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Logistics Force Attendance Limit At Belmont Stakes, While NYRA's Kay Looks To Future

The Belmont Stakes historically has "attracted gigantic crowds" when a horse has a shot at winning the Triple Crown, including 102,199 last year for California Chrome's attempt, but a "more modest crowd will be on hand" Saturday, according to Melissa Hoppert of the N.Y. TIMES. Belmont Park this year will "accommodate 90,000 -- a little more than half the number of people Churchill Downs permitted for the Kentucky Derby." NYRA officials have "pre-emptively decided to turn people away from one of its rare headline events" after an "inadequate supply of food and drinks, and transportation blunders left many visitors unhappy" last year. As a result, the track and the Long Island Rail Road "were deemed incapable of efficiently handling more people." The NYRA has perhaps "reluctantly concluded" that the 90,000 cap "makes more sense." Officials this year are "trying to avoid a repeat of last year’s problems by boosting staffing, providing customer service training, adding food options, increasing security, rethinking traffic flow and parking and refurbishing the railroad’s Belmont Station." The LIRR spent more than $4M "on improvements that will allow the station to accommodate longer trains and get passengers in and out more quickly." Four empty trains will "greet the first wave of riders, and others will be waiting when those fill up." A Goo Goo Dolls concert is "planned after the final race in an attempt to further stagger the departure times." Both NYRA and the LIRR are "urging people to buy tickets well in advance, to arrive early and to stay late." As of Sunday, about "22,000 general admission tickets remained" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/1).

IT'S LOGISTICS: On Long Island, Candice Ruud notes fans attending on Saturday "should plan for delays of as much as two hours" leaving the venue (NEWSDAY, 6/4). DAILY RACING FORM's Matt Hegarty noted Belmont on Saturday will at the very least "have 12,000 fewer fans than last year," which means "fewer people inside the track waiting in line for concessions and bathrooms, taxing the track’s wireless network, and jockeying for seats they may or may not be entitled to." Those were "among the litany of complaints from last year’s fans." NYRA VP/Security George Venizelos said, "All in all, I think you’ll see a great improvement. But the bottom line is that it’s not going to be like a day when you have 2,000 people here. It’s not going to be perfect, but it’s going to be much better -- the way it should be, frankly" (DRF.com, 6/3).

UNDER PRESSURE: In N.Y., Aaron Elstein in a cover story writes while NYRA President & CEO Christopher Kay has "steered NYRA back into the black -- and shaken up an outfit that clearly needed it -- even he hasn't been immune from its chronic missteps." The "pressure is on him to produce a better Belmont Stakes this weekend than last year's, which featured multiple snafus that confirmed people's worst fears about the organization." Fans "bemoaned everything from expensive bottled water to long lines to exit the parking lot or board" the LIRR. Kay has "taken steps to ensure this weekend's marquee event goes more smoothly." Kay said, "We're profitable and debt-free for the first time in years and a much more trustworthy organization today." Elstein notes a report by the Jockey Club shows revenue growth still "remains elusive in a sport where attendance dropped by half in the U.S." between '92 and '10, and the "advancing age of its fans suggests things will only get worse." Kay in an effort to "stoke interest ... has focused marketing on a handful of big races" at Belmont and Saratoga Race Course. This year, he is turning the Belmont Stakes into a "multiday happening, starting with a ceremony" yesterday at Rockefeller Center "featuring owners and trainers." His long-term goal is to "turn the tracks and their ample real estate into something like theme parks offering concerts and other diversions along with the horses." He also wants to "hold races at night, though that would require a change in the law that surely would be resisted by competitors in harness racing." But his "most controversial move has been to raise prices for admission and simulcasts" (CRAIN'S NEW YORK BUSINESS, 6/1 issue).

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