Since 2012, David Skorton has served as chairman of the New York Racing Association. Skorton, who is also president of Cornell University, will soon be leaving both posts to take a job as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Skorton will remain at Cornell through June 2015, reports the Blood Horse, but it is presently unclear if he will stay at NYRA until then.
In a statement of thanks to Skorton, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made it seem as if his departure from NYRA is imminent.
“During his remarkable tenure as president of Cornell University, he has also personally overseen the transformation of the New York Racing Association and jump-started critical reforms of New York’s thoroughbred industry,” Cuomo said. “I thank Dr. Skorton for his public service and wish him well as he prepares for this next chapter.”
NYRA officials seemed to indicate Skorton was not on a fast track out the door. In their own statement, they said, “Dr. Skorton is the chairman of the New York Racing Association board, and we believe that he will continue to lead the board with distinction.”
Skorton took the job at a time of upheaval for NYRA due to financial instability, a takeout scandal in which bettors were overcharged by $8 million, and a series of equine deaths at the state’s racetracks. Some of these matters have been addressed. One that is still unresolved is whether Aqueduct Racetrack, now home of the successful Resorts World racino, will continue as a racing facility.
