Chris Kay Reader’s View: Numbers reflect a vibrant horse racing industry

The New York Racing Association is proud to serve as the steward of Saratoga Race Course, which, by all arguable metrics, is far more robust and sound today than at any time in recent memory. This proposition is not based on opinion, but is rooted in fact.

Consider the following numbers which are derived from a recent independent economic impact study commissioned by the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency:

* The economic impact of Saratoga Race Course on the nine-county greater Capital Region grew to $237 million in 2014, an increase of nine percent in just the past three years. Even more instructive is to understand that 60 percent of the economic impact is ascribed to tourists.

* This number is entirely consistent with the growing occupancy receipts, otherwise known as hotel bed taxes, which have more than doubled within Saratoga County since the start of the millennium. What’s more, last year marked the fourth consecutive year of record tax receipts from overnight hotel stays within the city of Saratoga Springs and the third straight year of record receipts for the county. More tourists are coming to Saratoga than ever before, where Saratoga Race Course serves as the anchor attraction for visitors and out of town guests.

* As a result of this surge in visitation to Saratoga, more than 750 new hotel rooms are expected to come on line by the summer of 2017 in order to meet the growing demand fueled by the region’s most popular attraction.

There are some who claim a decline in the popularity of Saratoga Race Course by citing attendance figures from the start of the millennium. However, attendance counts from a previous era are not helpful. Anyone familiar with Saratoga Race Course will understand the impact of the promotional giveaway days in influencing attendance numbers, which renders inaccurate a direct comparison to today’s gate numbers.

Two years ago, Saratoga hosted four giveaway days and recorded each “spin through the gates” by guests to secure multiple souvenirs as paid attendance. Each of these days yielded an average attendance of anywhere between 50,000 and 55,000. Contrast this to last season when the New York Racing Association discouraged spinners, resulting in an accurate promotional day count of between 25,000 and 30,000 guests during each of the four giveaway days – as opposed to totals of between 100,000 to 120,000 “phantom” guests for the entire Saratoga meet in the prior year. And data from earlier years indicated even larger discrepancies due to the counting of spinners.

The questionable pursuit of trying to gauge the popularity of Saratoga using attendance as the metric should be apparent. A far more reliable means of assessing the strength of Saratoga is through today’s dynamic and record-setting tourism numbers which are predicted in measurable tax receipts and a surge in hotel construction.

In addition to Saratoga Race Course, the New York Racing Association is proud to be the steward for Belmont Park and the historic Belmont Stakes, the third leg of thoroughbred racing’s vaunted Triple Crown. We are gratified by the outpouring of praise from our guests and stakeholders who were there in person to experience firsthand an event that Newsday described as follows: “The 2015 Belmont Stakes was a professional, modern and enjoyable event. It showed a lot of people how much fun the sport and the track can be.”

Despite the success of Saturday’s event, some have questioned the cap in attendance of 90,000 that we instituted in order to preserve, protect and enhance the guest experience. These individuals point to the unlimited capacity constraints for those who attended the first two legs of the Triple Crown – without similarly noting that the two venues which host these events feature underground tunnels with unfettered access to the infield. The same does not hold true for Belmont Park. Our decision was based on the reality of our facility, and the comfort and safety of our fans. We will leave it to Newsday whose reporters observed the efficiency and effectiveness of one of the most memorable sporting days in recent memory and whose editorial board opined: “It also helped that NYRA limited the crowd to 90,000. Even with 12,000 fewer visitors than last year, the park was crammed. Without opening up the infield, 90,000 might be as many guests as can be transported and accommodated enjoyably.”

The horse racing industry in New York state and the operation of Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course generate an annual economic impact of more than $2.1 billion and are responsible for the creation of more than 17,000 jobs. The cornerstone of this industry is the New York Racing Association whose men and women are dedicated to ensuring the economic vitality and viability of our sport for decades to come, and who have made remarkable progress in the past couple of years to strengthen our sport for the benefit of our fans and the economy of the State of New York.

Chris Kay is president and chief executive officer of The New York Racing Association.

Originally published Sunday, June 21, 2015