New York Racing Association | Horse Racing Free Tips

Nevin Taking Her Time With Happy Medium

Jay Em Ess Stable's Happy Medium (Runhappy) equaled his career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure for 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy allowance victory (video) at Aqueduct Saturday. Happy Medium has gone 3-for-4 this year, his only loss coming in his debut where he finished third going seven furlongs at Aqueduct in March.

“He's doing all the right things,” trainer Michelle Nevin said of the sophomore. “We're very happy with him and we are taking each logical step as he's gone along and he's really shown up.”

Happy Medium earned his first 103 Beyer with a 9 1/4-length maiden special weight victory at Belmont in his second start. He followed with a five-length victory over a sloppy and sealed main track at Aqueduct Nov. 13.

Nevin said Happy Medium's effort Saturday was the best of his career.

“Yesterday, he looked more in control of the race every step of the way,” Nevin said. “When he broke his maiden, he did it easily, but it maybe didn't look as impressive as yesterday.”

Looking ahead for Happy Medium, Nevin said, “We'll just get past this, get back to training, and see how we are and then we'll make our decisions down the road a little bit. We're going to have to see how he comes out of this race. It was a huge effort, so I'm not in a rush to pick a spot. Once I feel like he's back on his feet again, we'll see what's available to us.”

The post Nevin Taking Her Time With Happy Medium appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Marc Holiday Elected Chairman Of NYRA Board Of Directors

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) Board of Directors has unanimously elected Marc Holliday as chairman following today's regularly scheduled meeting of the board. Mr. Holliday replaces Michael Del Giudice, who retired from the NYRA Board in November.

Appointed to the NYRA Board in 2014, Mr. Holliday has chaired the NYRA Equine Safety Committee since 2015. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SL Green Realty Corp (NYSE: SLG), which is New York City's largest owner of office properties. Mr. Holliday has served as the SLG CEO since 2004 and became Chairman of the Board in 2019. A graduate of Lehigh University, Mr. Holliday earned a master's in real estate development from Columbia University.

“I am honored to succeed Michael Del Giudice and grateful for his work returning NYRA to a period of sustained excellence and financial stability,” said Mr. Holliday. “Michael skillfully guided the association through a time of uncertainty, and NYRA today is as strong as any point in its history. Horse racing is an engine for the New York economy and deeply intertwined in the cultural fabric of the state. It is a privilege to play a role in the future of the sport I care so deeply about.”

A prominent horse owner and breeder, Mr. Holliday founded Blue Devil Racing Stable in 2006. Most notable among a number of Blue Devil stakes winners is the homebred Come Dancing, who won the Grade 1 Ketel One Ballerina, Grade 2 Ruffian, Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap and Grade 3 Distaff Handicap in 2019 on the NYRA circuit. The popular mare added the Grade 2 Honorable Miss to her ledger last year and is now retired as a broodmare in-foal to Into Mischief.

“NYRA is in a strong position for continued success thanks to the commitment and leadership of the board of directors,” said NYRA President & CEO Dave O'Rourke. “On behalf of the entire organization, I thank Michael Del Giudice for his dedicated service and congratulate Marc Holliday on his new role.”

Mr. Del Giudice joined the NYRA Board in 2003 and was appointed Chairman in 2017. From 2015 to 2017, he acted as Chairman of the NYRA Reorganization Board of Directors. During his tenure, NYRA returned to sound financial footing and enhanced the quality, safety, and integrity of its racing operations.

Under the leadership of Mr. Del Giudice, NYRA completed a series of significant capital improvement projects to improve the fan experience and modernize racing, training and backstretch facilities at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

The organizational structure of the NYRA Board of Directors was established in 2017 according to legislation enacted through the FY 2018 New York State budget, which returned majority control of NYRA back to the not-for-profit organization and dissolved the temporary NYRA Reorganization Board established by the New York State Legislature in 2012.

For biographical information about the NYRA Board of Directors, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/about/board-of-directors.

The post Marc Holiday Elected Chairman Of NYRA Board Of Directors appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Marc Holliday Elected Chairman of NYRA Board of Directors

The New York Racing Association's Board of Directors has unanimously elected Marc Holliday as chairman following Thursday's regularly scheduled meeting of the board. Holliday replaces Michael Del Giudice, who retired from the NYRA Board in November.

Appointed to the NYRA Board in 2014, Holliday has chaired the NYRA Equine Safety Committee since 2015. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SL Green Realty Corp, which is New York City's largest owner of office properties. A graduate of Lehigh University, Holliday earned a master's in real estate development from Columbia University.

“I am honored to succeed Michael Del Giudice and grateful for his work returning NYRA to a period of sustained excellence and financial stability,” said Holliday. “Michael skillfully guided the association through a time of uncertainty, and NYRA today is as strong as any point in its history. Horse racing is an engine for the New York economy and deeply intertwined in the cultural fabric of the state. It is a privilege to play a role in the future of the sport I care so deeply about.”

A prominent horse owner and breeder, Holliday founded Blue Devil Racing Stable in 2006. Most notable among a number of Blue Devil stakes winners is the homebred Come Dancing (Malibu Moon), who won the GI Ketel One Ballerina S., GII Ruffian S., GII Gallant Bloom H. and GIII Distaff H. in 2019 on the NYRA circuit. The popular mare added the GII Honorable Miss S. to her ledger last year and is now in foal to Into Mischief.

The post Marc Holliday Elected Chairman of NYRA Board of Directors appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Judge Orders NYRA To Pay $106K In Baffert’s Legal Fees In Ongoing Civil Suit

U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon has ordered the New York Racing Association (NYRA) to pay $106,457.50 in legal fees and $2,667.31 in expenses incurred by trainer Bob Baffert in an ongoing legal battle between the two. Baffert brought suit against NYRA after the racing organization banned him from its tracks following Baffert's announcement that Medina Spirit had tested positive for betamethasone after the Kentucky Derby.

In May, Judge Amon granted a preliminary injunction against NYRA, preventing the organization from enforcing its ban while the lawsuit is still pending. NYRA had argued that such reimbursement for legal costs was premature since Baffert had won a preliminary injunction but not the lawsuit itself. Judge Amon did not agree with that argument, pointing to other cases in which a plaintiff won a preliminary injunction but did not prevail in pursuit of a permanent injunction.

Judge Amon's ruling indicated that Baffert has agreed not to seek damages related to this portion of the case.

The ruling weighed the experience of each of the attorneys working on Baffert's case, as well as the billing records about the number of hours they've spent on the case so far, to determine whether the amount he requested is reasonable. According to the judge's opinion, Baffert's primary attorney, Craig Robertson, has billed him at a rate of $475 per hour. She did not award the full amount Baffert was seeking, based on an opinion that the rates in some cases were higher than the average range or that some of the work was duplicative.

The post Judge Orders NYRA To Pay $106K In Baffert’s Legal Fees In Ongoing Civil Suit appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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