Tuesday, May 18, 2010

“Gov. Paterson: NYRA, Saratoga horse racing meet will be saved” plus 2 more

“Gov. Paterson: NYRA, Saratoga horse racing meet will be saved” plus 2 more

Gov. Paterson: NYRA, Saratoga horse racing meet will be saved

Posted: 18 May 2010 01:19 PM PDT

The Paterson administration wants to provide a loan of $15 million to $25 million to keep the New York Racing Association operating until it receives its share of long overdue revenue from video slot machines at Aqueduct Race Track.

The money would come from a capital construction fund for the video slots and be repaid by NYRA. Paterson said a vendor to build and operate the video slot machine "racino" at Aqueduct is expected to be chosen by Aug. 1.

The new proposal shared with legislative leaders Tuesday replaces a previous plan to loan NYRA $17 million, which was found to be unworkable.

Paterson was asked in a news conference if NYRA will run out of money before the Saratoga summer meet, as NYRA officials warned Monday.

"That's not going to happen," Paterson said. "We have a plan to loan NYRA, in the short term, money to get through Saratoga and we're working on a long-term plan to help beyond that."

Paterson said he expects the Legislature to approve the new proposal.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he supports NYRA, but he hasn't seen the proposed legislation yet. The state's most powerful legislative leader added he isn't rejecting it. Silver declined further comment.

There was no immediate comment from NYRA.

Paterson said the plan hasn't hit any snag and he expects the legislature to approve the latest bailout as they have past plans to support NYRA. The private entity runs thoroughbred racing in New York at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga under a franchise agreement.

"They haven't committed to do it, but we have it ready," Paterson said. "I think they'll pass it."

NYRA officials said the agency is running out of money and may have to shut down in less than three weeks, the day after the Belmont Stakes.

"I don't have any information that that's what is going to happen," said the governor.

On Monday, a leading horseman described the situation as "catastrophic" and said that even Saratoga - the jewel of New York racing - could be threatened by the turmoil.

NYRA CEO Charlie Hayward said Monday that cash problems must be resolved with the state "to make it through the entire Belmont Park race meet."

Several horsemen said racing could be halted June 6. That would be a day after the Belmont Stakes is run, although without any star power since Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky are bypassing the final leg of the Triple Crown.

The Belmont meet ends July 18 before racing shifts upstate to Saratoga for the state's most lucrative meet, which runs July 23-Sept. 6.

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Official: Lincoln's Economy Will Be Hurt if Horse Racing Leaves

Posted: 18 May 2010 04:35 PM PDT

The horse racing season is off to a good start in Lincoln. With a 16% jump in money spent during opening weekend over last year, racing officials say they think the sport is gaining popularity. But there are still questions about the future of horse racing in Lincoln.

Now that the University of Nebraska owns the old State Fair Park, they're only under contract to keep the sport alive on their grounds through 2012. Tom Sage, Executive Director of the Nebraska State Racing Commission says he hopes racing will stay in the Capital City.

"The track's important to stay here. They're gonna be here through 2012, so the horse racing community needs to make sure this track is running well, doing well, through 2012 and see where we go from there," said Sage.

Sage says Lincoln's economy is affected much more by racing than most people realize.

"Racing's very important for Lincoln. It brings in a lot of money. Our owners, our trainers, our grooms, our people that work with the horses, they don't all live in Lincoln... They rent motels, they rent apartments, they go grocery shopping, they use fuel, they shop in the restaurants, and our shops here in Lincoln. Racing has a great economic impact in Lincoln."

Sage says though the Lincoln Race Course is only one of five live tracks in Nebraska, it brings in more than a quarter of the money bet on horses throughout the state every year.

"Last year, 2009, we bet $89.9 million, wagered, our wagering dollar, 25% of it again, was generated here in Lincoln," said Sage.

And for horse owners like Ron Westermann, losing the 32 days of racing the Lincoln Race Course provides every year will really hurt his business.

"Racing to me is my whole livelihood. I raise them, I breed the mares, we have little babies, we bring them all the way up to their first race," said Westermann.

Right now he's got about 20 race horses in Lincoln, where, in the next 29 days of racing, he'll make most of his money for the entire year.

"Lincoln has the best purses of any race track in the state," Westermann said. "If our days would go away, where we could only race 60-something days, it's like the working man working six months a year and going on vacation for six months. He can't make his house payments, and neither could I."

Westermann is a member of the Horsemen's Benevolence and Protective Association, and he says they are forming preliminary plans for a new track in Lincoln where racing could continue. He says he's confident they'll be able to build one eventually, the big issue right now is financing.

To learn more about the HBPA or the Lincoln Race Course, just click on the links below.

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Mister Big, nine others to be inducted into Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame

Posted: 18 May 2010 12:27 PM PDT

TORONTO - Mister Big, the second-richest pacer of all time, and trainer Robert McIntosh top the list of six horses and four individuals headed to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Mister Big, a son of Grinfromeartoear, amassed career earnings over $4 million. He finished in the money 65 times in 85 career starts — 34 wins, 20 second-place finishes and third another 11 times. And 18 times the multiple Dan Patch and Nova Award winner posted a time of 1:49 or lower.

He is owned by American Joseph Muscara and is standing his first season as a stallion at Tara Hills Stud Farm in Port Perry, Ont.

McIntosh, from Windsor, Ont., is a four-time O'Brien winner as Canada's top trainer and is also the leading trainer in the Breeders Crown with 15 wins. He has recorded over 3,562 wins and his horses have amassed more than $78 million in earnings.

Thoroughbred inductees announced Tuesday include Belmont Stakes winner Victory Gallop, along with Lady Angela, one of the most influential dams in breeding history, and multiple stakes winner Victorian Era in the veterans category. They join builder Mel Lawson of Hamilton and trainer-jockey Frank Barroby.

Joining Mister Big in the standardbred class of 2010 is broodmare Classic Wish along with builder R. Peter Heffering and A Worthy Lad in the veterans category.

The 10 new inductees will be enshrined Aug. 19 at the Mississauga Convention Centre.

Victory Gallop was bred by Toronto's Ivan Dalos of Tall Oaks Farm and foaled at Joanne Clayton's Darrowby Farm in Loretto, Ont., but never raced in Canada. He was sold for $25,000 at the fall yearling sales in Kentucky.

The colt blossomed after being acquired by Prestonwood Farm. Trained by Elliott Walden, Victory Gallop won the Rebel Stakes and the Arkansas Derby before second-place finishes in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Victory Gallop then thwarted Real Quiet's bid to become the first winner of the Triple Crown in 20 years with a nose victory at Belmont.

Lawson, 87, and Jim Dandy Stables were involved in the breeding and racing of quality horses for almost 50 years. His Sovereign Award winners were Eternal Search — who won it three times — Let's Go Blue and Ginger Gold. His horses have won 46 stakes races.

Barroby, 66, dominated racing as a jockey, winning titles in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. Three times he was the leading trainer at Hastings Park in Vancouver and is the first B.C.-based trainer to be selected for induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Heffering, of Port Perry, Ont., has campaigned many notable horses including Precious Bunny, a winner of over $2 million and a member of the Hall of Fame. In 1996, Heffering and his son, David, opened Tara Hills Stud Farm and it has become one of Canada's most successful stallion stations. Heffering has also served on numerous standardbred organizations, including the board of directors of Standardbred Canada, Woodbine Entertainment Group and the Hambletonian Society.

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