No grandstand also means that there is no place in the track, other than the owners’ boxes, that one may watch a race live anywhere before the finish line. That’s like a baseball crowd being restricted to sitting in fair territory. It’s the next step toward racing in New York as a slots-subsidized studio sport, run with no spectators present. In Maine, they’ve dropped any pretense at all of slots having any synergy whatsoever with the sport it’s supposed to save, as the permanent slots facility for Bangor Raceway is being built in a nearby facility off the grounds. NYRA’s Charles Hayward hinted at an even more drastic delineation between the two when he surmised that Aqueduct could become strictly a slots destination with no racing at all. Though the suggestion was quickly retracted by NYRA following the negative reaction and derision it deservedly drew, one wonders if they’ll be anyone who cares enough to protest by the time the parlor finally gets off the ground.

- Didn’t have much luck on the card, which featured a series of NY Stallion races. Tried to beat the favorite Retribution in the grassy Cormorant Stakes, partly based on a negative trainer switch from the red-hot Gary Contessa to John Hertler. Used my man Channing Hill on Unnerving, but the favorite won and reversed me on my triple.

Then I was alive with a cold late double when Princess Sweet ($8.90) took the 8th, the Fifth Avenue Stakes for 2 yo fillies, making her two-for-two for Linda Rice. She swept to the lead around the turn, and it was agonizing to watch her stagger home in 14.12 second for the last eighth. Interestingly bred filly – her 4th dam is a full sister to Raise a Native, and she’s by Precise End, who is a Raise a Native line sire, and is out of a Meadowlake half sister to Molto Vita, second in the G1 Humana Distaff earlier this year.

But I knew I was in trouble for the second leg before the race went off. I had Premium Tap, although the favorite in the doubles, still returning a solid $39. However, I noted with trepidation that the hot horse in the win pool turned out to be Wild Nature; 6-1 in the morning line, but pounded to 2-1 by post time for none other than Richard Dutrow. This colt’s high Beyer was a full 13-14 points lower than each of the three other top contenders in the race, yet the money showed, and he drew off to win by 5 1/4. Hello! Though my horse ran 4th and wouldn’t have won anyway, it’s always annoying to lose to a hot horse like that from a trainer with a recent suspension for illegal medication.

I heard Frank Lyons on TVG over the weekend talk his buddy up for the “trainer award,” presumably the Eclipse. While I’m generally in favor of keeping the horse awards about the horses, and thus would support Saint Liam unless he had come out of the Classic with a needle stuck in his veins, the idea of promoting a guy who served a drug suspension for an Eclipse award in the same year is just a disservice to the sport. C’mon Frank, you should know better than that.