Samraat (#1A) with Jose Ortiz holds Uncle Sigh and In Trouble to win the 62nd running of the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica on March 1, 2014. Photo Credit: Alamy Stock Photo/ZUMA Press / Alamy Stock Photo
When the New York Islanders broke ground on a new hockey arena at Belmont Park last week, local and state officials hailed it as the beginning of new era for Long Island sports.
But when the ceremonial shovel hit the dirt, it wasn’t just about hockey. The event also stirred long-simmering questions about horse racing, New York City development, off-track betting and casinos upstate and downstate.