“In case you haven’t heard, Gov. Kathy Hochul is intent on dumping more taxpayer money into a ‘burn pit’ industry whose glory days are long gone.” And so begins an excellent board editorial from the New York Post today. Full piece, and my highlights:
“Earlier this month, New York Focus revealed that Hochul’s proposed budget would sink nearly a half billion dollars in public money into the state’s long-declining horse-racing industry to finance renovations at Belmont Park race track on Long Island.
“Hochul says taxpayers would be reimbursed in full, plus interest, in 20 years. Huh? The racing industry has been losing tens of millions over the last decade. Yet somehow, Hochul’s crystal ball sees a renaissance coming. In fact, that forecast is a self-serving NYRA-commissioned study that she won’t release.”
And the most recent New York Focus article: “Hochul Projects Horse Racing Renaissance, Declines to Share Evidence.”
The heat is on.
Stop horse racing, it’s cruel to the horses. They are dying everyday. Dopamine is bad it’s killing them . And you know it is happening. STOP
Excellent article by the New York Post.
Interesting commentary on the article and perfectly said by Steve Short in his comment.
A publicly funded report by the NYRA and this Gov. Hochul will not allow the public to read it ?
Yet she intends to use the public’s money to fund the animal cruelty in the horseracing industry in the state of New York.
It just beggars belief.
Ny Post never fails the public.
NY Post, the oldest and best!!
Not to make this political …because it shouldn’t be. But, Washington Post was the First to start writing very critical opinions on horse racing. A dear friend star columnist,posted numerous tweets, and mentions in her opinion columns, about “END it (hr’ing)NOW! Don’t get me wrong …NO one is more thrilled than mwah ,about the Post stating what we ALL know is a “no brainer” … BRAVO,Post. Thank you. Now, let us pray the NY citizens are bright enough to END it.
$450 Million or $455 Million (in addition to the annual Video Lottery Terminal payments of approximately $230 Million or more plus all the other dirty deals that were made) is a huge amount of money to burn for the majority of the taxpaying public. Multi-Billionares such as the owner of Amazon already don’t have to pay income taxes and, as if that isn’t bad enough, the “system” is set up for most of the low wage earners to get cheated and robbed of the chance to have better wages in their occupations. This is due in part to the fact that there are lobbyists lobbying against fair wages and better working conditions. This is true in a wide range of occupations that pay less than a liveable wage. Meanwhile, the multi-Billionaire individuals and companies are keeping a stranglehold on this situation to keep their wealth while so many people are priced out of having a home and enough food let alone a decent standard of living.
I certainly do hope that enough of the decent people who are able to stand up against these outrageous injustices will stand strong and get the victory over the greed and corruption in our government and Wall Street and that these ultra-rich people in horse racing including the New York Racing Association, the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Associations and all other groups connected to the horseracing industry including George Soros and all the other rich people who have so much more freaking money than they need. They just want more and more and more and at the taxpayers’ expense and at the expense of destroying our society as we once knew it.
So how is all this money going to be paid back in 20 years? Is there going to be an infusion of laundered money through illegal drugs and other “organized crimes”?
The plan is a secret, isn’t it?
ban all horse racing. stop using tax dollars to prop up this horror where horses die in great numbers. it is death for horses. they race 2 year old babies who fdie on their first race
Putting aside the heartbreaking facts of the Kill Lists I look towards history.
SARP an acronym for Slots At Racetracks Program in Ontario, Canada provides that.
Ontario is very similiar to New York state in terms of budget, economics and demographics,
SARP was the first prototype in North American for the racino model which is essentially a legal marriage between casinos and racetracks.
This marriage guaranteed 20% of all slots revenue at tracks and it was a windfall beginning in 1998 which resulted in $345 million per year for 12 years.
A change of government finally sparked a detailed analysis of Ontario economics by a non-partisan wide spectrum of economic professionals who were shocked when they started looking into this.
These people weren’t arond in 1998 and had no idea that this was going on.
They concluded that this was a total waste of money for Ontario taxpayers and the jobs benefits didn’t outweight the money given.
In fact, horse racing was getting more money than education and healthcare combined!
They did the right thing by Ontario taxpayers and cancelled the program.
Horse racing is very good at whinning and conributing to politicians pockets and that’s how Kathleen Wynn got into power.
She is exactly like Gov. Hochul who denies the economic FACTS, who takes money from pro-horse racing entities and both overruled their entire legislature and the wishes of taxpayers by renewing a gravy train for horse racing.
Wynne reversed the decision and gave horse racing a cool $100 million per year, but didn’t reinstate their $345 million per year in 2014,
They are now getting extensive additional tax breaks as their business continues to rapidly decline and a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility (paid for by public susbsidies and exactly like the new Belmont being proposed) SITS EMPTY most of the year.
You would be hard pressed to find 100 men in there gambling on the horses except for on big stake days.
Plus, after all of the money given to Woodbine they can’t afford to run the facility and must now rely on additional taxpayers money to keep it going.
All of this money, facilities and an all out public relations blitz for the past 5 years to attract new owners and fans to horse racing DID NOT WORK!
This new Belmont will not work either and it’s shameful that Gov Hochul is shoving this through and I hope they find a way to hold her fiscally responsible
When I was actively betting, and on the days I attended Belmont, getting a table in the dining room, the Turf Club, or even the Trustees Room was next to impossible, unless you called for reservations in advance. Weekends were particularly tough, but back in the 1990’s even weekday crowds were not uncommon.
But back then, horse racing made money. Today. the facts remain that IT IS a dying sport, and the industry insiders are running scared – so, the old game of ‘grease my palm’ runs rampant in this failing enterprise.
Nothing, other than the $$$$ is sacred, and sadly, it’s the poor horses that suffer.
While I used to have great fun and many enjoyable afternoons at the race track, sadly now, I see nothing but horror and misery. Hopefully more racing aficionados who discover this site can be encouraged to change their ways, and realize that this is an awful sport that is getting worse by the day
-Joe.
Also, it is extremely offensive and repulsive to the sensibilities of many people to refer to this egregiously barbaric and cruel ENSLAVEMENT of beautiful horses as a sport. This is just a reality worth noting.
Horseracing is not the only bloodsport involving the eventual killing of animals and many people are aware of this fact. However, this site is about the horses “bred for racing” and intentionally used for racing and wagering. This intended use of the horses does not excuse anyone from the moral responsibility of doing the right thing.
Thank you for your insights, Joe.
Thank you.
Mr. Battuello, as you are no doubt aware, the majority of the racing fans attending the tracks today STILL believe that the deaths and breakdowns are a rare occurrence. In that respect, the racing industry is doing a terrific job – of hiding the horror. Certainly up until a year or so ago, I was also naively unaware of HOW OFTEN [well, daily, as I can see now] that these breakdowns occur.
Hopefully, newer posters to this site like Robert, who I engaged in conversation few posts back, can see what the racing industry is doing, and take a second look at the facts and the daily carnage piling up every single day. He did mention something worth repeating, though, and that is, that the thoroughbred breed, through years and years of siring race horses has become increasingly fragile, with thin, spindly legs carrying 1,000 lb.+ bodies. running at 40+ MPH, a recipe for disaster, for sure.
Then, add the lurid cocktail of illegal drugs to the mix, the incessant ‘training’ program these poor young charges are forced to endure, and it’s no wonder you have to report so many deaths on this site, every single day.
Racing insiders who make their living at this enterprise, I’m sure, will not stop doing so, even though it’s quite certain they are completely aware of the deaths and tragedies. However, the race-goers and fans are the ones we need to convince that this is not a sport that’s worth keeping alive. Not any more.
Yes, I too, thought it could be fixed, and I wish it could. But as I said previously, when the “inmates are running the asylum” it just won’t work.
-Joe