Aqueduct will have four-day race week during winter

NEW YORK - The New York Racing Association plans to reduce its live winter racing schedule at Aqueduct by about 12 days in 2016, going to a four-day race week from January through March, according to Chris Kay, NYRA’s chief executive officer and president.

The reduced schedule - Thursday through Sunday starting Jan. 7- has been approved by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, but must be approved by the New York State Gaming Commission before being implemented.

“Over the last several years the foal crop has declined nationally by 36 percent, race days in America have declined by 33 percent except here,” Kay said Wednesday following a NYRA Reorganization Board meeting in Manhattan. “Due to those exigent circumstances we think that it would be appropriate to have a reduction in race days during those winter months.”

Kay also noted that the highest number of equine fatalities at NYRA tracks appears to occur during the winter months.

“That’s another reason we believe it would be appropriate to reduce the number of days,” Kay said.

Rick Violette, president of NYTHA, a non-voting NYRA board member, and a trainer on the NYRA circuit, said he first proposed this four-day race week when the Reorganization Board was formed in 2012.

“Makes sense,” Violette said.

Meanwhile, it was revealed at the board meeting that Kay’s contract, which expired on Oct. 17, has been extended through Dec. 31, 2016. Seven other executives - including Martin Panza, NYRA’s senior vice president of racing operations - had their contracts extended through the end of 2017.

A year from now, it is expected that New York state will make a decision on whether or not to re-privatize NYRA. At the direction of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the state took control of NYRA at the end of 2012 and originally appointed this Reorganization Board for a three-year term but earlier this year extended its term for another year.

NYRA is in the midst of putting together a re-privatization plan for the state to review by the end of April 2016.

“We’re still getting feedback from various stakeholders. When we get that feedback we’ll say where we are,” Kay said.

Kay did say he was pleased that State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and other politicians have said NYRA should be re-privatized.

Most of the discussion during Wednesday’s board meeting detailed the success of the 2015 Saratoga meet. When international handle was figured in, all-sources handle on Saratoga’s 40-day meet was $656,121,664, a 14 percent increase over 2014. It was also reported that revenue from food and beverage sales during the meet was up 14 percent from 2014.

“Anytime you can generate a double-digit increase in revenue it’s a time for celebration,” Kay said.

Kay also reported that handle at the Belmont fall meet through Sunday (28 days) was $264.3 million, a 5 percent increase over the same period in 2014.

NYRA reported that for the first nine months of 2015, it has earned $133.7 million of net revenue from racing operations, while incurring $119.3 million in expenses. Additionally, NYRA has earned $89.5 million revenue from the video lottery terminals at Resorts World, the casino located at Aqueduct.

Kay said NYRA is on track to end the year with a $2 million profit, higher than the $1.7 million profit achieved in 2014.

Kay mentioned that NYRA is hoping to upgrade its television presentation, but did not offer details.

“We’re trying to do something a little different than what you see right now,” Kay said “I look forward to giving more details at the appropriate time.”

When racing moves to Aqueduct on Nov. 4, there will be a new horsemen’s lounge behind the box seat area that will accommodate 225 horsemen.

However, fans will find the same high prices for concessions as NYRA is still in talks with Genting, which operates Resorts World, to take control of the concessions on the racetrack side.

“There are a number of issues we’ve had with them and we hope to resolve those issues in the near future,” Kay said. “I don’t think we’re going to resolve them by the time we open Aqueduct. We’re making some progress.”