The New York Racing Association held its second public forum Monday, Aug. 26, providing an opportunity for its customers to speak directly to the association’s management. The first public forum was held at Belmont Park in June. The June meeting was commandeered by a local union, which sent representatives not employed by NYRA to challenge acrimoniously the…
A day after two horses broke down in the same race on the turf at Saratoga Race Course the issue dominated a scheduled New York Racing Association Equine Safety Committee. The committee met via teleconference Aug. 25. Committee chair Anthony Bonomo Sr., whose homebred Heading to Toga was euthanized on the outer turf course earlier in August, said he…
After meeting with the media earlier in the day July 17, New York Racing Association president and chief executive officer Christopher Kay made his first public appearance at the annual Saratoga Race Course meet preview at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Kay was one of five panelists who took questions from moderator Brien…
Despite a press conference that was at times contentious, New York Racing Association president and CEO Chris Kay said that he hopes to be at the helm of NYRA for a long time. Kay met with members of the Saratoga Race Course press corps Jul 17, taking questions for approximately 30 minutes on topics ranging…
The New York Racing Association, as many had expected, on June 18 hired Chris Kay as its chief executive officer, effective July. The vote was unanimous during a late afternoon meeting. The CEO position has been vacant for about a year. NYRA board chair David Skorton called Kay a “dream candidate” and praised his high…
A public hearing held by the New York Racing Association at Belmont Park June 15 was intended to focus on racing, wagering, and marketing, but within minutes of its 9:30 a.m. EDT start, it turned into an acrimonious, impromptu union meeting. Dozens of NYRA employees and union representatives packed the small room in which the…
New York Racing Association board chairman David Skorton said April 29 he would be “less than happy” if a new chief executive officer had not been named by June 8, day of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I). When a June 10 board meeting was announced in the run-up to the Belmont, rumors circulated broadly that…
At a hastily called meeting April 29, the New York Racing Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to install an interim management team, effective May 1. The interim management team is comprised of three people all currently working in executive positions at NYRA: Glen Kozak, vice-president of facilities and racing surfaces; David O’Rourke, vice-president of…
When racing and government collide, the residents of the state of New York have learned to be patient. We waited for a VLT operator to be named. We waited for a franchise operator to be chosen. We waited for a board to be selected. We wait, still, for NYRA’s next CEO to be appointed. One…
President Ellen McClain’s resignation from the New York Racing Association, announced Friday during a meeting of the organization’s new transitional board of directors in New York City, isn’t the only change expected in the near future at New York tracks. Read more at the Saratogian…and click here for coverage of Ellen McClain’s resignation.
Brooklyn Backstretch 