County Exec slams NYRA over Belmont threat

County Executive Ed Mangano stepped into the debate over the New York Racing Association and the Belmont Stakes last week, urging the racing authority not to cancel the event regardless of their financial situation. He also asked the governor to step in and force NYRA to hold the final leg of horseracing’s Triple Crown.

“The loss of the Stakes would be dramatic and would depress already shrunken sales tax revenues, lead to further loss of jobs and would hurt significantly the hotel and restaurant businesses in our county,” Mangano said in a statement. “Cancelling this event is unthinkable.”

According to published reports, Mangano sent a letter to the governor exhorting him for help, and saying that the cancellation of the Belmont Stakes would amount to an act of “equine terrorism” against the economic livelihood of Long Island.

Elmont and Franklin Square, in particular, are communities that benefit from the increase in traffic and people in the area for Stakes weekend.

“The positive economic impact of the Belmont Stakes and the troubled state of our economy highlight the need to run the Belmont Stakes this year and every year going forward,” Mangano added.

NYRA has mentioned canceling the event — something its president, Charles Hayward, has said he does not want to do — several times in recent months. Hayward said at a hearing in Elmont earlier this month that without either the introduction of video lottery terminals at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, or payments from the state, the racing authority would be without the funds needed to host the race.

“If we don’t have the money in the bank to make payroll, we can’t operate. I certainly don’t want to be the first executive to not run the Belmont Stakes because we’re broke,” Hayward said at the hearing. He added that when NYRA negotiated a buyout of state tracks, a stipulation was included that the state would allow the installation of VLTs at NYRA tracks by April 2009 or help the racing authority with their expenses.

“We’re not pointing fingers, we’re not blaming anybody, we’re just saying, look, when we did this deal, it contemplated the fact that if VLTs weren’t up and operating by April One, 2009, we’re going to come and have a conversation with you about our finances.”

Mangano, in addition to lobbying the governor for help, has said that Nassau County will do whatever it takes to ensure that the race moves forward. Currently, it is scheduled for June 5 at Belmont Park.

Ultimately, the county executive said he would be willing to help introduce legislation to compel the racing authority to hold the race, or find outside organizations to host the races at the track, which are property of the state.

As of press time, Gov. David Paterson had not responded to Mangano, though Paterson has mentioned in the past that he is committed to helping NYRA find a way to run the storied race this year.