Time To 'Muck Out NYRA's Stables' And Put Franchise Up For Bid, Editorial Says
"The editorial followed news of the indictment of 17 individuals with alleged ties to organized crime.
"'NYRA is a failed institution – corrupt, criminal, bankrupt, incompetent and a growing drain on the taxpayers,' the editorial states. 'The state's racing industry has suffered under its stewardship and will fall only further as bettors, fairly, begin worrying that they're in the hands of Mafia capos. It's time for Governor Pataki and the Legislature to put Aqueduct and Belmont, as well as Saratoga, under new management.'
"A NYRA official is determined not to let the editorial affect the morale of employees as Aqueduct is currently running its winter meeting and defended the organization as having made much progress over the last year..."