With legislation still pending regarding the New York Racing Association’s franchise, it announced plans Monday, June 23, at the Desmond Hotel in Colonie to bring in big crowds and supply good times for the 2008 Saratoga racing meet.
Charles Hayward, chief executive for NYRA, acknowledged NYRA’s legal red tape is still an ongoing issue, but emphasized that NYRA is planning an exciting season for its 140th summer session at Saratoga.
I hope next year by this time there won’t be any talk about the franchise, Hayward said.
Hayward said that Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, R-Brunswick, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, and Gov. David Paterson have all been supportive of NYRA in its attempts to come out of bankruptcy.
Gavin Landry, NYRA’s senior vice-president of sales and marketing, highlighted several new ideas to help improve customer service and bring people to the track.
Five new restaurants; Grey Gelding, Hattie’s, Brindisi’s, Panza’s and 1 Caroline Street Bistro/Mouzon House, will be featured on-site this summer, a feature that Landry believes will provide a boost to the overall atmosphere at the track.
`NYRA is happy to be working with the local area to promote some of its more popular restaurants on track. As a gesture to the Saratoga community, NYRA waived some of its profits and paid for certain infrastructure in order to accomplish this. NYRA’s food and beverage concessionaire, Centerplate, was also a significant partner with these quality restaurants that are part of the attraction of Saratoga,` said Landry in a written statement.
Landry said this season there will be more corporate sponsorship, an additional picnic area and a `Spa` program that will offer an `elevated level of service` to customers.
NYRA is also hopeful they will be able to have Big Brown as a fan attraction. Big Brown won two out of the three legs of the Triple Crown and NYRA officials believe it is a possibility the horse will run at the $1 million, one-and-a-quarter-mile Travers on Aug. 23.
New wagering options will also be made available to help boost track appeal, including `rolling daily doubles,` with a wager offer pending approval from the New York State Racing and Wagering Board.
Additionally, all possible races will offer exactas and trifectas, according to information provided at the announcement.
Landry also announced the promotional giveaways for the upcoming meet. NYRA is eliminating its normal opening Thursday bobblehead giveaway, but still has five items lined up to bring in the crowds on Sundays.
The first giveaway is on July 27, and attendees will be given a baseball cap. The other four are scheduled for Aug. 3, when fans will be given a short-sleeve T-shirt; on Aug. 10, a `stadium seat` sponsored by the Daily Racing Form; on Aug. 17, a long-sleeve T-shirt sponsored by the Adirondack Trust Company; and on Aug. 31, a cooler bag.
Speculation about a potential decrease in track attendance due to the sluggish economy was also addressed.
`There are some uncertain economic times facing Saratoga,` said Hal Handel, NYRA’s chief operating officer.
He cited high gas prices and fickle weather as other possible reasons for a potential decrease in attendees.
He said the `allure of the track` and quality of the product are reasons the Saratoga track might not take such a large hit. He also said the attendance at Belmont and Aqueduct has been good despite the difficult economic times.
John Lee, NYRA’s communication director, said the high gas prices might not negatively affect attendance as much as some have speculated. He used the term `staycation` to illustrate that many patrons might opt to take a day trip to the track rather than go on longer, more expensive summer vacations.
Joe Dalton, president of the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, also expressed his lack of concern for the rising gas prices.
`I think there are two important factors to consider. First, people are not flying as much simply because they don’t want to spend a day in an airport. Second, even though the price of gasoline is double what it was a few years ago, people are more willing to drive to a vacation spot close to where they live,` said Dalton in a written statement.
Saratoga is close to a three-hour drive from Boston, New York City and Montreal.
Handel pointed out that the races will be broadcast in 32 states and in countries such as Canada, Mexico, England and Austria.
`There will be over 1,000 sites that involved in Saratoga racing,` he said.
NYRA still has some issues to deal with, including its bankruptcy and lack of an operator for the video lottery terminals at the Aqueduct track.
Hayward said there are several bidders for the VLT contract including Capital Play who made a bid on the entire franchise last year. New York state considered giving the racing contract to another entity due to NYRA’s bankruptcy, but ultimately chose not to give the contract away. There is a tentative 2009 date for an operator to be named and the Video Lottery Terminal’s to be made available to the public.
`[We have been] pretty much running on fumes from a financial perspective,` he added.
The Saratoga season will go from July 23 through Labor Day, Sept. 1. “