Richie, being a cooler aficionado, you might remember that there was a year (at least one) when they were banned, though I don't remember the specifics. One of my compadres with whom I've been attending the Spa for thirty years, has had the same cooler for the duration. I'm convinced it will go into the Hall of Fame, upon his passing, though if they can configure a way to get it into his casket, that would probably be his preference. Anyway, the year the ban went into effect, he wrote a letter to Kenny Noe, who was running the show at the time. The letter was rather diplomatic and inoffensive, simply expressing dismay at the policy. Mr. Noe's response, paraphrased only slightly, suggested that since drinking beer was more important to my friend than the race track experience, his concerns were not the track's concerns.

NYRA has always had a deft touch with customer appreciation.