Belmont races still being aired on local television for now

ELMONT, N.Y. - Though a contract between the New York Racing Association and New York City has expired, the races from Belmont Park will continue to be shown on a city government access channel for an undefined period of time, according to a NYRA official.

A contract between NYRA and the city that allows the races to be broadcast on the New York City government access channel (1994 and 71 on Time Warner Cable, 27 on FIOS, and 74 on Cablevision in Brooklyn and the Bronx) expired at midnight Monday. But the races from Belmont Park were broadcast on those channels on Wednesday.

“We’re still in negotiations but the city has agreed to show the races,” said David O’Rourke, NYRA’s vice president of corporate development.

O’Rourke said that the city did not tell NYRA how long the races would continue to be shown on those channels, but he did say he felt they would be broadcast at least through Friday.

O’Rourke called it a “good-faith gesture” on the part of the city to continue to show the races while negotiations continued between the two parties.

NYRA took over the use of the channel in 2011, shortly after New York City OTB ceased to exist.