Was in the vicinity of Belmont Park and had time to stop in for the first 2 races.

I haven't been to Belmont for a few months so I stopped at all my old haunts-- the Paddock/ backyard area, the absolute top level of the grandstand (one of the great panaromic views in all of racing, a view which contains North Shore Towers (once and maybe still a very exclusive address)and the Creedmoor Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Now and then the relative silence is punctuated by a LIRR train; the leaves on the row of trees along the outside rail of the backstretch are beginning to change.

The seats on the grandstand side on the lower second level (the level where the LIRR ramp is) provide a tremendous viewing angle as the runners are on the final turn.

Still a sublime and unique setting for Racing. But ridiculous that counting the track employees and spectators, there were probably no more than 3000 people at a facility which could probably comfortably hold 75,000.

My mantra for NYRA has been as follows: Saratoga meet too long; Belmont is hallowed ground; Frank Stronach is the Devil; the road to Racing's ruin is paved with Polytrack.

I think that all changed today. Here is one man's vision:

A large portion of Belmont's property, including the property on which the grandstand and the main track sit, is sold to a public entity (NYC, Nassau County or NY State) and developed as public parkland. The rest of the property, where the barn area and training track is, is developed to stable more horses and to have multiple training surfaces (ie turf, dirt, all weather/Poly). The proceeds from the sale of the Belmont Property is used, partially, to fund the Renovation of Aqueduct (see below).

NYRA becomes a 2 venue circuit (Aqueduct/Saratoga). Aqueduct opens on January 1 and races 4 days a week until March 15, when 5 day a week racing begins.

Racing shifts to Saratoga sometime around June 20, for a meet which races 5 (not 6) days per week through Labor Day.

Racing reopens at Aqueduct the second week of September and runs through the end of November. Racing could be conducted on a limited basis (or not at all) in the month of December. (The idea of giving the entire horse population a mandated one month vacation might lead to a slightly sounder horse population, resulting in larger fields throughout the rest of the year).

The key to the plan is the total renovation of Aqueduct including: Renovation/ partial destruction of the entire existing facility, leaving a smaller, modern state of the art structure featuring the long awaited VLT facility, numerous simulcast facilities and dining options, sports bars, etc. The simulcast facilities will be very important during the winter months when the better racing is conducted in warmer climes and the live product is only presented four days a week.

Aqueduct surfaces would also have to be reconfigured: Lets say you start with a 10 furlong traditional dirt surface; inside of this main track a wide, Gulfstream style 9 furlong Turf course; inside of the grass course a one mile all weather/polytrack type surface. The Belmont Stakes would be contested over the main track at either 1- 1/4 or 1- 1/2 miles.

The capacity of Aqueduct's backstretch would have to be increased.

All in all, Aqueduct would have to be transformed from a pigeon smeared eyesore into one of the Nations great racing/ simulcasting venues.

The one man who has proven that he could probably orchestrate this type of total makeover: The Devil himself, Frank Stronach. I would sell Aqueduct to Magna, but Saratoga would be administered and preserved by a NYRA-like body or by authority or commission established by the state.

This pained me to write, because I still believe Belmont is hallowed ground. If you go through Racing's Hall of Fame, probably more than 80% of those enshrined (horses, trainers, owners, jockeys) had some connection with Belmont, if not a longstanding one.

This vision was partly inspired by the announcement on Monday that the VLT facility at Yonkers Raceway was to have its opening delayed. The VLT facility at Aqueduct continues to be just an awful example of what politics and politicians can do to a good idea. You need what the Yiddish language calls a "tummler"-- a Frank Stronach type, if not the Devil himself, to push projects such as this through.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2006 05:44AM by richiebee.