Rally against Belmont proposal today

Hi Queens Crap,

Could you please write something on the proposed Belmont Arena project. This very large project is in Nassau County within walking distance to Queens will affect every surrounding community within miles of the arena. What they don’t tell you in this article is in addition to the 19,000 seat arena there is a 250 room hotel, a very large Retail Village (Mega mall) and NYRA is planning on making major renovations and changes to the race track. The project is to large, will create gridlock for miles, turn our residential streets into parking lots and devastate all the surrounding communities.

I am not a Islander fan but this project has very little to do with bringing the team back to Long Island. The Islanders will only use the arena 40-50 days a year. Between other events at the arena, racing at Belmont, seven days a week shopping at the mall we can expect easily an additional 30,000-40,000 people a day. Belmont Stakes day every day. Our communities are not against development at Belmont we are just asking for smart development.

There is a rally against the proposed arena on Sunday October 14th at 2:00PM on Hempstead Turnpike in front of the proposed site.

Thanks

Michael

Is Aqueduct on the brink of closure?

From Crains:

The New York Racing Association is considering shutting down the financially troubled Aqueduct Race Track in southeast Queens, an action that would take down the money-making casino next door unless state law were changed.

Establishments with video lottery terminals, including Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct, cannot exist under the law without being tethered to a race track, according to John Sabini, the former chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. Aqueduct is the lone state-owned racetrack in New York, so crafting a bill to make the casino there an exception would not be complicated.

"Because it's state-owned they could do a carve out, a quick piece of legislation," said Mr. Sabini, a former state Senator from Queens.

Horses keep dying at Aqueduct

From the Daily News:

A 3-year-old gelding was euthanized at Aqueduct Racetrack Sunday after fracturing its right knee — the eighth horse to die in 27 days of racing at the Queens facility.

Formal Attire was trailing the leader on the rail entering the far turn at Sunday’s second race when the injury occurred. The horse was euthanized a short time later.

The state Racing and Wagering Board has declared five other horses race-day fatalities since Dec. 12. Two additional horses were put down due to infections, but the Racing and Wagering Board said Monday that one of the horse’s — Volition — infections had nothing to do with the injury on the track.

Last year at Aqueduct, 21 horses died in 74 days of racing.

“We continue to be very concerned about the equine fatalities at Aqueduct and are saddened by Formal Attire’s death,” the NYRA said in a statement Sunday night.

The rash of deaths has prompted calls for greater oversight of racing at Aqueduct, but the inner-dirt track has been inspected and declared safe and many jockeys and trainers have recently praised the condition of the winterized track.

A recent report by the Task Force of Racehorse Health and Safety, ordered by Gov. Cuomo, found that 11 of the 21 horses that perished last year could have been saved had they been more closely monitored.

Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga may all close

From the Daily News:

The agency that runs the state's major thoroughbred racetracks says it will close them down on June 9 unless lawmakers agree to a bailout.

The New York Racing Association, which operates the Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga tracks, made the announcement Friday after sending out layoff notices to its 1,400 employees.

The financially beleaguered NYRA said it would "begin the implementation of plant closures" at the tracks on June 9 - three days after the prestigious Belmont Stakes.

"NYRA continues to pursue solutions with the state of New York that may avert the cessation of operations," NYRA said in its statement.

The Belmont meet is scheduled to end on July 18. The storied Saratoga season runs from July 23 through Sept. 6.

UPDATE: Crisis averted!