The New York State Racing Fan Advisory Council will host a free question-and-answer session at Yonkers Raceway from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 10 in the third floor Good Time room.
The New York State Racing Fan Advisory Council is charged with collecting ideas, concerns and issuing formal recommendations on improving horse racing to state government and policymakers. The event will be a great opportunity for race fans to share ideas on how to make racing more attractive and appealing to new fans, and how to improve the sport for current fans.
The Racing Fan Advisory Council was established by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board to provide input and advice to the Board on horse racing and wagering matters in New York State. The council consists of individuals steeped in both thoroughbred and harness racing, as well as off-track betting enterprises. The council will examine the 'total racing experience' and report its findings to the Board. The members include:
- Chair: Patrick M. Connors, Professor of Law, Albany Law School: Professor Connors has been an avid fan of horse racing since 1989 and has made several presentations at Albany Law’s annual Saratoga Institute on Racing and Gaming Law. He has been a law professor for 20 years at both Syracuse University College of Law and Albany Law School. A prolifically published scholar, he has been an active member of several New York State Bar Association Committees and has given dozens of legal presentations across the state. Professor Connors resides in Saratoga Springs, graduated from Georgetown University and obtained his law degree at St. John’s University School of Law.
- Vice Chair: Michael F. Amo, Chair and Co-Founder, Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc. (ThoroFan): Mr. Amo has been a thoroughbred horseracing enthusiast for over 30 years. He was first introduced to the sport by a friend who took him to the 1978 Belmont Stakes and soon began travelling the country attending racing meets as his regular vacation away from a career as a hospital administrator. Mr. Amo has served on the Board of several not-for-profit organizations and is co-owner of a health care consulting business, as well as a published author. A Central Valley resident, Mr. Amo also serves as an Orange County legislator.
- M. Kelly Young, Associate Director of National Affairs, New York Farm Bureau: Ms. Young has been an active participant in the world of harness racing since 1995, when she worked as an office assistant at the Goshen Historic Track during the summer. Ms. Young is a member of the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors and a former Executive Director of the Harness Horse Breeders of New York State. She has written several award-winning articles on standardbred racing. An Albany resident, Ms. Young has a B.A. in Biology from Boston University.
- Allan Carter, Historian, The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame: Since 2003, Mr. Carter has worked at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. For more than 30 years prior, Mr. Carter was a legal librarian at the New York State Library. Mr. Carter served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1967 and worked as a technical writer at Knolls Atomic Power Plant. A Glens Falls native, Mr. Carter resides in Saratoga Springs and received a Master’s Degree in Library Science from SUNY Albany.
The racing fan advisory council’s mission is to grow of the fan base of horse racing by:
- Recommending procedures to ensure that the fan’s opinion is a central part of the regulation of horse racing and advising the Board on issues related to racing and wagering
- Advising the Board on appropriate actions to encourage fan attendance and wagering at the state's thoroughbred and harness racetracks and off-track betting corporations
- Visiting Board-controlled racetracks and facilities during race times, workouts, and during hours when members of the media are permitted to be present at the facilities
- Advising the Board on the creation of an 'I LOVE NY Racing' promotion
- Giving an annual, non-monetary award to both a thoroughbred and standardbred breeding farm in New York State that has worked to promote horse racing in New York
- Recommending changes to the rules of the Board and to the laws affecting horse racing
- Preparing an annual report to the Board regarding the operation of the state's thoroughbred and harness racetracks and the state's off-track betting corporations
Questions, ideas and concerns may also be submitted to [email protected].