Op/Ed

As racing in New York is in full Saratoga swing, change is coming to NYRA. Governor Cuomo is on the verge of appointing new board members and managers to solve NYRA's most basic operational problems. What remains to be seen is if the Governor has the vision and conviction to bring in real change agents to the NYRA Board and executive suite.

I watched the CNBC special about Costco the other night. The story looked at what exactly the business does, how it brands, how it sells, and most of all, how it keeps prices low to grow.

When Chris Christie became the 55th Governor of the State of New Jersey, he was faced with many problems and forced to make immediate decisions that could either help get his state back on track during difficult times or further its trouble. Few situations would test Christie's foresight and his ability to make tough, but correct calls than that of the state's complex and struggling gambling industries, which needed fixing.

A 2009 study of the Medical Journal of Australia found that being a jockey is more dangerous than being a boxer, with only the job of an offshore fisherman having more risk to lives. I suppose that being a race rider is probably safer in the USA, though 19% of the active riding members of the Jockeys' Guild were out for some time on temporary disability.

Once again, Rob Whiteley has written a great article on what to do to raise funds to save and rehabilitate, when possible and appropriate, the retired Thoroughbreds who have given us so many thrills and enjoyment (Au Currant, TDN Op/Ed, April 27, 2012).

I learned yesterday that a nine-year-old daughter of Horse of the Year Point Given out of Belmont graded stakes winner Inquisitive Look was ticketed for an imminent trip to slaughter in Canada. Her name is Au Currant and I was co-breeder. She was last seen in a sales ring at Keeneland in 2006 when sold for $35,000 in foal to graded stakes winner Sharp Humor.

Horseplayers tend to look down on slots players. We are the smart ones, using our brains to solve the complex puzzle that is a horse race. They, the slots bettors, are too stupid to think, and that's why they while away their hours mindlessly playing a game a trained chimpanzee could master in no time.

Being a bit of a betting and gambling geek, a hobby of mine is looking at the factors that drive pari-mutuel wagering. It's a fascinating exercise because there are so many items that go into the make-up of a gross betting pool. Sure we know the basics, like the lower the takeout the higher the bet, and the less gambling competition we have the better it is for racing handles, but there are so many more.

This is a tough time for Oliver Wills. He can't sleep. His annual review is approaching and he will be asked to grade his own job performance last year, then to present his plan for the next two to five years.

Now the New York Times is pummeling horse racing. We've seen the first part of a four-part series and the “paper of record” has all but come out and said that racing is a notch below cock fighting. PETA, as vitriolic as ever, has had its say, choosing the HBO series “Luck,” and by extension, the sport, as its punching bag. Even New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has chimed in, telling NYRA that horses better stop dying at Aqueduct, or else.

In 1997, shortly after Hong Kong had agreed to follow Europe's example by allowing direct imports from South Africa, Alec Laird travelled to Sha Tin racecourse with his South African-bred champion London News to win the G2 QEII Cup (now Group 1).

The decision by TOBA's American Graded Stakes Committee (AGSC) to withdraw the ban on medication in this year's 2-year-old graded stakes races was a crushing blow to the industry and the organization's members.