NYRA, NYTHA and NYTB to Host Saratoga Aftercare Day

The New York Racing Association, New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders will host the second annual New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day at Saratoga Race Course July 21. The day will include a variety of events and demonstrations to highlight the work of the New York State aftercare community.

The featured race will be the $125,000 Rick Violette, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for New York-bred sophomores named for the late trainer and NYTHA President who spearheaded the creation of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program and TAKE THE LEAD Retirement Program.

Violette was a founding member of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), the non-profit organization that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retire, retrain, and rehome Thoroughbreds. Based in Lexington, the TAA is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals, and other industry members

Representatives from TAA-accredited aftercare organizations will be on-site at Saratoga to educate racing fans about the importance of responsible aftercare efforts, including New Vocations, ReRun, Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue, Lucky Orphans, ACTT Naturally, Old Friends at Cabin Creek, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga.

Fans can visit the Community Booth behind the jockeys' quarters to learn more about the participating organizations.

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Wanamaker’s to Host Pre-Saratoga NY-Bred Sale

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders' Inc. is partnering with Wanamaker's to provide a New York-bred horses of racing age sale in advance of the 2022 Saratoga meet.

Horses will sell Wednesday, July 13, the day before the 40-day Saratoga meet begins. Entries for the sale will close July 5 and the catalogue will be released the following day.

The NYTB partnered with Wanamaker's for its annual stallion season auction in January.

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Letter to the Editor: C’mon, Bill

Years ago, a dear friend, Joe Spadaro, a veteran turf writer who coined the phrase “get with the program!”, and I were at a bar one evening up on Jericho Turnpike after the races at beautiful Belmont Park. We were commiserating with the Eclipse Award-winning writer Paul Moran about racing. I was always a pretty opinionated guy (still am) and Joe could hear my tone of voice elevating to rebut something that Paul said. Joe turned to me and said “Tom, never get into it with somebody who buys ink by the barrel”. I've always listened to that advice so I'm not going to get into it but: Come on, Bill.

In reference to yesterday's article about the Metropolitan Handicap not being on Memorial Day, when it was traditionally held, yes, I totally agree with you. I am very much a traditionalist also. However, you know what the trend is, right? The bean counters think that apparently big championship racing days generate the most handle. I guess that might be a trend for the future.

But that's not my issue with the article. You referred to this Memorial Day as “it will be just another day at the track”. Come on Bill!!

It's New York-bred Showcase Day, the biggest day of racing for New York-breds in the spring at beautiful Belmont Park. We showcase the best New York-breds in stake race after stake race. New York breeders spend a ton of money all over the country including Kentucky. We just passed a rule whereby you can buy a mare at any auction in Kentucky and other states, ship the mare back within 15 days and take advantage of everything the program has to offer. New York-breds race with up to a 30% advantage over non-New York-breds at New York tracks for some of the biggest purses in the country.

Times are tough. We went from an annual 50,000 foal crop nationally when I got into the business back in the 70s to around an 18,000 foal crop presently. Let's go easy on each other and try and be supportive of all the state programs, including New York's.
And go easy on me with all that ink in your barrel!

Respectfully,
Tom Gallo
President, New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

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TAKE2 Celebrates 10 Years

The Take2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program is celebrating its 10th year with a “Give 110 Percent!” campaign to raise $10,000 a month for 10 months. The ultimate goal is to reach $100,000 in donations by the end of the year. To help kick start the initiative, racehorse owner and entrepreneur Len Green has donated $10,000 to the campaign.

“I've been in the Thoroughbred industry for almost 50 years as the founder of both DJ Stable and The Green Group,” Green explained. “I have witnessed firsthand the extraordinary work by TAKE2 and their dedicated team. Their primary focus is to ensure that our horses get the best care once their racing careers are completed. I support TAKE2 and cannot thank them enough for all the work they do.”

TAKE2 Executive Director Andy Belfiore added, “We are extremely grateful to Len Green and his team for getting our campaign off the ground. Without the support of Thoroughbred lovers from the racing and sport horse worlds, we would not be able to continue our mission of promoting second careers for retired racehorses. Our horses give us 110% on the racetrack and in the show ring; we hope members of our TAKE2 family will give what they can, whether it is $10 or $10,000, to help us reach our goal.”

TAKE2 was created by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), in partnership with the New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB). Any registered Thoroughbred can compete for thousands of dollars in prize money in TAKE2-affiliated Thoroughbred-only hunter and jumper divisions at more than 400 horse shows across the country. TAKE2 Thoroughbred League members are eligible for $10,000 in year-end High Score Awards, and for the $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals, to be held this year at the Kentucky National Horse Show Sept. 21-25.

In 10 years, TAKE2 has given out more than $1 million in awards and prize money supporting hunter/jumper competitions nationwide, with an estimated 2,000 horses competing in the TAKE2 divisions since its inception.

“Years ago, the Thoroughbred was king in the show ring, but the Warmbloods gained popularity,” said TAKE2 President and NYTHA Vice President Rick Schosberg. “Programs like TAKE2, RRP (Retired Racehorse Project) and TIP (Thoroughbred Incentive Program) demonstrate that Thoroughbreds have so much more to give after they leave the track–their competitive lives are far from over.

“I think our combined efforts are making a difference,” he added. “There is more demand for Thoroughbreds, more enthusiasm from the owners and riders and trainers in the hunter/jumper world, and that makes it easier to find homes for retired racehorses.”

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