In the plan, which is only speculated at this point, the horse racing activity would shift over to Belmont. The land, according to reports from Bloodhorse.com and the NY Times, would be sold to developers for hotels and shops.
The move would also put Belmont race track under different ownership. The NYRA currently runs Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga, but the franchise expires at the end of 2007 and other groups are trying to move in.
While this whole concept is under the guise of “strengthening horse racing” in New York. It seems like the governor is selling out the Aqueduct race track and the people of Queens for greener pastures.
That’s okay governor, just bulldoze 113 years of horse racing away. Sure, it’s a historic site and has been here longer than you, but hey, it’s all about the greenbacks right?
If you live in New York—or this just plain bothers you—send a letter to Gov. Spitzer’s office today.
It’s funny. Having a couple horse racing tracks in the area is bad for business, but having two MLB baseball teams within spitting distance is fine. How about bulldozing one of those stadiums and combining the two teams—under new ownership of course?
