Letters to the Editor
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‘Spitzer at the Clubhouse Turn’
As a — strictly past tense — racing fan, I was fascinated to read your thorough and informative take on Governor Spitzer at the clubhouse turn [Editorial & Opinion, “Spitzer at the Clubhouse Turn,” September 17, 2007]. Even as a customary supporter of this gutsy, take-charge governor, I am frankly stupefied that he would even consider, let alone allow, the New York Racing Association to renew its franchise that has destroyed racing as a New York spectator sport.
For years, I occasionally took the poorly-marked subway cars to Aqueduct, where a confusing, extended wait or transfer was invariably necessitated at an outdoor or semi-outdoor stop on the most brutal winter days.
At the “Big A,” an underground, trash-strewn grotto prior to entry that featured peeling, graffiti-plastered walls gave an aura as welcoming as the gates of hell. The food featured such miserably prepared, overpriced slop, that one automatically assumed only a “mobbed-up” management could condone such an operation.
The final straw came several years ago at Belmont. It was a possible triple crown Saturday. The Long Island Rail Road ran “extra trains” stopping at Queens Village. We were assured that “shuttle buses” and “racetrack personnel” would be on hand to ease our route to the track. Not a bus, nor a single NYRA staffer was on hand. Crowds attempted to navigate the endless walk or unfamiliar local city buses. It was total chaos. I wrote the railroad in outrage — no response whatsoever.
I’m an ex-Daily News feature writer, independent school teacher, and artist turned 60. I think the tracks had a daily attendance between 25,000 and 40,000 when I became a fan. Now, you won’t find me among the 500 to 1,000 diehards who still show. This is what NYRA did to racing. Why in God’s name would they be rewarded once again for 50 years of such criminal mismanagement?
Doug Brin
New York, N.Y.
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