Noonan: Integrity in New York racing?

by Paulick Report Staff | 06.01.2012 | 2:47pm

Tom Noonan writes about his concerns regarding the state of racing in New York and the takeover of the sport by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Noonan questions the validity of the allegations as an investigation into the issues has not been completed. Before any investigation was completed, former president and former general counsel of the New York Racing Association were both fired for allegedly knowing the state was using the incorrect takeout rate. When NYRA moved to elect new leaders to fill the absence left by the firings, its choices for the positions were immediately rejected as inappropriate. Moves by the governor to make changes to the structure of NYRA are of questionable legality, writes Noonan.

Noonan writes: “More troubling than even these actions of questionable legality, however, were statements in the May 15 letter disparaging the motivations or behavior of unnamed Board members with no substantiating evidence. The letter raised the possibility that a majority of Board members may have a conflict of interest because of “specific financial interests in horse racing.” This letter by the state’s two highest officials regulating horse racing fails to mention, however, that such “specific financial interests” are explicitly permitted under the state’s laws. In addition, the letter warns that the Racing & Wagering Board “[u]pon completion of the Inspector General’s investigation … will commence a review of the licenses of management and Board members to determine whether standards of character and fitness have been violated sufficient to terminate an individual’s right to participate in horse racing….” Or, to paraphrase, after an independent, objective review - the results of which are not known - we are still going to see if we can punish you. Finally, the letter threatened to consider revocation of NYRA’s franchise - but again, only after the completion of an independent, objective review.”

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Figless

So his use of otherwise legal training methods, combined with shipping on an extremely hot day (how many other horses running that day shipped?) resulted in an overage, so he must be banned for life according to some?

The law is the law, and he is being held responsible under the responsibility rule, but a fair review of the evidence points to an accidental overage, and against an intentional “milkshake”, so can we please accept the findings for what they are instead of blowing it out of proportion.
Figless

sorry wrong thread
Figless

Noonan, good job asking the questions that should be asked
Lory

NYRA HAS LONG LOOKED DOWN IT’S NOSE AT OTHER JURISDICTIONS .THE ROTTEN APPLE IS IN THE TOP OF THE BARREL AND THE ROTTEN APPLE IS NOW STUCK ON THE
NOSE OF THE LOOKER DOWNERS. SORRY BIG SHOTS KICKING A MAN WHEN HE IS DOWN IS NOT NICE, BUT IN THIS CASE SATISFYING
Rufusous

I’m still waiting for them to figure out that Paterson, Silver, Sampson, and Smith were directly involved in the Aqueduct Casino bid-rigging scam and should be prosecuted and/or impeached. They cost the state millions of dollars. Notice how Cuomo and Sabini did absolutely nothing to them. Their implicit message is, “We don’t like cheaters, unless of course, you’re one of us. Then, it’s perfectly okay.”
voiceofreason

Why stir the pot? We all know what went on. You sign one deal to get in, another to let you off.
Don Reed

Like I said elsewhere, there are so many lawyers involved in what’s now going on in racing, the next step will be hoisting a live, electronic tote board behind the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington.
Don Reed

After the first Clinton presidential eelction, an established Washington journalist penned a best-selling, anonymous book about the campaign.

Other journalists smelled blood and zeroed in a likely suspect, our WDC journalist, who vehemently denied being the author.

Well, he was the author, eventually he was outed, and the media establishment (much more concentrated than today, this was the pre-Internet era) came down on him like an atomic bomb.

They weren’t mad that he lied to the “disenfranchised” (non-media) American public. They were furious that he lied to THEM, the exhalted mmbers of the club.

Times have changed.
MamaKin

Too many paper bags full of cash. NOTHING is gonna happen. That’s why NOBODY KNOWS…..what happened to the $8.5 million?
Don Reed

From what I understand, what was accountable due to the electronic records of the NYRA Rewards program was refunded to their own customers. Other tracks were credited with similar refunds.

But if you cashed these -1% “short” tickets at a window after making a cash bet, and the cancelled ticket was not returned to you (which they usually are not), kiss your refund goodbye. Even if the “paid” tickets were retained by NYRA in storage boxes, the knowledge of who made the bet and cashed the ticket will be forever unknown.

Which leads me to a tangent worth mentioning: DO NOT EVER, if you want to front and back wheel a horse for half or all of the exacta, agree to a teller’s thoughtless and insane insistence that you be given a “box” bet (on one ticket).

Insist on receiving two tickets (i.e., “$1 exacta front wheel, Race 3, Monmouth, #1/All; & $1 exacta front wheel, All/#1″), because even if you cash, one of the two tickets is a loser.

Keep the losing ticket. You never know when you might need it, because believe me, this will not be the last time that we discover after the fact that a take out rate has not been lowered on the date specified by law, regardless of which track is involved.

Regardless of the percentage, at least you’ll get half of the refund that they’ll owe you (of course, if there’s no teller, but instead, you were betting with a “Rewards”-type program, eventually, you’ll be credited with the entire refund due you).

People won’t remember the NYRA Takeout Fiasco of 2010-12?

Never mind the horse racing finances. Let’s get into the big leagues.

Not too long ago – what, three years? – a successful film, “Social Network,” put the world on notice that Mr. Zuckerberg was the last guy in the world to trust your money with.

Heard what happened with the Facebook IPO?

If there are any factual errors above, please let me know of them. This is what I understand, after having read the news reports.
Don Reed

“But if you cashed these -1% ‘short’ tickets at a window after making a cash bet, and the cancelled ticket was not returned to you (which they usually are not), kiss your refund goodbye. Even if the “paid” tickets were retained by NYRA in storage boxes, the knowledge of who made the bet and cashed the ticket will be forever unknown.”

I should amend this. If you cashed a ticket that due to the rules, you owed taxes on, then of course, you did a “signer” and that would be on record and theoretically, you should have gotten a refund. At the very least, you’d have a record of the transaction and would be able to figure out if you were due the extra 1%.