It's hard to believe that the 2012 Saratoga thoroughbred race meet is less than three weeks away. It's seems in life, the older you get, the faster time flies by. Summer comes and goes so quickly here in the Great Northeast. This time of the year may be the biggest economic boom for our surrounding area. There's no two ways about it, things in the Great Northeast and our country in general aren't that good with jobs and prosperity. It's a fact of life, whether you want to believe it or not! That's why things like the Saratoga thoroughbred race meet (which is run by NYRA) is vital to the economic improvement to not only our area, but to the thoroughbred racing industry in this country. That's why every time I see the political games and government get involved in our sport (and most other things also) I cringe! So, we enter a "brave new world" in thoroughbred racing this summer at Saratoga . The New York Racing Association being partly run by the State of New York . As the legendary actress Bette Davis said so many year's ago; "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night!"
This roller coaster ride that New York State government and NYRA has been on has gone on way too long! We seen some good changes and some bad ones. We've seen people come and go and the rhetoric fired from both sides each time. With our state supporting the sport of thoroughbred racing, their "say" in things of how the sport should be run is paramount. Of course, the ugly word of "politics" is a key ingredient to the on going mess that has transpired the past ten years or so. So, it would be disappointing if everything would go smoothly leading up to this year's Saratoga meet......right????
Things started brewing when the state government got involved AGAIN with financial discrepancies done by NYRA. That triggered state officials to remove members of NYRA's board. This has gotten the governor back involved with how NYRA should be run. So, once AGAIN turmoil reigns weeks before the premier thoroughbred race meet. NYRA places new people in charge, the state does not approve of these people either. The annual Saratoga meet press conference which has always been the last Monday of June is cancelled and won't be presented this year. But the day of that press conference, the powers to be did announce the "giveaways" for the upcoming meet. I guess free "giveaways" are the most important thing during the Saratoga meet. A meet that has gained popularity leaps and bounds the past 30 years, by the knowledge of NYRA employees and their marketing teams has made summers in the Capital District region very profitable for locales and the state. Yet, we find ways of mixing things up each year just for the sake of doing so.
Am I being too critical, maybe? Am I really sick of the constant roller coaster lead up to the Saratoga meet each year, YES! You see, I've been part of the government "thing" as a county employee for as long as I've been interested in the sport of racing. I've dealt with "politics" during this time and sometimes the rhetoric is just only that; rhetoric! I believe in, if something isn't broke......no need to fix it and let it be if it works. Usually when "politics" gets involved, no good can come from it. Now don't get me wrong, there have been problems with NYRA is the past and unfortunately still. But, just ONCE I would LOVE the Saratoga meet to start off WITHOUT any controversy and everything go smoothly. Is that too much to ask????
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