New York Racing Association | Horse Racing Free Tips

Eric Cancel: ‘The People Who Mean The Most Are The People That Stick With You’

Just one live race day remains in 2021 to complete a remarkable year of racing action on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. The NYRA Press Office checked in with a selection of New York-based racing personalities to get their reflections on a memorable year.

It did not take Eric Cancel, 25, long to display his capabilities, leading all apprentice riders in earnings in 2015 and becoming a finalist for Outstanding Apprentice that year.

After six years of competing on the NYRA circuit, Cancel enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2021, winning six races on the final day of the Aqueduct winter meet to secure his first NYRA riding title.

This year provided Cancel with a handful of accomplishments, including his first multiple graded stakes-winning year capturing the Grade 3 Withers with Risk Taking and the G2 Fort Marcy with Tribhuvan for trainer Chad Brown; and the G3 Soaring Softly with Bye Bye for conditioner Christophe Clement. Heading into the final day of racing in 2021, Cancel is also enjoying his best season in wins [147] and purse earnings [$9.9 million]. Both of Cancel's parents, Efrain Cancel and Gezzela Algarin, were jockeys in his native Puerto Rico.

How does it feel to have enjoyed your most successful year yet?

Cancel: “It feels wonderful. I'm very grateful for the opportunities I've been getting on the racetrack. Not just from the trainers, but from the owners. The grooms, hotwalkers and everyone do a great job with all the horses that we ride. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here. My agent [P. J. Campo] has done a great job.”

What contributed to your success in 2021?

Cancel: “I just try to stay focused and keep looking forward to what I want in my career. All the stakes that I have been able to ride and win, have been great. Winning some of the first few stakes of the year in New York meant a lot to me. It just kept me going and opened more doors for me. It was just a good thing to have in my career.”

You had a six-win day in March to become leading rider at the Aqueduct winter meet. How big was that?

Cancel: “Unbelievable. I never thought I would be able to pull it off. Not too many riders have been able to do that. I know Dylan Davis did it a few years back. It isn't anything easy and to be able to do it is something really memorable. It's something that I'll always be very proud of.”

What does it mean to have highly-regarded trainers like Chad Brown and Christophe Clement putting you on more horses?

Cancel: “It's a really big help. Being able to ride for those people that have better horses really puts you in a better spot. It makes other people see how much ability you have. With that kind of help they gave me, it kept on building on my momentum.”

You've won stakes this year for Gary Sciacca and Jorge Abreu, who have been big supporters of yours for a while. How important are those relationships?

Cancel: “They've been there since scratch. They're the ones that always have given me a hand and I'll always be appreciative of them just for sticking with me. It's not easy sometimes when you go up and down. The people who mean the most are the people that stick with you, even when you're struggling a little bit. In this case, thank God I've been able to keep on building up. I've always stuck with them the same way they've always stuck with me.”

Talk about the differences between riding at all three NYRA tracks.

Cancel: “I feel like I ride better at Belmont with the wider turns. I've been trying to make a change in my style of riding at both Saratoga and Aqueduct to try and save more ground and put my horses in better positions. Belmont is a little easier because the turns are wider and you don't have to struggle that much to keep a horse where you want them to be. I'm trying to do the best job I can and trying to put everything I'm leaning together to try and keep it going.”

Both of your parents were riders, how much of an influence have they been?

Cancel: “They had a huge influence on me. I've always been around racing since I was a little kid. As soon as they started watching me get into racing a lot, they kept on pushing me into it. They always were there for me when I needed it. They taught me from scratch so I'm grateful for them and all the people that have had something to do with it.”

What are your goals for next year?

Cancel: “My main goal is to try and keep doing better every year. In the future, I have goals to be in the Breeders' Cup and the Kentucky Derby. That's one of the main things we all look forward to as jockeys. I just take everything day-by-day. I don't rush things and I try to let things fall into place. If I have the opportunity, I'll take the opportunity. If not, I'll just keep riding it out until I get it.”

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New York’s Best Of 2021: Najja Thompson

Just two live race days remain in 2021 to complete a remarkable year of racing action on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. The NYRA Press Office checked in with a selection of New York-based racing personalities to get their reflections on the memorable year.

Najja Thompson is the Executive Director for New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB). A graduate of Florida State University, Thompson previously worked for NYRA in a variety of departments, including communications and marketing. He also serves as vice president for the Turf Publicists of America.

Describe your role for New York Thoroughbred Breeders, (NYTB) Inc.

Thompson: “We are the official authorized organization that represents the thoroughbred breeding industry in New York. In my role as executive director, I work on behalf of our board of directors and membership to educate, promote, and enhance the New York-bred program. I also work to promote the incentives offered to breed and race in New York in addition to joining NYTB in support of our breeding industry.”

How has the New York program developed in 2021?

Thompson: “I think our program's success this year is built on the foundation of our prior triumphs. Over the past ten years under my predecessor, Jeffrey Cannizzo, the program has developed into the top regional state-bred program in the country. This year was no exception. You had horses like Cross Border taking the Grade 2 Bowling Green and Rinaldi winning the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple at Saratoga, Somelikeithotbrown winning the Grade 2 Dinner Party at Pimlico, and, for the 12th consecutive year, a New York-bred won a Grade 1 race with Americanrevolution winning the Grade 1 Cigar Mile. It shows the prominence of the program and quality of our progeny winning at the highest levels. New York-breds have to be respected when competing in the top races in the country and have performed well to earn that consideration.”

What are some of the strengths and advantages to breeding and racing in New York?

Thompson: “We have a great established breeding program with top quality stallion farms and boarding facilities throughout the state. In addition, through the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund, we offer a multitude of incentives for program participants, including breeder and stallion owner awards, and open owner awards for all New York-bred horses that compete in open company races with a claiming price of at least $30,000. Our awards are also tiered so that New York-breds sired by New York stallions earn double in awards compared to horses that are sired outside of New York.

“We also offer the 10-race New York Stallion Stakes Series for eligible New York-sired horses with purses totaling $2.3 million including the richest juvenile state-bred stakes in the country. Last year, we also made it easier to own a New York resident mare with mares in foal purchased at public auction for $50,000 or more and sent to New York within 15 days following the sale making the mare a New York resident mare and her foal a New York-bred. All these developments and the chance to compete on the NYRA circuit with enhanced purses for restricted and open company should entice owners and breeders to invest in New York racing.”

Americanrevolution is co-owned by WinStar Farm, a commercial racing and breeding operation. What does it mean to have major owners and breeders taking part in the New York program?

Thompson: “It's definitely a great development and a result of the quality farms and breeding operations that we have in New York. Breeders, consignors, bloodstock agents and buyers can invest in the New York-bred program knowing their foals will be raised right and can later compete on the best circuit and races throughout the country.”

How involved are you in bringing stallion prospects to New York?

Thompson: “One of the key components of my job is not only promoting our current stallions but also working to attract new stallions to come to New York. We've seen the quality that can be produced in New York, including Central Banker's progeny who have done well in recent years in addition to Big Brown, Freud, War Dancer, Honest Mischief, and Fog of War, a War Front stallion creating excitement. Looking ahead, we have Combatant, Venezuelan Hug, and Waiting coming in for 2022.

“In addition, we're continuing our efforts to recruit quality stallions to help the New York-sired program. It's always about promoting and improving the program. You want to have that demand and make sure our current stallions are being actively promoted. What makes New York a great program is you can breed into quality bloodlines at a fraction of the price with great incentives and purses behind that investment. As well, we want to bring in additional stallions in the near future that are commercially viable and proven on the market. We're always open to exploring how we can assist to bring additional quality and depth to breeders.”

What are your goals for the New York thoroughbred industry?

Thompson: “Number One – we have to continue to make sure that we can bring in quality mares to New York. It's important for any state-bred program that it has the foundation of quality mares in addition to stallions to breed to in our efforts to increase the foal crop.

“It's also really great to have a positive relationship with NYRA and NYTHA. They've both always been supportive of the program. I've worked closely with Dave O'Rourke, Martin Panza, Joe Appelbaum, Will Alempijevic and now Keith Doleshel as well as on the TV side with Tony Allevato and Eric Donovan. We see tremendous support for the New York-bred program through the FOX TV show as well as the racetrack and horsemen partnership. America's Day at the Races is a great tool in our efforts to promote the New York-bred brand and getting more people involved.”

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After Challenging Year, Vargas Looks to Bounce Back in 2022

Last week, Puerto Rican jockey Jorge A. Vargas, Jr. won one of the biggest races of his young career aboard Geno (Big Brown) in the $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way S. at Aqueduct. The victory, more than happiness and a nice check, brought relief and a breath of fresh air going into a new year after a tough 2021.

“I was a little down because I was working hard, I'm riding almost every day and you want to see the results and nothing was happening,” said Vargas during a recent holiday trip to Puerto Rico to catch up with his family. “Thank God this week was good. I won every day, which is one of my purposes, to win at least one each day. On top of that, we won the stakes, which helps us not only with money, but for people to see us and know that we can do it and that we are here because we have the skills.”

After two straight successful seasons in 2018 and 2019, where he won more than 100 races each year and obtained his first riding title at Laurel's Park Winter Meet, Vargas's pace was slowed down by the pandemic in 2020. He came back hungrier than ever in 2021, but his progress was once again short-lived as he hit the ground hard Mar. 20 when his mount fell during a race at Monmouth Park. Vargas fractured his lumbar and was sidelined for another four months.

“I'm not going to lie and it isn't a secret that it was hard,” Vargas said of his 2021 mid-year crisis. “You're coming from a pandemic that kept you from what you love for three to four months. You try to get back on track, get a little steam, and fall again, another three to four months out.”

Represented by Jimmy Riccio, Vargas has opted to stay on the NYRA circuit for the last three years even with the steep competition of one of the most elite jockeys colonies in the nation. It's a calculated risk for the 26-year-old, who says he always wants to push himself against the best.

“New York is the Big Leagues, it's where everybody wants to prove themselves,” Vargas said. “You have to really work and know if you belong. I like the challenge and that's what moves me. I've accepted the challenge and I always work hard and keep afloat.”

Vargas, who started riding in 2013, has been an underdog for his whole career. People doubted he could become a professional jockey and he did. People doubted he could ride in the United States and he shone on the Pennsylvania circuit. People doubted he could win a meet and he was a champion in Maryland in 2018. Now, the always smiling Vargas wants to do the same in New York and he just needs a little bit of luck and trust.

“I just want to have a healthy year,” Vargas said about his expectations for 2022. “For it to be a year where I can ride and show what I know how to do. It's always challenging. In the United States at this moment there are so many jockeys that winning races is complicated. I would like to keep over 100 wins every year.”

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Two Weeks From Crucial Hearing, NYRA Adds to Arguments Against Baffert

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) Wednesday added to an already daunting compilation of court documentation filed by both parties in an attempt to bolster its arguments in advance of a Jan. 6 “motion to dismiss” hearing in Bob Baffert's civil rights lawsuit against NYRA.

The purpose of the Dec. 22 reply memorandum was to give NYRA “the opportunity to briefly address new arguments raised by Plaintiff in his opposition brief” and to confirm NYRA's position in relation to Baffert's civil action claim.

“First, Plaintiff fails to articulate an actionable 'substantive due process' claim,” the filing in United States District Court (Eastern District of New York) stated. “Instead, Plaintiff's Response simply repeats his procedural due process allegations and fails to point to any facts showing that NYRA's actions in connection with the Administrative Proceeding are 'arbitrary, conscience-shocking, or oppressive in a constitutional sense…'

“Second, Plaintiff's argument that he is not required to exhaust administrative remedies is foreclosed by controlling precedent. The Second Circuit has held that, although most [Section] 1983 [civil rights] plaintiffs are not subject to an exhaustion requirement, that rule 'does not apply to procedural due process challenges if the plaintiff failed to avail himself of the very administrative procedures he attacks as inadequate'…

“Third, like other disciplinary proceedings brought against licensees, the Administrative Proceeding is clearly a civil enforcement proceeding requiring Younger abstention [a doctrine that mandates federal courts must not hear cases involving federal issues already being litigated at the state level]… Moreover, contrary to Plaintiff's argument, the Court has already recognized that the state interests implicated here are 'weighty' and 'important.'”

“Finally, Plaintiff's argument that his claim implicates 'pure questions of law' misses the mark. Plaintiff has raised these same legal issues in the Administrative Proceeding, and upon its completion, Plaintiff may seek judicial review in New York State court… Plaintiff's claim stretches beyond pure legal questions–Plaintiff has made the factual allegation that the Administrative Proceeding is a 'fait accompli.'”

NYRA had barred Baffert back on May 17, which was 16 days after the now-deceased Medina Spirit won the GI Kentucky Derby while testing positive for an overage of betamethasone. In the 12 months prior to that positive, four other Baffert trainees had also tested positive for medication overages, two of them in Grade I stakes.

Baffert responded to NYRA's ruling-off by filing a June 14 civil complaint alleging that the ban violated his constitutional right to due process. On July 14, the eve of the Saratoga season, the court granted Baffert a preliminary injunction that allowed him to race at New York's premier tracks until the lawsuit was adjudicated in full.

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