Racing Makes No Difference to Spitzer

- Busy today at work before leaving for Nashville, but wanted to sneak in a quick post here. The Saratogian has an article containing some reaction to the Bloodhorse.com article about the possible closing of Aqueduct, and splitting up of the franchise.

And the reactions as reported by Paul Post are no surprise. "To me that's a bad idea," said Jack Knowles; and Assembly member Audrey Pheffer, who represents the district where the Big A is, said: "I'm going to fight like hell to keep Aqueduct open." The article also raises issues such as necessary revenue sharing from the downstate VLT's to keep Saratoga's purses competitive, that minor matter regarding the fact that present law prohibits slots at Belmont, and the effect the plan would have on consolidating the OTB's with the new operator(s).

Most alarming to me however, was this quote from Spitzer as relayed by Ms. Pheffer: "What's the difference if there are horses running or not?" That's a question I expect to see raised in the next few years by racino operators around the country once they get sick of subsidizing the racing side that contributes only a minuscule portion of their income but, for now, allows them to be in existence. But to hear it from the Governor of this state, at a time that we thought, in what was likely a flight of naive fancy, would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create an regulatory environment that could help the sport thrive, is disconcerting, disturbing....down right despicable, actually. I'm just disgusted. Between this, and his prior comments in the Troy Record, it's very clear that racing is very far down on his list of priorities. The reader who recently admonished me for saying that Spitzer was interested in getting something done with the Aqueduct racino was obviously sharper than I.

Also wanted to mention the presentation by Capital Play in Saratoga last night. Not much media coverage that I've seen. There's a brief report from a local TV channel here, and perhaps The Saratogian's report isn't up online yet. But thanks to the readers who reported on the meeting here, where there is already a lively debate on its merits. If you go to Capital Play's website, you can see their video presentation. (which is worthwhile even if only for some cool old news footage).

Their idea to attract young women reminds me of a time a number of years back when I was going into the Meadowlands, and heard a group of guys ask the admission guy, "So, where are the chicks??" Ha! Most tracks, places like Keeneland and Saratoga excluded, are virtual men's clubs. I wanted to tell these guys to check out the paddock before the next filly race. Look, it's a wonderful idea to create a big party atmosphere that new young fans will flock to. But Australia is a different culture, and there's no guarantee that the same strategy (even if they did orchestrate it Down Under as opposed to being a mere bookie as one commenter wrote) would be effective here.

I was in the party tent at Saratoga Harness over the summer, and it was pretty filled with a young crowd digging on the music, food, and company. Getting them out to see the races is another thing. Of course, they don't try at that track, and maybe if an outfit like Capital Play did, we'd see some results. But I seriously wonder if the governor is the least bit interested in giving them, or any of the other bidders, a shot at reviving a sport and industry that he doesn't seem to care about in the least.

Gotta go, speak to you next from Music City.