NYRA SAY'S BYE-YA to CEO CHRIS KAY

Good morning and good riddance to the CEO of NYRA Chris Kay. In addition to being a 1st class jerk he was apparently using NYRA employees to work off the clock at his home in Saratoga Springs. This is completely illegal, according to NYRA’s rules.  However this incident alone couldn’t be the only one that forced him to accept a firing or forced resignation.  This way he can collect his ‘golden parachute’ which is probably substantial.

Although he made some positive changes at the Saratoga Racecourse, he most certainly did not have that affect on his subordinates. According to those who worked there he demanded that his employees smile and say hello to everyone (treat them as you would a house guest) but would refuse to say hello to any NYRA employee himself.  This never wins respect with anyone.

While mentioning some positives he did at the track he created an amusement park atmosphere forgetting that people come to the track to bet and it is not an ideal environment for tots to crawl around in the dirt or inside the building.  He spent tens of millions of dollars ‘improving’ this environment for 6 weeks of racing while the track sits idle for 46 weeks a year.  This he did while destroying the historic atmosphere the track had for over 150 years which is one reason people came from all over the world to enjoy and soak up the beauty of the course itself.

Good riddance. What NYRA needs is actual leadership and someone with integrity and most of all someone who knows horse racing.

IT’S STILL THE SAME

When I go away on an extended business trip like the one I just returned from I never read the local papers while I am not here so I can be surprised what things changed.  The problem is it’s always the same cast of characters doing crazy things.

Let’s take NYRA for example.  Tom Noonan who is one of the best bloggers around keeps his hand on the pulse of NYRA and informs the public with information we would never really know. 

Chris Kay the CEO of NYRA who is really totally blank about the Corporation and industry he is supposed to be the leader of has started another domino effect to change Saratoga Race Course from the most historic, beautiful, fan friendly track in the nation to just another race track.  The list to start according to Mr. Noonan and the NYRA webpage is:

• ·         A permanent structure built on the other side of the horse path that runs next to the end of the current club house.  It would replace the tent and the temporary modular boxes that have been used in recent years.
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• ·         A new picnic table area along Union Avenue, replacing the parking area now used by owners and trainers.
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• ·         A "Top of the Stretch Club" to be built at the end of the grandstand, intended "to attract a younger crowd to the Race Course."
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• ·         Moving the jockey quarters from the administration building to the Paddock.
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• ·         Eliminating the Open House held on the Sunday before opening day (which was always a fan favorite and a fan experience).

• ·         The continuation started last year of charging admission on Labor Day which was always ‘Fan Appreciation Day’
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• ·         Turning the lower Carousal into a Sports arena which would eliminate the free seating and replace it with a high end sports bar with a $40.00 admission fee.

Kay is also said to be looking into charging fans for taking water from the water fountains around the track and installing paid toilets.  If Cuomo who started this mess 2 years ago and extended the current board with Kay at its head for another year doesn’t make the change to privatize the track, Saratoga will be changed forever and its appeal will slowly dwindle.

This picture of Chris Kay was sent in by a racing fan, I cannot verify its authenticity as I have never met Mr. Kay.

I also see that the ‘Spirit of Life’ restoration is completed and the company that did all the work did a fine job.  However, this being an election I also see that Commissioner Scirocco is taking all the praise for his Department doing a great job, what about all the money paid to the firm that did the job?

The words ‘City in the Country’ keeps being thrown around and our feeling is that it is just a nostalgic notion that citizens want to keep in their minds.  I am sorry but that term does not apply to Saratoga Springs anymore.  We are just a concrete & brick City with big City problems.  A big problem we have that some areas I was in do not have is the washboards we call streets.  This would be just one problem I would be embarrassed about if I were Scirocco or Buckley.  This City’s streets are deplorable.  Come on Skip, do something about this.

A funny story in the news was the Commissioners getting into racing (harness) gear and sharing a sulky with a professional driver and running a race, everything was going fine I heard until Madigan put on the brakes and Skip, who was behind her stopped so suddenly he flew out of his seat and up Madigan’s 'wazoo' where it usually is during Council meetings.  The story, as related to me was that the 'wazoo' intake propelled Madigan into first place and the track’s vet separated the two with little problem.

As we all know or we all should know is that confessed child porn star John Tighe will be shipping out to prison in the Boston area at the end of July to a hospital that fits his health needs. 

The story floating around is that John won the lead part when he visited the slammer as Curly in the show ‘Men in Tights’.

I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July, we should all take time out of our celebrations to remember those who fought and those who died to make this great Republic and if you see Skip Scirocco, thank him for screwing our all American 4th of July celebration by selling our Congress Park out for the day (the first such screwing ever on this Holiday).