NEWS
N.Y. fan advisory board bill moves through committee
Posted: Friday, March 11, 2011 2:40 PM
by Paul Post
A bill to establish a fan advisory board, an I Love New York Racing campaign, and a breeding farm award is moving forward in the New York state Senate.
The Senate racing committee unanimously approved the bill, co-sponsored by Chairman John Bonacic (R-Middletown) and Sen. Roy J. McDonald (R-Saratoga), on Tuesday.
The measure is expected to win easy passage in the full Senate, possibly in the coming week, if a companion bill gains backing in the Assembly.
“We have to build the fan base; that needs to be the clear mission,” said Michael Amo, chairman of the 600-member Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, also called ThoroFan. The nationwide organization—based in Saratoga Springs, New York—was founded in 2008 with a goal of introducing more people to the sport. The group is a driving force behind the new legislation that would amend the state Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law. Proposed programs would not require state funding.
A seven-member board, named by the governor and legislative leaders, would advise New York’s Racing and Wagering Board on fan-related issues. Amo said the tracks focus most of their efforts on trying to grow handle, but not enough time reaching out to new fans.
In Saratoga, ThoroFan has already done a number of educational initiatives, both on-track and at hotels where racing fans stay during the summer meet. Amo said he would like to see a program modeled after Santa Anita’s “Clocker’s Corner” at Saratoga, where fans interact with jockeys and trainers during early-morning workouts.
“I have not seen the ThoroFan bill so I cannot comment on it directly, but NYRA certainly supports fan initiatives,” New York Racing Association President Charles Hayward said. “Santa Anita's Clocker’s Corner is on their main track and is an extension of their grandstand. You can have a similar experience at Saratoga’s main track. We would like to do something at the Oklahoma training track, but it will require construction and also the training track is only open to licensed owners and trainers. We would have to make a certain area open to the public. We are working on this, but do not plan on getting it done by this Saratoga meet.”
The I Love New York Racing campaign would be modeled after the well-known I Love New York tourism program.
“The idea is, how do you get people from Buffalo to Montauk (easternmost Long Island) to understand how exciting racing is?” Amo said.
Similar efforts are already done with other products, such as an I Love New York Wine Trail. A racing campaign would require cooperation from numerous stakeholders—racetracks, off-track betting companies, the state’s agriculture and economic development departments. Such efforts would also promote racing’s many benefits, from jobs to open space preservation.
“That’s the kind of creativity we need,” Amo said. “There’s a heckuva lot of opportunity.”
The breeding farm program would give recognition to a farm judged to be superior in both its operations and contributions to the racing industry. There would be no financial reward, but such competition would bring attention to the state’s breeding program.
Paul Post is a New York-based correspondent for Thoroughbred Times
