My Last Belmont

[infield_line]

I post this in the hopes that Steve can share the feedback with NYRA.

Having had the chance to go to Churchill for Oaks, and now to Belmont Park, the contrast between the two could not be more glaring and not flattering to whomever manages Belmont and prepares for the biggest day of the year. While Churchill has an infield, it still serves more people with much more skill and comfort than Belmont Park

At Churchill, they have enough security and access control that if you don't have a ticket for an area, you don't get in. At Belmont, there was absolutely no effort to check anyone's tickets, leaving a chaotic situation where with 15 minutes to post, police had to be summoned to evict seat squatters.

Add to that very limited food choices (hot dog or something they claimed was a Philly Cheesesteak), no apparent plans to restock vending areas that ran out of beer and ice, just not enough vending staff to serve this number of people, half of the ATM's inoperable, non-working escalators, and overflowing toilets. At $10 a beer, they should be able to put 3-4 behind each counter, not 2 hopelessly overworked souls. Oh, and have a beer/water line, and a line for mixed drinks... common sense people.

There was an inexplicable decision to barricade 4 of 6 exit doors on the north end that caused thousands to have to squeeze through two doors after the big race, and a truck parked across the pathway out to parking lot buses creating more difficulty in exiting.

The card was extraordinary and I'm sure that everything was in good order in the Jockey Club, but the experience for the average punter was generally frustrating. I expect rookies on both side of the windows on these days, and there appeared to be sufficient staffing for wagering, but pretty much every other part of the experience was a fail and I will not go back on Belmont Day.

Sorry if this sounds like grousing... but The Belmont is part of a national institution, and in my opinion NYRA needs to raise their game a lot.