The Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga could be getting a much-needed rework this year, according to reports presented by NYRA officials at a meeting of the Franchise Oversight Board on Monday. The board gave its approval to NYRA's budget for 2021 and anticipated maintenance projects, including the updating of the Oklahoma.
According to NYRA, the training track hasn't had significant work done on it since the 1960s. Investigation by the association after the close of training in 2020 found there were spots in the track's sand base that were inconsistent. The horsemen voiced approval for a plan to take up the entire track cushion and replace the base with a limestone material similar to that on the main track. The railing will also be replaced with a safety rail and the track will be widened 10 to 12 feet through the stretch and backstretch. Officials also hope to improve the pitch and elevations throughout the track surface. In one spot there's as much as a three foot difference between the 3/4 pole and 7/8 pole, which was put in to direct water drainage. One challenge to this process will likely be the pine trees that border the backstretch, as their proximity and root systems could make them barriers to the update process. The association is in touch with a landscape architect to determine the best resolution.
Monday's meeting also included a financial report from NYRA, highlighted by improved figures for its NYRA Bets platform in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift from in-person wagering to online only created an increase in activity for all ADW companies and NYRA CEO/president David O'Rourke estimated NYRA Bets is “about in the middle of the pack in terms of growth, which is good.”
O'Rourke guessed that about 60 percent of new wagering activity to the NYRA Bets platform was coming from existing customers who just didn't have an account before. The remainder however, he attributes to casual sports fans who had not previously spent much wagering on horse racing but began doing so while racing had extra coverage from FOX Sports and NBC in the spring and summer when other sports were halted. He also said those customers seem to have stuck around from summer to the Breeders' Cup, when other live sports had resumed.
For 2021, NYRA does not anticipate having fans on-site through at least spring and made its budgets based on a 25% attendance reduction for the Belmont Stakes and a 12% reduction at Saratoga to allow for social distancing.
Based on the increased activity from NYRA Bets, the association predicts an increase of $1.1 million in net income for 2021 over its 2019 net income. A reduction in operating expenses, both from not having fans on-site as well as corporate restructuring is the other factor in the predicted increase.
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