by Paul Post

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s special counsel said on Tuesday that the governor has not decided which organization will oversee the state’s racing franchise despite strong rumors that the New York Racing Association will be kept in place.

“There is no governor’s plan,” Richard Rifkin told about 200 industry members assembled for the annual Saratoga Institute of Racing and Gaming Law, hosted by Albany Law School in Saratoga Springs, New York. “He has never articulated a plan.”

Rifkin chairs a committee created by Spitzer to advise him on selecting a new franchisee. The group will not make a formal recommendation, choosing one firm over another, Rifkin said.

“I think it’s going to be an ongoing internal process,” he said. “There will be a dialogue.”

NYRA is one of four groups bidding to operate the state’s race tracks—Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course. NYRA’s current contract expires on December 31.

Groups seeking the state’s 20-year contract were required to submit revised bids to Spitzer’s office by the end of business on Tuesday. Those groups include Empire Racing, Excelsior Racing Associates, and Australia-based Capital Play Ltd.

Spitzer has pledged to name a new track operator by September 4. That decision must be approved by the state legislature.

Excelsior Racing, which won a state ad hoc committee’s recommendation last fall, made no substantial changes from its original proposal, spokesperson Katie Burke said.

Capital Play Inc. announced Tuesday that Victoria Racing Club, which runs the prestigious Melbourne Cup, is now part of its team. Seeking to bolster its bid, Capital Play said it also hopes to develop a major year-round thoroughbred training center near Saratoga, capable of handling 500 horses. The project would cost $30-million, but no site has been chosen.

NYRA also made no major departures from its original proposal. However, President Charles Hayward said plans now call for securing private financing to build an Aqueduct VLT facility. Once that has been obtained, NYRA then can work on selecting a company to run gaming, he said.

The revised proposals from each of the four groups will be posted on the New York State Racing and Wagering Board’s website as soon as possible, Rifkin said. They can be found by clicking here.

Paul Post is a New York-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent