NYRA CEO Dave O’Rourke talks Belmont’s glamor in the writers room
It was announced last week that in order to properly renovate and recreate Belmont Park for 2023 and beyond, the New York Racing Association will move this fall’s meeting in Belmont to the Aqueduct, and Thursday Fourth, NYRA CEO Dave O’Rourke Joined TDN Writers’ Room Presented by Keeneland as Green Team Guest of the Week to discuss the course and future ramifications of this massive capital investment in Big Sandy.
O’Rourke said that the main goal of the construction project was to build two main tunnels to provide access to the Belmont Inland Field, a vast area of land that has so far remained unused. The tunnels, he said, would open up the possibility of hosting fans in the yard for major events like the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, but he added that the renovation would also pave the way for the reconstruction of the pitches. and Belmont turf as well as the installation of a synthetic track for winter racing. O’Rourke explained the importance of freezing Belmont, as the plan is to consolidate racing operations at the track in the near future, shutting down the Aqueduct, and also said the project is in the pipeline. at least in part to bring the Breeders’ Cup back to Belmont, which last hosted the World Championships 17 years ago, in 2005.
Elsewhere in the show, also sponsored by Coolmore, Lane’s End, XBTVthe Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeder and Owner, Purebred West Point and Legacy BloodstockThe authors talked about the heated 3-year-old and Horse of the Year championship races, how the ‘TDN Rising Stars’ titles were taken, and the latest HISA legal back-and-forth. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version, or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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This story was posted in Top News and tagged Belmont, Dave O’Rourke, NYRA, Saratoga, TDN Podcasts, Writer’s Room.