New York Gaming Commission posting weekly reports on website

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The New York State Gaming Commission on Tuesday began posting on its website detailed weekly reports from the New York Racing Association tracks and hopes to do the same for Finger Lakes and the state’s seven harness tracks at a later date.

The reports, which were recommended by the Fan Advisory Council, will include detailed explanations of any stewards' rulings, inquiries and claims of foul. Further, the reports will also include certain wagering data, a list of horses claimed, and equine fatalities.

“There is no doubt that providing such information on how stewards make a decision serves to further the integrity of New York horse racing,” said Ron Ochrym, the acting director of the commission’s Division of Horse Racing, who announced the detailed reports at Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the gaming commission.

Similar reports are posted by the commissions in Delaware, California and Washington.

The reports will be about a week behind. For example, the report posted on the gaming commission site Tuesday is for the race week of May 12-18 at Belmont Park.

The reports are done in conjunction with the track stewards and Ochrym’s office.

“We were honored to be asked to provide ways to shed light on decisions that impact the betting public and all horse racing fans,” said Pat Connors, chairman of the Fan Advisory Council, in a press release.

Connors, who participated in Tuesday’s meeting by phone, also praised the New York Racing Association for acting on concerns expressed in a letter sent to NYRA president and CEO Chris Kay regarding last year’s Belmont Stakes, during which fans had difficulties with obtaining food and beverage, accessing wi-fi and exiting the track when the races were over.

Connors said his group met with Kay last August and that he has been pleased with NYRA’s announced plans to increase wi-fi capability, add food and beverage vendors and “maximize attendance.” NYRA has put a cap of 90,000 on attendance, presumably to allow the fans on track to have a more enjoyable experience.

“We’re pretty happy as a group with NYRA’s response to our concerns addressed in the letter and we hope that the 2015 running of the Belmont Stakes will be a much smoother affair,” Connors said during the meeting.

Robert Williams, the gaming commission’s executive director, reiterated that enhanced security protocols will be in place for not only the Belmont Stakes but for the other five Grade 1 races that will be held on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

The enhanced protocols include round-the-clock security for horses, 72 hours out in the case of the Belmont Stakes and 30 to 72 hours out in the case of other races. It also includes out-of-competition testing, which is supposed to be done 7 to 14 days out.

The gaming commission acknowledged that not all horses underwent out-of-competition testing before the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 4. Specifically, horses based in Florida such as Frosted, who won the Wood, and Toasting Master did not undergo out-of-competition testing.

While calling it “a simple mix-up” commission spokesperson Lee Park said the Jockey Club only requires a quarter to a third of horses entered in these designated races to undergo out-of-competition testing.

“We’re well beyond what the Jockey Club’s recommendation is,” Park said.

Recently, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has filed suit against the gaming commission for not having enough blood to perform a split sample for one of his horses who had extreme overages of Lasix and banamine in its system last September at Belmont Park.

Both Park and Williams said that New York law does not require providing for a split sample.

Williams would not address whether the commission would take enough blood to provide for possible split samples if a horse tests positive for any Grade 1 race on June 6.

Williams would only say, “We want to ultimately meet the best practices for horse racing, and this is something that we will be reviewing and considering.”

In other items at the meeting:

In response to a horse owner’s inquiry of what the commission has done to address treatment of retired race horses, Williams, the executive director, said a forum on the subject will be held in August at Saratoga.

Not on the agenda at Tuesday’s gaming commission meeting was the state’s investigation into Steve Asmussen in the wake of allegations made by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals in March 2014.

Lee Park, spokesperson for the gaming commission, said the report is at “the staff level, going through rewriting and editing process.” There is no timeline on when it will be delivered to the commission members or when the members will discuss it publicly.

Park did say: “It’s a very comprehensive investigation. It’ll be a very comprehensive and detailed report.”