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The same can’t be said for Monticello, which Joe Faraldo called a tinderbox.

by Dave Briggs

Standardbred Owners Association of New York (SOA of NY) president Joe Faraldo said the re-opening of Yonkers Raceway could happen as soon as the second or third week of June, but is fraught with complications. Fortunately, the track’s management, casino company MGM, has shown interest in returning to racing as soon as possible, Faraldo said.

“Yonkers is in a unique situation because Yonkers does not have a large, substantial horse population on site,” Faraldo said. “So, the terms and conditions that are being given to (Yonkers) management to comply with are stricter and more difficult to comply with than any of the upstate tracks like Vernon, Tioga, Buffalo, Saratoga and Batavia. They have big barn areas and a horse population that’s on site.

“(Yonkers has) ship ins, so the Gaming Commission is requiring that, basically, we quarantine people who are shipping in. Yonkers is required to make sure the people that are shipping in have tested for antibodies and have antibodies. If someone stayed home and never got sick and never contracted this disease, they aren’t going to have any antibodies. They complied with the regulations, so they are making life difficult for us because we’re in a unique situation.

“To MGM’s credit, they have been trying to address all of these things. They are putting in faucets where you don’t have to touch the handle. They are putting plastic shields up in the race office. They are setting out points where people who want to go in and claim a horse or have business in the race office, have to stand behind a shield. They are doing all these things. We’ve had conference calls with them (Friday) at 4 o’clock and the day before at 3 o’clock. I think they are actually acting in good faith to try to be in compliance with these really, really strict requirements, some of which I don’t know how we’re going to address. I think they are trying to do that and we’re working with them to do exactly that.”

Faraldo said there is between $4 million and $5 million in reserve in the Yonkers purse account, but he has to manage any re-opening of racing to avoid a shortfall before the track’s casino re-opens. Faraldo estimates the casino won’t re-open before July 1, “so I have to manage the purse account — along with the racetrack’s okay — so that we don’t run out of money and have to start and stop again, because the casino doesn’t open. Then I have to worry about will the casino generate 50 per cent of its normal income, whatever restrictions will be set for them at first? Will it be 25 per cent or 75 per cent of their income? If they only have 50 per cent and I blow the $4-5 million because I want to race five days a week, like a jerk, then that means I’m going to have to shut down… or, when we get up and running, cut the purses by 50 per cent. Nobody wants to do that, so we’re working together.”

The company made the decision to shutter the track Tuesday after learning that an employee of the Standardbred Owners Association based at Yonkers Raceway adjacent to the Empire City Casino. Empire City Casino, Yonkers, NY. 96,146 likes 632 talking about this 178,414 were here. Empire City Casino is one of the largest entertainment and gaming destinations in the country! Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway is the premier entertainment destination of the Northeast!

MONTICELLO A “TINDERBOX”

Faraldo said there’s much less harmony between horsepeople and management at Monticello Raceway.

“The real tinderbox is going to be Monticello,” Faraldo said. “The casino company has told us that they are not going to open unless the horsemen give up their share of on-track handle to the casino company, give up OTB revenue to the casino company, give up intrastate and interstate simulcasting share… My feeling is that it is very, very critical that we stand up against each and every one of these forces that’s working against the health of this industry going forward. I cannot have a casino company dictating the terms and conditions under which racing is conducted in New York state that trumps the legislature, the contract, the governor. The casino company is basically saying that they are going to control racing. That’s something that… whether you agree with me or disagree with me, I think on this level we’re all in agreement. You cannot have that become the dynamic that drives this game because I guarantee you that this game is done.

“You cannot let — even under these (COVID-19) circumstances — these casino companies get a foot in the door and control racing because they’ll kill it… I know there are extraordinary circumstances, but I don’t want them to use these extraordinary circumstances to browbeat and bully the horsemen.”

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Empire City Casino will resume live racing operations without spectators at the Yonkers Raceway on Monday, three months after the coronavirus pandemic closed the facility.

With approval from the New York Gaming Commission, operations will restart with a three-night weekly schedule on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, the company said in a statement. Health and safety protocols such as distancing measures, temperature checks and health screenings will be implemented for workers.

The venerable track has been closed since March, when the coronavirus started to spread throughout the state. Empire City would end up furloughing more than 900 employees, most of its workforce, due to the pandemic.

A spokesperson for Empire City could not say, when reached by The Journal News/lohud, how many furloughed employees will be able to return to work because of the restart of live racing operations.

With its 4,700 slot machines, Empire City, owned by MGM Resorts, is the largest private employer in Yonkers and is one of the largest gaming floors in the country. It brought in around $50 million in revenue in February.

In a May 5 letter to staff, acting MGM CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle called the furloughs “the most challenging period ever faced by our company and industry.”

“Based on the current situation, we now believe that some of our colleagues may not return to work this year,' the letter said. 'And, given the continued uncertainty facing our industry, we simply don’t know just how many employees will return to work within the coming months.”

Tiffany covers Yonkers. Click here for her latest stories. Follow her on Twitter @T_Cusaac. Sign up today for a digital subscription.

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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Empire City to resume live racing at Yonkers Raceway on Monday