Posts Tagged ‘david paterson’

Today’s first race at Aqueduct was cancelled due to a horsemen’s boycott designed to draw attention to their plight and the failure of Gov. David Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, among others, to agree on an operator for video lottery terminals or slot machines at Aqueduct, which has been delayed a decade.

Gary Contessa, a leading New York trainer, told the Paulick Report more than 1,000 horsemen attended a rally at Belmont Park Sunday morning calling for action by the governor and others to make a decision on the VLT contract.

Following are Contessa’s comments to the Paulick Report:

“We are trying to get the attention of Albany to let them know what a catastrophic situation we have with New York racing right now, the political ineptness, the absolute inability to get anything done. We are in support of racing. We had a thousand or more people at Belmont today. We had a big rally and cancelled the first race. We did this the right way. We let NYRA know we weren’t coming long before today.

“Hopefully we can wake somebody up, get the governor out of bed, get him to move, get him to do something, or there is going to be more. There is going to be more. We need to move.
 
“We have an absolute political nightmare in New York right now, and I hold the governor and Sheldon Silver personally responsible for this mess. The bottom line is the state is losing a million dollars a day by not having VLTs in new york—a million dollars a day that would go to education, and all we want to do is survive.

“We get a small piece of that and it would help us immensely, just to be competitive. We don’t want to be second–the second best in racing to New Jersey or second best racing to Penn National or Philadelphia Park. We want to be the best. We want to stay on top. We’re not.
 
“We’ve fallen from grace, and without the governor getting off his behind and making a decision about these VLTs, we are never going to regain what New York is supposed to be, which is the capital of American racing. The bottom line is we are just trying to get someone’s attention. It’s all about getting these politicians getting off their hands and doing something.
 
“The bottom line is we are just trying to get somebody’s attention today.

Read more about the rally at Thoroughbred Times

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Ray Paulick

After much back and forth about the legitimacy of the deal struck by Governor David Paterson and AEG, the Division of the Lottery in New York has refused to give the controversial investor group the slots bid at Aqueduct.

Because of this refusal, Paterson’s administration informed AEG the state has withdrawn their support of the organization.

No doubt this came as a result of the political pressure and lack of transparency in the bid process for the long anticipated VLTs at the Queens racetrack.

Read it at Bloodhorse.com

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

Since embattled Governor David Paterson named Aqueduct Entertainment Group the vendor for Aqueduct’s proposed VLTs, there has been nothing but controversy swirling around his decision. And while nothing specific has been released, it appears the probe from state investigators into AEG is only making matters worse.

"It’s becoming clearer and clearer that there’s a problem there," a source close to the investigation said. Digging through emails and documents between the state and racino bidders, officials have told investigators they were shocked with the selection of AEG.

"AEG was not highly thought of, at least not by the (administration) bureaucrats."

Read at the NY Daily News

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

Rev. Floyd Flake, who has been at the center of the controversial decision by Gov. David Paterson to award the slots contract at Aqueduct to AEG, defended the company he has a small stake in.

After the service, the Reverend would not make any comments to the press and drove off in his Mercedes-Benz. There are a lot of comments that could be made on this, but we’ll leave that up to you. Something doesn’t smell right here.

Read it at the New York Daily News

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

State Senate GOP leader Dean Skelos was not alone in questioning Gov. David Paterson’s decision to award Aqueduct Entertainment Group the Aqueduct contract. Skelos is now calling for a hearing to uncover the selection process, one that was done behind closed doors.

"The governor’s selection of AEG raises more questions than answers," he said. "After seeing reports about possible political considerations as well as reports that AEG may have been the lowest-rated bidder by the Lottery Division, the public has every reason to be skeptical."

Not knowing the situation as intimately as some, we will not pass judgment on the Governor. But there is certainly no harm in shedding light on the process, regardless of the outcome.

Read it at The Saratogian

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

It’s been a hectic couple of days over at Penn National. Of course, the Michael Gill incident broken here on the Paulick Report has taken on a national spotlight within our industry. And now, on a completely unrelated note, the same company has written a strongly worded letter to New York Governor David Paterson. CEO Peter Carlino even goes as far as to say "it would almost appear that some might be trying to find ways to not award this contract to Penn."

Below is the statement that accompanied the letter.

It was reported this morning that the State may not be able to benefit from an upfront license fee in this year’s budget, which closes on March 31.  As described in the attached letter that was sent by Penn National Chairman and CEO, Peter Carlino, to the leaders in Albany, we are well positioned to provide an immediate cash payment to the state of $301 million, the highest up front amount that has been offered, prior to the budget deadline if we are selected for Aqueduct.  Please see the attached and we would be happy to answer any follow up questions.

Click here for the letter to Governor Paterson

Then let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

As if the struggling racing association needed any more bad news, NYRA now faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for pollution violations, the worst being dumping horse manure from Belmont Park racetrack into Jamaica Bay. They have also racked up nine other violations at Belmont, two at Saratoga Race Course and three at Aqueduct for compliance issues. Each violation carries a maximum fine of $37,500 a day.

"Waste manure and bedding materials were observed overflowing from the concrete pits," the NY state inspector reported. Pretty hard to defend such a gross pollution violation.

On a somewhat related note, we are still waiting on Governor Paterson to lead on the issue of slots. I wrote here a couple weeks ago that this could be a great opportunity to see leadership out of the much maligned governor. Due to his inaction, I’m starting to see why Paterson has an approval rating lower than Nancy Pelosi’s.

Click here for the Albany Times-Union story

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think.

- Bradford Cummings

New York Governor David Paterson declared his intent to take matters into his own hands by naming a vendor for the racino conversion at Aqueduct.

Whether he’s hearing the desperation call from NYRA as a real warning sign of bad things to come or cozying up to a constituency he needs desperately on his side to have any chance of winning reelection, it almost doesn’t matter. It’s refreshing to see someone exert leadership into this saga. This could end up being a real home run for the much-beleaguered Governor if he can resolve this mess.

Click here for the entire Times-Union article

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think.

- Bradford Cummings

A new program awaits backstretch workers when the New York Racing Association kicks off its summer meeting at Saratoga racetrack in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Wednesday, thanks to John Hendrickson and his wife, Marylou Whitney, the longtime Queen of Saratoga.

Mike Veitch wrote in the Saratogian newspaper on April 30 that Hendrickson was putting together a program for "themed" dinners every Sunday night in addition to movies five nights a week during the 36-day meeting that runs through Labor Day, Sept. 1.

The dinners are being prepared by the same caterers who do the fund-raising galas for which Marylou Whitney is so famous. Hendrickson is coordinating the program with the Racetrack Chaplaincy and the Backstretch Employees Services Team (BEST). According to Veitch’s article, the dinners will take place on the Yaddo grounds adjacent to the "Jockey Y" recreation facility on Union Avenue.

Next Sunday’s kickoff dinner, as a tribute to the many Hispanic workers on the backstretch, is a Mexican fiesta, and will be funded by Whitney and Hendrickson.

Groups or individuals funding the other dinners are: Aug. 3 (Chinese), Stewart’s Shops; Aug. 10 (Italian), Ron and Michelle Riggi, Gainesway Farm and Overbrook Farm; Aug. 17 (Cuban), Jack and Debby Oxley and Tracy and Carol Farmer; Aug. 24 (Barbecue), Price Chopper; and Aug. 31 (Thanksgiving), Three Chimneys Farm, Live Oak Plantation, and Lane’s End. Additional sponsors for the program include Ed and Maureen Lewi, Pomegranate Inc., Allerdice Rentals, Panza’s Restaurant, Dogwood Stables, NYRA, Racetrack Chaplaincy and BEST.

Movies will be shown Wednesday through Sunday nights throughout the meeting on a 9 x 12 screen, either with Spanish subtitles or in Spanish. Commercial popcorn machines have been purchased by sponsors for the movies.

"Everyone I asked to help out said ‘yes,’" said Hendrickson, recently named but not yet confirmed as a member of the reconstituted NYRA board of trustees by powerful Senate Majority leader Joe Bruno, who announced his retirement this year. "This is a way trustees should get involved," he added.

With Bruno gone, New York racing no longer will have a strong advocate in state government. David Paterson, who became New York governor in March following the sex-scandal resignation of Eliot Spitzer, has made public comments critical of NYRA since taking office. At one point he even hinted that the process to give NYRA a franchise renewal be reopened.

Paterson has an interesting family tie to the sport and to the Whitney family that he mentioned briefly during the Belmont Stakes telecast June 7. His great-grandfather was a farrier who shod Harry Payne Whitney’s Upset for his victory over Man o’ War in the 1919 Sanford Stakes. It was Man o’ War’s only career loss and it is widely believed to have brought the term "upset" into the English vernacular.

H.P. Whitney was so happy following the Sanford he gave houses to several of the men who contributed to Upset’s victory, including one to Paterson’s great-grandfather. That was the house Paterson lived in as a child, according to Hendrickson, who says the governor affectionately calls Marylou Whitney "Cuz."

I guess a governor can get away with that. Everyone else around the area calls her the Queen of Saratoga. And it’s easy to see why. She is a beloved figure who has raised money for charitable causes for decades, especially in New York’s Capital District.

One of my only experiences with Mrs. Whitney came in a very odd way. While visiting the area before the race meeting one summer a dozen or so years ago for an event at the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs, I saw her in the lobby bar of the Marriott Hotel near the Albany airport. There she was in the middle of a big crowd, playing darts with college-aged kids in a fundraiser for some charity I’ve long since forgotten. Television cameras were there with live coverage of the event during the local news, and she was encouraging people to come down to the Marriott and challenge her to a game.

Her energy then was amazing, and her dedication to worthy causes like the new backstretch workers program at Saratoga remains strong to this day.

By Ray Paulick

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