dave o'rourke | Horse Racing Free Tips

O’Rourke Apologizes for Sunday’s Pick 5 Fiasco; Says “We Dropped the Ball”

With the field loading into the gate for Sunday's sixth race at Saratoga, the start of a Pick 5 sequence, it was announced that three subsequent races were being taken off of the turf. For purposes of the Pick 5, the three off-the-turf races were considered “all” races, meaning those races essentially were eliminated from the bet, turning the Pick 5 into a daily double. It paid $25.

That didn't sit well with numerous horseplayers, which didn't go unnoticed by NYRA executives.

That's why NYRA CEO and President Dave O'Rourke appeared Wednesday on the track's Talking Horses segment hosted by Andy Serling and admitted that mistakes were made.

“There is no excuse,” O'Rourke said. “We dropped the ball.”

O'Rourke described what led up to the decision, starting with a breakdown in the fourth race. In a mile-and-three-eighths allowance race on the grass, Ever Summer (Summer Front) broke down and had to be euthanized.

“After the fifth race, the jocks reached out to the racing office and said they wanted to discuss the turf course,” O'Rourke said. “Our initial reaction was to take everything off turf for the rest of the day. We had had an incredible amount of rain since we began the meet, which impacted the meet in several ways. We believe in safety first, so our instinct was to take those races off the turf.”

There was a time lag and the decision on taking the races off the grass was not announced to the betting public until the horses were being loaded into the gate for the sixth.

“They are loading into the gate for the sixth and there was a rush for time,” O'Rourke said. “So, now it's the worst case scenario. We had to make those other races 'all' races. There's no excuses for it.”

When asked why it took so long to get the information out to the public, O'Rourke said: “I can go through the time line over and over, but from the players' perspective, we dropped the ball. I can't make any other excuse for it.”

Prior to the announcement NYRA went to the stewards and asked that the entire Pick 5 pool be refunded and that there be a delay prior to the start of the sixth race so that customers could make decisions regarding other wagers involving the off-the-turf races. Both requests were denied.

“The intention was to refund everything,” O'Rourke said. “That's slightly out of the norm but we felt that it was the right thing to do. We were not able to refund the pools. The stewards ultimately make decisions in terms of what are in the rules and what are not. Once in a while you'll find gaps for strange situations, but we were not able to refund.”

While NYRA may have been well intentioned in its efforts to refund all monies wagered in the Pick 5 pool, as O'Rourke addressed, it was not their decision to make. Under New York racing rules, if a surface change is made after betting has started on a wager then the off-the-turf races are considered 'all races.' It would be up to the New York Gaming Commission to change that rule to allow for NYRA to cancel a wager.

O'Rourke said he will look into seeding some pools at a future date as a way of paying the bettors back.

“I can't fix it after the fact but I can mitigate it going forward,” he said.

O'Rourke also addressed the tragedy that took place in the GI Test S. on Saturday in which Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic), who had the race won, broke down just a few feet before the wire and had to be euthanized.

“What occurred on Saturday, there are hardly words for it,” he said. “There were 43,000 people here and in a moment they were going to see a triumph but it turned into a tragedy. It shook me. It shook the entire racing world. It's nothing that I ever experienced before and hopefully never will again. We will double down on our commitment toward safety. Everything we do is about safety. All our condolences go out to the connections. It's hard to to talk about it now and it's not even a week later. This was a tough weekend.”

The post O’Rourke Apologizes for Sunday’s Pick 5 Fiasco; Says “We Dropped the Ball” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

What You Need to Know About the New Belmont Park

There was a lot to celebrate earlier this month when it was confirmed that the New York State's budget will include a $455-million loan to the New York Racing Association that will go toward a complete rebuild of Belmont Park. That means Belmont will be torn down and replaced by a new structure and that once the new building is up, racing will cease at Aqueduct. But when will it happen? What will the new track look like? And what does it mean for the yearly racing schedule? Here are some of the most important questions and answers involving this dramatic change for New York racing.

When will the new building open?

The plan is to have the new track ready to go for the 2026 spring meet. Construction will start after the 2024 spring meet at Belmont ends. Shortly thereafter, the current building, which opened in 1968, will be torn down.

“It is very early on in the process, but our goal is to have the new facility ready for the 2026 Belmont,” said NYRA CEO and President Dave O'Rourke. “The specifics, we're still working through that and I'll have a much better answer for you this summer.”

With the Belmont grandstand closing in 2024 and not ready to open until 2026, what does that mean for the 2025 racing schedule and the 2025 Belmont?

That might be the single biggest issue that remains unresolved. There are a handful of options. They could run that spring at Aqueduct and hold the Belmont there. The Belmont was run at Aqueduct from 1963 to 1967 while the current Belmont was being built. From a logistical standpoint, that's probably the easiest solution, but the aesthetics of Aqueduct leave a lot to be desired. They could try to run at Belmont during the construction and without stands. That's what Arlington did in 1985 after a fire ravaged the track, just a few weeks before the running of the GI Arlington Million. Gulfstream found a way to conduct racing in the period between the destruction of the old stands and the opening of the new building. You can do a lot these days with tents and temporary seating. Or how about this? Run most of the spring meet at Aqueduct, but head north for Belmont week and have a Belmont-at-Saratoga meet for four or five days.

“Everything is on the table and we will look at all our options,” O'Rourke said.

NYRA has confirmed that all of the traditional fall Belmont meets between now and the re-opening of the new Belmont will be held at Aqueduct.

What will the new grandstand look like? How big will it be?

It will take up roughly 275,000 square feet, making it about one fourth the size of the current building, which covers 1.25 million square feet. As is the case with any new sports facility being built today, there will be an emphasis on amenities. Expect luxury boxes, a high-end restaurant and tents and other temporary facilities catering to the well-heeled.

If it's going to be that small, how will they accommodate the types of crowds you get for the Belmont S. and, in the future, the Breeders' Cup?

“They're going to lay down the infrastructure so that they can put up high-end temporary hospitality for the big days,” O'Rourke said. “It will be something like what you see at Royal Ascot. We're building that into the plan.”

The new Belmont will also be able to place fans in the infield, something not currently available at the existing facility.

Belmont struggles mightily when it comes to attendance, particularly on the week days. Can a new, shiny facility change that narrative?

“I think those attendances will be greater than you might think,” O'Rourke said. “Right now, if you come out here on a nice Saturday in the spring, every green area is packed. It's the building. The building itself is a warehouse built for betting. We're going to have a lot more green space at the new track. By creating a park-like atmosphere, I think you're going to a see a different kind of draw on a regular day. It's also going to be a facility that will cater more to the owner and horsemen. This is New York and a lot of the owners live here. We want to build something they'll want to come out to. That's what Saratoga does. It brings everyone, fans, owners, out. I know it's a different market, but we think by having a smaller, high-end building we can accomplish some of that.

With no Aqueduct, Belmont will be open for 44 weeks. Is that too much? Could we see an expanded Saratoga meet?

“As of now, the plan is to run the traditional meet at Saratoga with Belmont hosting the rest of the days,” O'Rourke said. “We will see how that works out. If we need to adjust or try something different, we'll have to figure out what that might be. What that might be, I don't know.”

With all the changes, this was NYRA's chance to downsize its racing surfaces. You need a mile-and-a-half main track for exactly one race a year. Why not go to a smaller main track?

“Some things you just don't want to mess with,” O'Rourke said. “We had many different variations drawn up, but we're not going to change. The Belmont Stakes is the biggest event held here and the mile-and-a-half track works for that. There will be one change, though. The turf courses are going to widened with more lanes.

What's the latest on the synthetic track at Belmont?

“The synthetic track is going in this year and will be ready for the 2024 spring meet at Belmont,” O'Rourke said. “Once we leave for Saratoga, the synthetic goes in, the inner turf gets redone and more tunnels go in. The flavor of winter racing in New York is going to change. We will have more options. Our circuit, we become a dirt circuit every year for four, five months. With a synthetic track, there will be more of an opportunity for turf-focused horses and they will have a place to run up north.”

The post What You Need to Know About the New Belmont Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Breeders’ Cup at Belmont? No Timetable, But Edging Closer to Reality

The topic of Belmont Park hosting the Breeders' Cup resurfaced again Monday with the public release of a letter from Breeders' Cup executives to the New York Racing Association (NYRA) to “reaffirm the strong desire” to return the event to Belmont “as soon as the potential infrastructure projects we discussed are complete.”

That undated letter, which was attached as part of a Nov. 7 pro-Breeders' Cup press release issued by the “We Are NY Horse Racing” coalition of small businesses, labor unions, non-profits, and trade associations, did not include any specifics about the projects that were referenced, nor did it state a ballpark timetable for when Belmont might be re-introduced into the rotation of host tracks.

But as NYRA continues to chip away at a decades-long overhaul that could one day consolidate all downstate racing at one downsized and modernized facility, a return of the Breeders' Cup to Belmont comes into a less-hazy theoretical focus.

Belmont last hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2005, two years prior to the advent of the event's expansion to two days. It had previously hosted the event in 1990, 1995 and 2001.

The return of the Breeders' Cup to Belmont has been an open question ever since.

The worthiness of New York as a host city and Belmont's lofty, no-brainer status among North American racetracks have never been the issues.

Outdated infrastructure has been the chief logistical holdup, and the process has moved slowly over the years because of the enormous scope of the work and the fact that NYRA's projects are subject to state approvals.

“With the arrival of UBS Arena, the creation of new and modernized racing facilities at Belmont Park is a transformational project that would establish one of the finest sports and entertainment destinations anywhere in the country…” NYRA's vice president of communications, Patrick McKenna, wrote in an email to TDN Monday.

“For Thoroughbred racing, a re-imagined Belmont would be the most consequential and significant new developments the sport has seen in recent history. It would result in a facility capable of hosting year-round racing and pave the way for the return of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to New York, among other advantages,” McKenna wrote.

“NYRA envisions a new grandstand that will honor the history and traditions of this historic property while offering fans the kind of modern amenities and differentiated experiences they have come to expect from stadiums and venues throughout New York…” McKenna wrote.

“The project enjoys broad and enthusiastic support throughout the region, and NYRA hopes to gain the relevant authorization through the 2023 [New York State] budget. Timelines for construction and relevant next steps would be arrived at only when the legislative process is complete,” McKenna wrote.

The first phase of that work is already underway. The recent fall meet at Belmont got relocated to Aqueduct Racetrack because NYRA is in the late stages of constructing vehicular and pedestrian tunnels underneath the 55-acre infield, which has been largely inaccessible and underutilized throughout the life of the track. In addition to providing access to fans, the tunnels will allow for NYRA to completely reconstruct the main dirt track and two turf courses, and possibly add a synthetic racing surface.

“New York is the ultimate global stage, and the new Belmont Park will be an ideal location to regularly host the Breeders' Cup,” NYRA president and chief executive officer Dave O'Rourke stated as part of the “We Are NY Horse Racing” release.

Five years ago, in 2017, TDN asked O'Rourke's predecessor, Chris Kay, about the timetable for Belmont once again hosting the Breeders' Cup. At that time, NYRA's president and chief executive officer explained the situation like this:

“When I met with the board of the Breeders' Cup in 2013, roughly a month after I took the job, they said, 'We want to bring the Breeders' Cup back to New York. When are you going to have [Belmont] renovated?'” Kay said. “That's because our building doesn't have any heat. The first week of November can be very cold. It's essentially concrete, and concrete holds the cold. [The current version of Belmont] was built in 1968, and it has the amenities of a 1968 facility.”

In 2018, Craig Fravel, then the Breeders' Cup president and chief executive officer, told TDN that, “both of us, the Breeders' Cup and NYRA, believe that there is a lot that needs to be done to do it right [and] what needed to be done was extensive.” Fravel also noted that Belmont's Park parking lots are not lit, and with the GI Classic culminating the Saturday card as late in the afternoon as daylight allows, there would be the problem of sending tens of thousands of people into darkened lots.

TDN's Bill Finley also pointed out in that same story that, “Another factor that makes Belmont a less-than-perfect site for the Breeders' Cup is that it is held the same weekend as the New York Marathon, which makes finding hotel rooms difficult.”

The letter to NYRA was signed by Drew Fleming, the president and chief executive officer of the Breeders' Cup, and Barbara Banke, who chairs the Breeders' Cup board.

It closed with the optimistic tag line, “To paraphrase one of our favorite movies, 'if you build it, we will come.'”

The post Breeders’ Cup at Belmont? No Timetable, But Edging Closer to Reality appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Offerman Named NYRA VP, GM of Operations

Andrew Offerman, who has served Canterbury Park in Minnesota as its senior vice president of racing operations for the last five years, has been appointed to the newly created role of vice president and general manager of operations for the New York Racing Association (NYRA). Offerman, who will assume his new responsibilities beginning Nov. 11, will oversee front-side operations at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga.

“Andrew is a seasoned executive and proven leader who will bring considerable skills to the talented team we have assembled at NYRA,” said Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President and CEO. “He is a strategic thinker who understands that horse racing is rapidly evolving, and we are pleased to welcome him in this wide-ranging new role.”

During his time at Canterbury Park, Offerman was responsible for many of the track's operational departments, including front-sire racing functions. He first joined the Shakopee track as a seasonal employee in college and was engaged full time from 2010, with increasing responsibility. After becoming Canterbury's top racing executive in 2017, he quickly deployed strategies that drove consistent and sustained increased in wagering handle and the associated revenue.

“NYRA sets the gold standard in our sport, and I am deeply appreciative of this opportunity to help shape the future of the organization,” said Offerman. “My experiences at Canterbury Park have prepared me for this next chapter and I'm thrilled it will be at the finest and most important racing organization in the country. I'd like to thank Canterbury Park and its racing community for their support throughout my tenure.”

He holds advisory and governance positions in a number of horse racing organizations including the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) Advisory Committee; Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America (TRA); American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Racing Committee, and Vice Chair of the Thoroughbred & Quarter Horse Breeders' Fund Advisory Committees of the Minnesota Racing Commission.

A native of Minneapolis, Offerman earned an M.S. degree from the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program and holds a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College.

The post Offerman Named NYRA VP, GM of Operations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post