Write to your NYS Legislators: No More Taxpayer Money For NYRA

Tell YOUR NYS LEGISLATORS to STOP NYRA from building the Deadliest Track in the U.S.

Use this easy tool to reach out to your legislators now!

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) is currently attempting to secure a state loan of $455 million to rebuild Belmont Park. But get this: The loan would be repaid through the millions – as in, 130 annually – NYRA already receives in subsidies. Talk about a sweetheart of a deal. With that in mind, I thought it might be instructive for New Yorkers to know what, exactly, this corporate welfare is getting them.

Over the 8-year period 2014-2021, the 10 deadliest tracks in America were as follows:

Charles Town: 460
Gulfstream: 411
Parx: 353
Belmont: 322
Turf: 285
Penn: 263
Santa Anita: 246
Laurel: 243
Remington: 236
Mountaineer: 218

As you can see, Belmont, as presently constituted, ranks fourth. But, as the new Belmont would absorb all of Aqueduct’s racing, we should add Aqueduct’s 114 deaths over this period to get a clearer, more accurate picture of where this new combined track would stand. 322 + 114 = 436, or behind only Charles Town. Over the past five years (’17-’21), however, Belmont/Aqueduct has hosted 275 kills; CT, 262. In short, recent history says the new Belmont Park would be the deadliest racetrack in America.

And here’s another way of looking at the killing: In the 14-year period 2009-2022, 854 horses died at Belmont/Aqueduct – an average of 61 per year. This means we can reasonably expect another 1,800 or so horses to perish at new Belmont over the life of that aforementioned loan (30 years). Hundreds and hundreds more intelligent, beautiful beings felled for $2 bets. And all of it subsidized by New York taxpayers.