Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Battle to Keep Racing at Saratoga

March 19, 2010

There's some anxiety in Saratoga Springs after a top official of the New York Racing Association (NYRA) warned over the weekend that the Saratoga Race meet could be scrapped unless the state helps out the cash-strapped racing group.

Joe Dalton, the president of the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, says locals are concerned, but Dalton describes the Saratoga meet as "the cash cow," saying there's no way NYRA would shut down until after it leaves the Spa City.

But NYRA board member Barry Ostrager told The Daily News, "This is a for-real financial crisis that could prevent racing from occurring in Saratoga this summer with what I consider to be apocalyptic consequences."

This dire prediction came after Governor Paterson announced that the Lottery Division will not grant a gaming license to AEG Entertainment, Paterson's hand-picked choice to operate video gaming machines at Aqueduct Race Track.

For almost nine years, the state has failed to select someone to run the VLTs, which are supposed to yield about one million dollars a day for the state and for the racing industry.

Horse people claim that breeders and trainers are moving to states that already have VLTs and therefore, bigger purses.

Meanwhile, at the State Capitol, Sen. Eric Adams had gathered top officials from New York City OTB, other OTBs around the state and the NYRA to try to solve NY OTB's dire fiscal situation. NYRA says one of the reasons for its own financial problems is the failure of NY OTB to pay the race association $15 million it is owed.