NYRA: We’re Fixing Aqueduct Problems
Amid much criticism over Aqueduct Racetrack’s condition, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) maintained it has improved the South Ozone Park facility and will continue to do so in the months ahead.
Eric Wing, NYRA’s director of communications and media relations, told the Times Newsweekly in a Feb. 28 email the racing outfit has spent “well over $5 million on capital improvements at Aqueduct,” including upgrades to flooring and lighting, repainting, upgrades to the barn area and installing new video boards, high-definition cameras and “Trakus,” a horse tracking system.
Part of the enhancements include the “Aqueduct Murals,” in which artists were commissioned by the NYRA to paint murals in locations throughout the clubhouse. Wing stated the organization is also putting the finishing touches on a new “stateof the-art simulcasting center” called Longshots that will open in April.
“And we plan to spend millions more on additional improvements at Aqueduct this year,” Wing added. The list of specific improvements is being finalized, he noted.
Aqueduct’s conditions have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after a pair of high-profile crimes took place at the track last month. On Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 2, a mentally disabled woman was reportedly sexually assaulted by a man inside a ladies’ restroom; the perpetrator was collared by NYRA peace officers and later charged by police with the crime.
Then on Feb. 20, a burglar stole television monitors and laptop computers from a second-floor office and copped a Breeders’ Cup trophy from a display case in a nearby restaurant. The trophy was initially presented to the owners of Proud Truth, winner of the 1985 Breeders’ Cup Classic run at Aqueduct.
The New York Daily News also published an extensive report on the physical condition of Aqueduct, highlighting peeling paint, leaking roofs and alleged squatters at night.
Days after the break-in, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder announced legislation to earmark $30 million toward immediate renovations at Aqueduct.
The funds represent four percent of proceeds from the Resorts World New York Casino-operated out of Aqueduct’s former grandstand- provided to the NYRA for renovations to Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga.
These funds, Wing stated, are being managed “in a prudent way for all three tracks.” Nonetheless, he said, the NYRA “will review any legislation that is introduced.”
In response to recent criminal incidents, Wing said, the NYRA is installing additional video cameras around Aqueduct. He declined to go into greater detail about additional security measures.
