New York seizes control of horse racing tracks

Tuesday's Horse

Posted by VGFarrell on May 22, 2012 in Horse Racing

Cross-posted from ABC News

WRITTEN BY RICHARD ESPOSITO

Aerial view of Belmont Park where I’ll Have Another will bid for the first Triple Crown since 1978. Google image.

With the Belmont Stakes — and a potential Triple Crown victory for I’ll Have Another – just weeks away, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that the state will seize control of the scandal-plagued organization that operates the Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga racetracks.
Under the terms of a deal completed Tuesday morning, a 17-member “turn-around” board will run the New York Racing Association for the next three years. The board will include elected members of the state legislature, appointees chosen by the governor and representatives of the NYRA and the horseracing industry.

The article points out:

The president and general counsel of the NYRA, a private agency, were fired recently after state regulators alleged that they knew the NYRA had shortchanged bettors by $8.5 million over 15 months. Continue reading >>

Cuomo earlier called for a full investigation by an independent panel into the deaths of 20 racehorses at Aqueduct, which is currently underway.