Kay Discusses Saratoga Meet, 'Clean Audits'

Addressing the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce at its annual pre-race meet breakfast July 21, New York Racing Association president and chief executive officer Chris Kay lauded his organization's accomplishments over the last year and provided a preview of improvements customers can expect to see this summer at Saratoga Race Course.

Kay, in noting the reduction in catastrophic breakdowns, a return to profitability, and the attendance and pari-mutuel handle success of the 2015 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) and Saratoga meet, Kay portrayed a NYRA that has met the standards set when the state took control of the organization in 2012.

With State Sen. Kathy Marchione and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner in attendance, along with Maureen Lewi, chair of Concerned Citizens for Saratoga Racing, the gathering at times appeared to be an orchestrated response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to maintain state control for another year and to New York State Comptroller Robert DiNapoli's criticism of NYRA's finances released June 9, the day before the Belmont Stakes.

The Saratoga group and others pushed for state control to end this year.

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"Our financial performance, for the 2015 year as well as for all prior years since we've been here, has been audited by KPMG," Kay said. "In each of these years we have received what are called clean audits. Our financial reporting is accurate, reliable, and trustworthy."

DiNapoli's report accused NYRA of overstating its financial improvement by excluding expenses like pension contributions and post-retirement health care benefit costs in the years since Kay joined the organization, a contention Kay explicitly disputed.

In looking ahead to this year's Saratoga meet, Kay identified improvements such as big screens for the backyard and larger infield tote boards; the NYRA Bets Lounge at which customers can get wagering instruction and advice; and a new dining area, the Easy Goer, on the second floor of the grandstand. Saratoga Race Course also will have a dedicated simulcast area adjacent to the Easy Goer.

In response to feedback from customers, NYRA has reduced by 10 the number of backyard picnic tables available to reserve for a fee, thereby increasing the amount of paddock rail space for non-paying customers, Kay said.

He also mentioned the evolution of NYRA's in-house advance deposit wagering platform, which is shifting from NYRA Rewards to NYRA Bets, and which later this summer will be available for the first time to customers outside of New York and Connecticut.

Despite the presence of Lewi, Marchione, and Woerner, there was no discussion of any next steps the organization might take toward privatization, or of Cuomo's stated desire to divert some of the revenue of video lottery terminals at the Resorts World Casino New York City at Aqueduct Racetrack.

"Every experience is a learning opportunity," Woerner said after the meeting. "We have learned what the governor's issues are (and) what the budget director's issues are. This give us an opportunity to tune up our strategy and to advocate and make sure that we are expressing to the people that clearly need to be persuaded that this is an important industry and worthy of the state's support, and then we'll go back at it again next legislative session."