New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo “took control of horse racing in the state on Tuesday, announcing that he was creating a new board to replace the New York Racing Association,” according to Joe Drape of the N.Y. TIMES. NYRA “agreed to the arrangement that will place it under the control of government appointees for three years.” Cuomo said that the timing “had nothing do with" the June 9 Belmont Stakes, but that it was “urgent to address an imperiled horse-racing industry that has become increasingly reliant on the income drawn from a relatively recent arrival at the racetrack: casinos with hundreds of video slot machines.” He said that NYRA “had ‘never really worked’ since its inception in the ‘50s and cited decades of scandal, bankruptcy proceedings and a previous state financial bailout.” Drape notes racing in New York will now “be overseen by a board dominated by appointees of the governor and senior state legislators.” The current NYRA board “will be dissolved” and it is “unclear whether any existing members will be part of the new leadership.” Once appointed, the new board “will conduct a national search for new senior management” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/23). NYRA Chair C. Steven Duncker said, “This definitely is the best path going forward for New York racing. I think the structure, at a time when gaming is changing like it is, is the best structure for racing.” BLOODHORSE’s Tom Precious noted, “The governor praised the NYRA board for going along with the deal” (BLOODHORSE.com, 5/22).
GETTING THE RUN-AROUND: In Albany, James Odato notes the action “ends concerns about the Saratoga season, a fight that appeared to be headed toward legal confrontations and continued threats from the state to revoke its horse racing franchise.” NYRA board member John Hendrickson said, “This is a good day for racing; we’ve turned a page on a dark relationship.” Odato notes the “newly reconstituted NYRA should be in place by the next NYRA board meeting in early August” (Albany TIMES UNION, 5/23). In N.Y., Ed Fountaine writes the news “sent shudders through many enthusiasts of thoroughbred racing in New York.” If NYRA “becomes dominated by bureaucratic hacks appointed more for their political reliability than their business ability, then Joe $2 Bettor is in trouble.” NYRA and the state “have been at loggerheads for what seems like forever, much to the detriment of racing.” With the state running NYRA, “maybe they can finally accomplish something” (N.Y. POST, 5/23).
