[This situation has been resolved, but it doesn't change how many of us who raced for many years and those who still race feel about the situation, so I'm going to go ahead with this post. For further, albeit not completely insightful, information on the resolution, go here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/06/sport/belmont-strike-averted/index.html ]
New York City is known for many things both lovely and unlovely. Our collective hearts break at the visuals of the 9/11 tragedy, for those lost in a brutal and far-reaching terrorist attack. From Manhattan to the Bronx the contrasts of living in parts of "The City" vary dramatically.
There's yet another burg within The Big Apple perhaps lesser known by those who are unfamiliar with the Classic Triple Crown Races that conclude at Belmont Park. "Belmont Park is a major Thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Township of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City." Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Belmont Park offers the young 3 yr. old Thoroughbreds their most difficult challenge to date. Not only is the Belmont Stakes their first attempt at (and possibly their last at this length) a mile and a half distance over what some view as a deeper, tiring track surface, it comes on the heels of the two former legs of The Triple Crown races which also comprise first-time efforts at what insiders call "the classic distances", the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky (a mile and a quarter), and the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (a mile and three-sixteenths). There are only two weeks between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes and then three weeks between the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. To those of you unfamiliar with Thoroughbreds, especially those of this caliber, usually these young horses only race once a month, sometimes once every six weeks depending on the stakes schedules worked out by their trainers. Although it's not unusual for them to travel to compete, rarely do they have to travel to three different tracks in this short space of time. And for I'll Have Another, the accepted favorite to win long absent Triple Crown status (the last victory by Affirmed in 1978), precisely because it's such a grueling task, the colt originally traveled across the country from Santa Anita Park where he won the Santa Anita Derby in Arcadia, California, to Louisville, Kentucky. That involves time changes, weather changes, and completely different track surfaces for each race.
Breaking away for just a moment from the horse aspects of horse racing, New York City itself currently stands as one of the most politically leftwing cities in the country. Joked about as a "nanny-state" and recently because of Mayor Bloomberg's insistence on banning large soft drinks to control obesity, it's fair to say the liberal politicians favor unions. One union stands to make a publicly unprecedented play for gaining a new contract by threatening NYRA (New York Racing Association) to use its bargaining power to strike at Belmont Park before the classic race is run. Don't get me wrong here: NYRA isn't a prototype for integrity, class, or a role model for any racing association. However, neither are the Maintenance and Gate Crew (Starters) union figures setting this up. Most people who have no idea what it's like to work on the backstretch with horses can't compute the potential disaster unions offer to the sport. It's too complex to explain here, but suffice it to say that making a uniform pay and work scale for employees of trainers is simply not feasible. And for the Gate Crew and Maintenance union to accentuate their demands on such a critical date demonstrates no regard for either these Thoroughbreds or those who work with them. Ploy or not, from what I've heard some of their demands are preposterous, but that doesn't seem surprising in light of their timing.
Good gate crews are appreciated by every horseman on tracks across the country. Life and death situations exist in those tight quarters where Thoroughbreds must be loaded and made to stand in order to break without damaging incidents. The required patience, knowhow, and strength of these horsemen assisting riders and horses is valued, appreciated, and respected. Needless to say, they should be paid accordingly. What that is will differ from track to track as will skill levels.
There are good things to be said for the origin of many unions, but ever more present is the poor management and greedy leadership of many union bosses. Staging the threat of a strike near this hallowed date for horse racing enthusiasts and more importantly those directly involved in the horrendous expense, stress, and stamina of all involved in getting these horses to this level shows how little class this particular New York union possesses. Not a great way to get in that New York state of mind . . .
(Picture of I'll Have Another from: http://www.santaanita.com/)
Father, your people are everywhere. May they be praying for a fair resolution in this situation. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. Thank you, Lord, for supplying the answers to prayers.
