Gavin Landry, whose contributions to racing in New York are defined by the buffoonish invention of NYRA Nation, the short-lived and widely ignored mascot Auggie Belmont, the elitist, failed Saratoga “preferred access,” the large piece of wooden furniture now in the clubhouse lobby at Belmont Park and the infamous quote: “ ---- the horseplayers,” is no longer an officer of the New York Racing Association.
NYRA made neither announcement nor comment on ending its relationship with its senior vice-president for sales and marketing, who brought a tourism background but no racing-industry expertise to the association less than two years ago. Landry is also credited with having said: “Advertising is for people who don’t know how to market” and “I will be the next president of NYRA.”
Landry, whose imminent departure was widely rumored last month, is the second profoundly ineffective if eminently arrogant executive to depart NYRA in recent weeks. John “Fast-Track” Passero, whose tenure as director of racing surfaces was overwhelmed by widespread discontent among trainers, departed at the end of the meeting at Saratoga.
The one area in which Landry made significant strides during his brief tenure was in corporate and industry sponsorship but even in that offended many traditionalists, a group he scorned openly, who objected to the sale of signage on the starting gates at Belmont and Saratoga. --PM
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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7 comments:
Well, glad to see the clown gone. But who will be his replacement?
Iavarone.
Good riddance to Landry- the Puffed Pigeon of Saratoga. And don't even think of landing back to Saratoga Springs.
I guess this kind of puts a damper on Sir Gavin's NYRA Presidential aspirations.
Its good to see him finally put in his place after all these years!
The Shadwell sign on the starting gate at the Spa was atrocious - even a 19 year old Marketing 101 student knows not to promote someone else's brand more aggressively than their own..
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