New York Racing Association | Horse Racing Free Tips

NYRA Partners With Far Hills For Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring graded-stakes action from Far Hills and Belmont Park.

The centennial running of the Far Hills Race Meeting will be featured on Saturday's edition of America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national television show produced by NYRA, with live coverage on FS2 from 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Saturday's sequence kicks off at Far Hills with the Grade 1, $150,000 Grand National Hurdle in Race 3 at 2:34 p.m., a 2 5/8-mile test for older horses that will feature a rematch between 5-year-old mare The Mean Queen and 7-year-old gelding Snap Decision, who ran one-two in last month's Grade 1 Lonesome Glory Handicap at Belmont.

Trained by Keri Brion, The Mean Queen ended Snap Decision's nine-race winning streak with a two-length score in the 2 1/2-mile Lonesome Glory, while carrying 154 pounds – seven pounds less than her returning rival.

Snap Decision, trained by Hall of Famer Jack Fisher, won the Grade 1 Iroquois in June at Percy Warner and has been assigned 156 pounds for the Grant National, eight pounds more than The Mean Queen.

Action switches to Belmont for the next two legs, beginning with Race 5 at 2:43 p.m., which offers a field of 11 New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up sprinting seven furlongs on the turf.

The middle leg – the Grade 2, $200,000 Sands Point [Race 6, 3:15 p.m.] – will see a field of eight sophomore fillies contest at nine-furlongs on the inner turf led by a pair of top contenders for trainer Chad Brown in Fluffy Socks and Higher Truth.

Fluffy Socks, a Grade 3-winner, cuts back in distance after rallying to finish third last out in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks.

The Grade 1-placed Higher Truth contested all three legs of NYRA's Turf Triple series for fillies, including a third in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational in July; a second to Belmont Oaks runner-up Con Lima in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational; and a prominent second last out in the 11-furlong Jockey Club Oaks Invitational. Steep opposition will be provided by group/graded stakes winners Plum Ali and Harajuku.

The sequence concludes with a pair of steeplechase stakes from Far Hills, including the $50,000 Appleton [Race 4, 3:22 p.m.], featuring a field of six older horses in a 2 5/8-mile event over national fences. Ya Boy Ya [158 pounds] ships in from his native Ireland as the field high weight for trainer Julie Gomena to battle with fellow Irish-bred Galway Kid, who won the Grade 3 David Semmes Memorial at Great Meadow in May for Brion.

Closing out the action is the $30,000 Gladstone [Race 5, 4:09 p.m.], a 2 1/8-mile event for sophomores that features the Leslie Young-trained French-bred shipper Fast Vision [151 pounds], by Vision d'Etat, who arrives from a two-length score in the Prix Soldat contested at the Gladstone distance in June at Dieppe.

Young will also saddle the Irish-bred Project Two [148], who adds blinkers following a runner-up effort in a maiden tilt in August at Ballinrobe in Ireland. Brion will send out Irish-bred maiden Parish Delight [148], while Elizabeth Voss will saddle maiden winner Circus [151] – a dark bay son of Runhappy.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

America's Day at the Races is presented by America's Best Racing, Runhappy, and Claiborne Farm. For the complete broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, October 16:
Leg A: Far Hills – Race 3, G1 Grand National (2:34 p.m.)
Leg B: Belmont – Race 5 (2:43 p.m.)
Leg C: Belmont – Race 6, G2 Sands Point (3:15 p.m.)
Leg D: Far Hills – Race 4, Appleton (3:22 p.m.)
Leg E: Far Hills – Race 5, Gladstone (4:09 p.m.)

The post NYRA Partners With Far Hills For Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Joi Garner Named General Counsel at NYRA

Joi L. Garner has been named Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the New York Racing Association, NYRA announced Wednesday. Garner succeeds Joe Lambert, who is retiring, and will assume her responsibilities on Oct. 15.

Garner previously served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel at THINK450, the marketing and licensing subsidiary of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). At THINK450, Garner was the lead negotiator in several of the NBPA's most significant licensing deals, including agreements with Take-Two Interactive (NBA2K), Fanatics and Dapper Labs. Garner was also instrumental in creating the NBPA's partnership with Anheuser-Busch; and in social-justice initiatives, including DoorDash's #PayItForward challenge that supported Black-owned businesses and Kia Motors' holiday campaign that provided relief to families impacted by the pandemic.

In her new position, Garner will be returning to NYRA, where she served as associate general counsel from 2016-2018 and was responsible for commercial and technical contracts, commercial litigation, sweepstakes and contests, and acted as production counsel for NYRA's television shows, including oversight of the landmark media rights agreement with FOX Sports.

“Joi's legal and strategic acumen, combined with her depth of experience in the rapidly evolving sports, entertainment and media landscape, align perfectly with NYRA's priorities,” said NYRA President and CEO David O'Rourke. “We are thrilled to welcome Joi back to NYRA to help shape the future of the organization. NYRA would also like to thank Joe Lambert for his years of dedicated service, and we wish him the best in retirement.”

“In so many ways, NYRA sets the standard of excellence in thoroughbred racing,” added Garner. “It is an honor to return and join such a talented team committed to moving the sport into the future and embracing opportunities for growth and change.”

The post Joi Garner Named General Counsel at NYRA appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Joi Garner Named General Counsel For NYRA

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced today the appointment of Joi L. Garner as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Garner succeeds Joe Lambert, who is retiring, and will assume her responsibilities on October 15.

Garner previously served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel at THINK450, the marketing and licensing subsidiary of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) responsible for group product licensing, developing brand collaborations and commercializing the likeness rights of the collective group of current NBA players.

At THINK450, Garner was the lead negotiator in several of the NBPA's most significant licensing deals, including agreements with Take-Two Interactive (NBA2K), Fanatics and Dapper Labs. Garner was also instrumental in creating the NBPA's partnership with Anheuser-Busch; and in social-justice initiatives, including DoorDash's #PayItForward challenge that supported Black-owned businesses and Kia Motors' holiday campaign that provided relief to families impacted by the pandemic.

Prior to her tenure at THINK450 and NYRA, Garner was a member of the Sports and Entertainment group of Garvey Schubert Barer, advising media, companies, athletes and entertainers on corporate and entertainment matters. She also served at Morrison & Foerster LLP as an attorney; at the National Basketball Association as an international PR associate; and at MediaLink Worldwide, a broadcast public relations firm.

“In so many ways, NYRA sets the standard of excellence in thoroughbred racing,” said Garner. “It is an honor to return and join such a talented team committed to moving the sport into the future and embracing opportunities for growth and change.”

Several industry organizations and media outlets have cited Garner for her work, among them Black Sports Network, which featured her in its “Women in Sports” series; and Marcom Weekly, which named her to its ranking of “28 Powerful Black Leaders in Marketing & Media.” Garner has also been honored by the National Black Lawyers in its list of “Top 40 Under 40” and by SuperLawyers as a “Rising Star” in the Sports and Entertainment field.

Garner is a native of Philadelphia. She earned a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Media Communication from New York University.

NYRA is currently conducting live racing at Belmont Park, where the fall meet continues through Sunday, November 7. For additional information, visit NYRA.com.

The post Joi Garner Named General Counsel For NYRA appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Flurry of Legal Filings, Familiar Arguments in Baffert vs. NYRA Case

Both plaintiff Bob Baffert and defendant the New York Racing Association (NYRA) traded volleys of legal filings that were posted electronically just before 6 p.m. Tuesday. They all relate to Baffert's ongoing quest to fight NYRA's attempts to either banish him outright or to give him a hearing that would adjudicate the “detrimental conduct” charges NYRA has levied against Baffert over the repeated equine drug positives in his trainees.

NYRA on Oct. 12 filed a memorandum of law in support of its earlier motion to dismiss Counts I, III, IV and V of Baffert's federal lawsuit against NYRA. That civil complaint was initiated when NYRA tried to exclude Baffert from racing or stabling at its three tracks without any hearing process back on May 17.

“NYRA moves to dismiss all counts except Plaintiff's [civil action for deprivation of rights] claim. Counts I, III, IV and V of the Complaint fail to meet the applicable pleading requirements and, as such, should be dismissed as a matter of law,” NYRA stated in its filing in United States District Court (Eastern District of New York).

The filing continued: “First, this Court should dismiss Plaintiff's tortious interference with business relations claim because Plaintiff fails to allege either that NYRA directed conduct at any entity or individual other than himself or any specific business relationships with which NYRA purposefully interfered.

“Second, under the New York Court of Appeals' decision in Saumell v. New York Racing Association, Inc., Plaintiff's claim alleging a violation of New York law fails because NYRA acted upon its common law right of exclusion in suspending Plaintiff and because NYRA is not bound by the New York State Gaming Commission's hearing procedures when excluding a licensee from the Racetracks.

“Third, Plaintiff's claims for injunctive and declaratory relief likewise fail because they constitute remedies, not independent causes of action,” NYRA's filing stated.

Baffert's legal team rebutted those points in its own Oct. 12 filing, then launched into a separate argument about the exclusion hearing process that NYRA created to give Baffert a chance to present his own evidence and dispute the reasons that NYRA wants to bar him (Baffert is currently allowed to race at NYRA tracks because a judge ruled in his favor with a July 14 preliminary injunction).

“Rather than accepting this Court's Order and its defeat, NYRA has chosen to double down,” Baffert's filing contended.

“First, NYRA has filed the current meritless Motion to Dismiss. Second, NYRA sent Baffert another letter Sept. 10, 2021, which claimed that NYRA intended to once again suspend Baffert for the exact same conduct that it previously attempted to suspend him.”

Baffert's filing continued: “In an effort to circumvent this Court's injunction Order, NYRA claims its latest attempt to suspend is “new.” In reality, there is nothing “new” about it as it is based on the same conduct and reasoning. The only thing different is that NYRA has now created 'Hearing Rules and Procedures' out of whole cloth in attempt to retroactively instill legitimacy to its blatantly unlawful actions.

“These rules and procedures state that NYRA can appoint its own hearing officer, render whatever decision it deems appropriate, and deny Baffert any right to appeal. In other words, in response to this Court's ruling that it acted unlawfully, NYRA has decided to engage in even more unlawful activity. NYRA's recent actions make it highly likely that Baffert will suffer additional injuries to his business and reputation,” Baffert's filing stated.

NYRA wasn't through yet with the legal filings on Tuesday. In its response to Baffert's response, it fired back with another memorandum, this one in “further” support of its own motion to dismiss.

NYRA's second filing on Tuesday urged the court to “reject” Baffert's “novel” theory about tortious interference. It also stated that Baffert “mischaracterizes New York law” and that his argument “ignored the weight of authority” with regard to injunctive and declaratory relief.”

The post Flurry of Legal Filings, Familiar Arguments in Baffert vs. NYRA Case appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post