By Dylan Butler
The changes in the New York sports landscape can be seen clearly in a driving tour. Ride along the Whitestone Expressway and you can chart the progress of Citi Field, the Mets' new state-of-the-art home set to open next April.
Cross the Triboro Bridge and, while sitting in traffic on the Major Deegan and Harlem River Drive, there's an unobstructed view of the new Yankee Stadium in the shadows of The House that Ruth Built.
But drive along Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont just across the Queens border and the differences at Belmont Park are less obvious.
There is no new Belmont Park set next to the old one. Then again, there's no need. The massive facility set on 445 acres is already referred to as the “Taj Mahal of Horce Racing,” and on a good year, more than 100,000 fans pack it for the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of racing's Triple Crown.
“This is the finest summer racing facility in the country,” said Hal Handel, the New York Racing Association's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “This is as good as it gets.”
It just got even better, although the first-phase renovations, which cost roughly $2.5 milion, are much more subtle than the massive baseball projects in the Bronx and Queens.
It includes a “Welcome Center” at the clubhouse entrance, giving it a warmer feel rather than the institutional look it had in the past.
There are also two completely refurbished bathrooms on the first floor, refinished woodwork and cleaner ceilings on the second floor that eliminated decades of cigarette stains and odors and gives the place a brighter look.
There's also a new high-end “Rewards Lounge” for some of the more loyal customers, which includes several flat-screen televisions and is part of the renovations to the Paddock Bar.
The picnic area has also been freshened up and the press box has new carpeting, new chairs and flat-screen televisions.
But, on the heels of a 25-year lease extention, the emphasis for the NYRA is on fan relations. Even though millions would have been wagered on racing at Belmont Park, both in Elmont and worldwide, and thousands would have walked through the turnstiles, the refurbished turnstiles anyway, NYRA reached out to its customers. They were proactive about improvements, answered concerns on their Web site and met with a group of about 60 fans at Aqueduct.
Belmont Park wasn't clean enough, the employees weren't friendly enough, the fans said. And NYRA listened.
“We really changed the nature of our business,” said Gavin Landry, NYRA's senior vice president of sales and marketing.
The emphasis of NYRA's campaign is on group sales, marketing and customer service. It's more than just the hard-core racing fan. It's about the families who can enjoy a day out on its picturesque grounds and, of course, on entertaining corporate groups.
NYRA has taken its hits. The non profit organization is still in bankrupcy, although they expect to be out of it shortly. And they say the video slot machines that are slated to be installed at Aqueduct will add millions in revenue.
Perhaps the best part is that NYRA made these renovations without changing the price of a ticket, which is certainly not the case with the Mets and the Yankees. At $3, a day at the races at Belmont Park is still the greatest value in New York sports. But now, fans are getting even more for their buck.
Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at dbutler@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
