tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post2884515313281134062..comments2024-03-05T05:38:22.024-05:00Comments on Left at the Gate: Belmont BombshellAlan Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-72912609175252493202014-03-07T10:39:15.911-05:002014-03-07T10:39:15.911-05:00I saw on Grenning's Twitter page that NYRA wan...I saw on Grenning's Twitter page that NYRA wants to consolidate everyone into one area (Clubhouse). They should keep the 2nd floor grandstand open as a compromise. The views watching the races live from the clubhouse are not good. I don't enjoy watching races PAST the finish line. Very similar to the views at AQU today. Lets hope this is just an experiment & enough people will complain. They will have everything opened on Belmont Stakes day. I wonder how much they will increase these prices. They better watch & not just hire "experts" on how much they can charge. They pay these experts to tell them what they want to hear.Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-38354404860225433352014-03-06T21:39:37.432-05:002014-03-06T21:39:37.432-05:00Below comments indicates Genting WAS responsible f...Below comments indicates Genting WAS responsible for cleaning and the food service:<br /><br />"In response to complaints about the cleanliness of Aqueduct, NYRA has taken back the cleaning operations of its side of the track from Genting, the company that runs the thriving Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct. NYRA also is taking over the food services, having issued a request for proposal for a company to take over that area. Changes in that area likely will not be seen until the fall meet."Figlessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-67568147529975603372014-03-06T21:37:16.493-05:002014-03-06T21:37:16.493-05:00Footnote to the News article: "Other good new...Footnote to the News article: "Other good news: The death rate at NYRA tracks is now 1.5 per 1,000 starters, the lowest in the country"<br /><br />Will the Times be reporting this any time soon?Figlessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-73761153131388367392014-03-06T21:24:49.988-05:002014-03-06T21:24:49.988-05:00Regarding the expanded picnic area, they have botc...Regarding the expanded picnic area, they have botched this area since day one. Monmouth gets it right, provides at least one staffed mutual bay, NYRA provides about a half dozen machines most of which are certain to be inoperable by the third race (this may have changed with the new system).<br /><br />Most of the folks that attend the picnic events are newbies, and many are intimidated by the machines. It is very helpful to have a human present. At Belmont, if you want a human to sell you a ticket, you have to walk at least an eighth of a mile from the picnic area.Figlessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-8142617217826737592014-03-06T21:20:22.673-05:002014-03-06T21:20:22.673-05:00I've been a staunch defender of Kay since his ...I've been a staunch defender of Kay since his takeover, but closing the grandstand seating is absurd and frankly destroys much of my incentive to attend live. <br /><br />I love the backyard, but when I go to the "big" races I want to see them live, and the best place to do so is the grandstand seating. Only sport where the best seats are the easiest to obtain, and they are taking that away?<br /><br />I hope that Grening and your sources have it wrong, that only a portion of the grandstand will be closed.<br /> <br />Logical compromise would be to close the entire third floor and about half of the second floor on weekdays, but the best seats, inside the 1/8th pole, should remain available.Figlessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-89615258862718812542014-03-06T10:20:13.732-05:002014-03-06T10:20:13.732-05:00I was shocked to see they will close the 2nd &...I was shocked to see they will close the 2nd & 3rd floor Grandstand. That is the best area to watch the races. The clubhouse will get tight on weekends & the views are PAST the finish line. What are these fools thinking? I think the fools at NYRA are telling me to keep betting at home. Raise the price to enter & now have a bad view of the races through my binoculars. Not happy about this.Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-36972310794756788352014-03-06T09:42:57.382-05:002014-03-06T09:42:57.382-05:00Thanks for the clarification. I haven't taken ...Thanks for the clarification. I haven't taken the train there on a non-Belmont day in over 12 years and that wasn't the case then.<br /><br />Alan's points are spot on. The view from the clubhouse stinks. If they're going to try to attract new fans, the apron is the only spot to see the race that's any good. <br /><br />I do like the idea of a paddock screen and bar though. El Angelohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14145024095815950963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-21219506764037463862014-03-06T09:30:36.053-05:002014-03-06T09:30:36.053-05:00When you arrive via LIRR, you have to take the esc...When you arrive via LIRR, you have to take the escalator or stairs down to the first floor immediately after entering. Access to a large portion of the 2nd floor is already blocked off. jknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-43022869855238426622014-03-06T09:27:26.729-05:002014-03-06T09:27:26.729-05:00The new video board in the paddock will be a nice ...The new video board in the paddock will be a nice addition. Finally! indeed. Is it too little too late?<br /><br />All of the bean counter moves--increased admission & parking, closing top floors--will do nothing to reach the stated goal of increasing attendance. <br /><br />My crystal ball shows the Big A being shut down and a new slot parlor to fill Belmont's unused space.jknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-90720708233067502042014-03-06T09:19:12.899-05:002014-03-06T09:19:12.899-05:00How is the train connection going to work? Don'...How is the train connection going to work? Don't you have to walk through the grandstand if you take the lirr?El Angelohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14145024095815950963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-4923035909116891632014-03-06T09:17:14.134-05:002014-03-06T09:17:14.134-05:00Kay is an idiot, pure and simple. It took him 35 y... Kay is an idiot, pure and simple. It took him 35 years to make it back to a sport, that he claimed he loved. The only reason he really showed up was because they are paying him to, a phoney if ever there was one. <br /> His proposed admission increases are stupid. You don't raise prices when your attendence is declining, Economics 101.<br /> Notice the idiot didn't even mention the sex assault at Aqueduct at the meeting, but he did suggest that the pigeons don't belong there. The man is brilliant, isn't he? He must have considered that the sex assault was just enhancing the guest experience, and nothing to be concerned about. Artie Schillernoreply@blogger.com