New York Racing Association | Horse Racing Free Tips

NYRA Increases Purses Across The Board At Saratoga; Maiden Allowance Fields To Run For $100,000

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced significant increases to its purse schedule for the 2021 summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course, which opens on Thursday, July 15 and continues through Monday, September 6.

The condition book for the Saratoga summer meet is now available online at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/horsemen. Physical copies of the condition book will be available in the Belmont Park racing office beginning Friday, June 25.

All open stakes at Saratoga that previously carried a purse of $100,000 will see an increase of $20,000 to $120,000. Open maiden special weight races at Saratoga will enjoy a $10,000 boost, increasing from $90,000 to $100,000. New York-bred maiden special weights will increase by $5,000 to $85,000.

“We look forward to welcoming horsemen from across the country back to Saratoga,” said Keith Doleshel, NYRA Racing Secretary for the Saratoga summer meet. “The purse increases across the board should help make the 2021 season a summer full of the competitive racing that Saratoga is known for.”

Allowance optional claiming races at Saratoga featuring non-winners of three/$100,000 claiming will see its purse raised to $110,000, while non-winners of two/$80,000 claiming will have a purse of $105,000. Non-winners of one will offer a $103,000 purse.

State-bred non-winners of 2/$45,000 claiming will compete for an increased purse of $95,000, while the purse for state-bred non-winners of one was bumped to $90,000.

In addition to these purse increases, the NYRA Maiden Allowance Auction Series will return this summer for the third year following its launch in 2019. All races in this series are restricted to horses that sold or RNA'd for $45,000 or less at their most recent auction, providing an additional incentive and opportunity for owners to compete at Saratoga.

The Maiden Allowance Auction Series races will be offered in the first condition book of the Saratoga meet for purses of $80,000, a $5,000 increase over 2020. The Maiden Allowance Auction Series condition will also include up to $13,920 in New York Breeding Fund open company owners awards for New York-breds finishing first through third in the Maiden Allowance Auction Series.

Pari-mutuel wagering funds the majority of the NYRA purse account, which is awarded to horsemen and, in turn, benefits hundreds of small businesses operating at NYRA tracks and others dependent on the thoroughbred racing industry. Thoroughbred racing in New York State is responsible for 19,000 jobs and more than $3 billion in annual statewide economic impact.

Highlighted by the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers on August 28 and the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 7, the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses.

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Baffert Files New York Lawsuit Claiming NYRA Has No Legal Authority For Suspension

Bob Baffert has filed a lawsuit against the New York Racing Association in United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News, seeking to overturn NYRA's May 17 decision to not accept his entries or allow him stall space.

Patrick McKenna, NYRA's Senior Director of Communications, issued the following statement Monday: “On May 17, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) temporarily suspended Bob Baffert from entering horses in races and occupying stall space at Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack. NYRA took this action to protect the integrity of the sport for our fans, the betting public and racing participants following Mr. Baffert's public acknowledgement that the Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone, a banned corticosteroid.

“In making the determination to temporarily suspend Mr. Baffert, NYRA took into account the fact that other horses trained by Mr. Baffert have failed drug tests in the recent past, resulting in the assessment of penalties against him by thoroughbred racing regulators in Kentucky, California, and Arkansas.

“NYRA will vigorously defend the action it has taken in this matter.”

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Craig Robinson, argues that NYRA does not have the legal authority to suspend Baffert. It alleges that while NYRA is a non-profit corporation, it “is specifically governed by the New York law that grants it the exclusive franchise to conduct live Thoroughbred racing and simulcasting at the state-owned racetracks on behalf of the state, from which the state derives substantial revenue.”

As such, the suit contends, the only entity with the authority to suspend Baffert is the New York State Gaming Commission. That, in turn, would mean that Baffert is protected from violations of his right to due process, which the suit alleges would include suspending the trainer prior to the completion of the Medina Spirit investigation by the Kentucky State Horse Racing Commission.

The suit reads: “Specifically, Baffert maintains a right to rely upon and use his New York State occupational trainer's license that was duly issued to him without limitation by the New York State Gaming Commission (the “Gaming Commission”); NYRA has, without legal authority, and without any notice or opportunity to be heard, attempted to indefinitely suspend Baffert's trainer's license issued by the Gaming Commission, thereby preventing Baffert from practicing in his chosen profession or using his state-issued license on state-owned property.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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New York Anti-Slaughter Bill Passes Both Houses

Both houses of the New York State Assembly have now passed legislation that would prohibit the slaughter of racehorses and breeding stock for both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds.

The bill will make it illegal to slaughter racehorses or to “import, export, sell, offer to sell or barter, transfer, purchase, possess, transport, deliver, or receive” a horse for slaughter, or to direct another person to do the same. Violations of the law will be misdemeanors punishable by a $1,000 to $2,500 fine per horse, which is doubled for repeat offenders. The proceeds from such fines will help fund aftercare programs.

The new law will also require owners to show proper documentation of transfer of ownership, with liability for a horse's whereabouts falling to the last individual in the Jockey Club's chain of ownership records. It will also require all racing and breeding stock to be microchipped.

The New York Racing Association already has an anti-slaughter policy stating that any owner or trainer found to have sold a horse for slaughter will have stalls permanently revoked.

“This legislation positions New York as the national leader when it comes to responsibly protecting our retired racehorses,” said NYRA president and CEO Dave O'Rourke. “NYRA is proud to have long supported all elements of this important legislation because it reflects our commitment to thoroughbred aftercare. We thank Senator Joe Addabbo and Assembly Member Gary Pretlow, Chairs of the Senate and Assembly Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committees, for prioritizing the health and safety of thoroughbreds in New York.”

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association also expressed support of the legislation.

“NYTHA and all our members are gratified that we are able to work with animal advocates both within the sport and in the legislature to achieve this historic legislation benefitting horses that are bred and raced in New York,” said NYTHA president Joe Appelbaum.

“This effort was a hard fought and long overdue recognition of an issue that has, for years gone under the radar. Equines have, for centuries benefitted the world, and served to advance the human condition,” said Gary Pretlow, chair of the Assembly's Standing Committee on Racing and Wagering. “It is impossible to think about our lives today without gratitude for their service and usefulness, and in the racing industry, wonderment at their astonishing speed, agility, power, and gracefulness. Yet for all their value and the joy they bring to us, they often suffer from inhumane treatment by the very industries they benefit. This bill is a strong step in the direction of rectifying this and I am proud to have sponsored and championed it.”

The legislation will go into effect Jan. 1, 2022.

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Rice Plans Court Appeal to Keep Training

The previously levied three-year license revocation and $50,000 fine against trainer Linda Rice went into effect Monday, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) announced. According to published reports, Rice will request a temporary restraining order to try and get the revocation stayed pending a court review of the NYSGC's ruling.

On May 17, Rice had her training license revoked for a period of “no less than three years” and got fined $50,000 when NYSGC members voted 5-0 to agree with a hearing officer that Rice's years-long pattern of seeking and obtaining confidential pre-entry information from New York Racing Association (NYRA) racing office workers was “intentional, serious and extensive, and that her actions constituted improper and corrupt conduct…inconsistent with and detrimental to the best interests of horse racing.”

Rice had testified during eight days of NYSGC hearings late in 2020 that she had handed over cash gifts amounting to thousands of dollars at a time to NYRA racing office employees between 2011 and 2015.

But the veteran conditioner, who has been training since 1987 and owns seven NYRA training titles, also testified that she did not expect any special favors in return for that money, and that any entry-related information she did receive from NYRA employees was a type of disclosure that was routinely divulged to other trainers.

Rice's lone trainee entered to race June 7 was scratched at Finger Lakes.

Ironically–considering the circumstances of Rice's case–that entrant was named Inside Info (Mission Impazible).

Rice's attorney, Andrew Turro, did not respond to TDN queries prior to deadline for this story. But he told The Blood-Horse that a stay will likely be filed in Schenectady Supreme Court and that she will fight the case until all of her legal avenues of appeal have been exhausted.

“We are very troubled by the commission's determination with respect to the racing office information issue because it is incorrect in a number of material respects,” Turro told The Blood-Horse. “We will seek judicial review of the order as soon as humanly possible and we expect to be heard in court this week on a stay application.”

Rice has six horses total entered to race at both Belmont Park and Finger Lakes later this week.

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