• 10 a.m., Sat., Nov. 19: Packing for Thanksgiving Distribution (Belmont Clubhouse);
• 10 a.m., Mon., Nov. 21: Thanksgiving Distribution to Backstretch Families (Belmont Clubhouse);
• 11 a.m., Tue. Nov. 22: Backstretch Thanksgiving Luncheon (Rec Hall at Belmont);
• Dec. 6: Saratoga Christmas “Sponsor a Family” Dinner (Longfellows in Saratoga);
• 6 p.m., Wed., Dec. 14: Christmas Carnival (Belmont Clubhouse);
• 11 a.m., Tue., Dec. 20: Backstretch Christmas Luncheon (Rec Hall at Belmont);
• TBA, Belmont/Aqueduct “Sponsor a Family” Christmas Event.

“For donors and volunteers, this is an opportunity to get involved and get to know some of the hard-working people of the backstretch,” said Chaplaincy's Honorary Board member Letty McLaughlin. “Getting involved is so important and it also feels good. And if you volunteer year after year as our family does, you get to see some of the children grow up. I love being there.”

To make a donation, to volunteer, or to sponsor a family, please visit rtcany.org.

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The new clinic will provide a dramatically improved experience for those receiving primary and emergency healthcare services at Saratoga Race Course, which will be provided by doctors and medical professionals from Saratoga Hospital. John Hendrickson has pledged $1.2 million for construction of the permanent clinic, some $400,000 of which was raised in a 2020 auction of possessions belonging to Mrs. Whitney.

To date, a concrete foundation has been poured for the new clinic, which will include a large waiting area, four examination rooms, a lab for blood work and office space. A groundbreaking ceremony is set for Wednesday, July 13, on the eve of the 2022 summer meet. Work will then resume in September with the building to open in the spring of 2023.

“No one shared her blessings and good fortune more than Marylou,” Mr. Hendrickson said. “No one was more dedicated to helping charities than Marylou, and so the idea was born. Her spirit of giving will live on.”

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Hosted by the David Cassidy Memorial Legacy Group (DCMLG), the fundraiser aims to promote racing and to support Thoroughbred aftercare organizations, this year including the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, NYRA Cares, Take The Lead, Take2 and Columbia Greene Humane Society.

Debuting in 2021, the David Cassidy Remember Me Awards will again be included at this year's summer fundraiser. Featured among the award categories are Thoroughbred Aftercare Awards, Compassionate Trainers and Owners Awards, Heart of Saratoga Awards, Animal Welfare and Advocacy Awards, Animal Rescues and Shelters Awards, Amazing Horse Racing Awards and Thoroughbred Horse Racing Community Awards. The program will also include a concert.

The DCMLG previously announced a scholarship program, which includes four scholarships: The David Bruce Cassidy Thoroughbred Horse Racing Family Scholarship; David Bruce Cassidy Memorial Saratoga County Scholarship; The Dr. Jerry Bilinski Animal Sciences Scholarship; and The David Bruce Cassidy Theatre and The Arts Scholarship. The deadline for all scholarship applications is Apr. 12. For more information, email DavidCassidyIts4ever@gmail.com.

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In 2006, Staff Sergeant Anderson was diagnosed with PTSD and a mild Traumatic Brain Injury after being subjected to seven improvised explosive devices (IEDs) within a three-day span in Iraq. The injuries affected his ability to speak and eventually left him nearly unable to walk.

Back home, Staff Sergeant Anderson connected with Hope For The Warriors in hopes of finding a way to remain active. Starting with a hand cycle donated by the organization and combined with intensive rehabilitation and the support of his family, Staff Sergeant Anderson is now a marathon runner and working toward a dual master's degree in business administration and finance.

Welcome to another success story from Hope For The Warriors, the North Carolina-based organization that supports post 9/11 service members, veterans and military families in transitioning back to the civilian world. It's because of the inspiring story of Staff Sergeant Anderson and hundreds of others that the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is continuing its support of Hope For The Warriors.

To honor the organization and to commemorate Veterans Day, which is next Thursday, Nov. 11, NYRA and owner Harold Lerner are each donating $5,000 to Hope For The Warriors. The donations match those of previous years when NYRA and Mr. Lerner, a U.S. Army veteran, honored service members on Veterans Day.

“NYRA is proud to partner once again with Hope For The Warriors, an organization that provides much needed services to our veterans in the New York City area and around the country,” said NYRA's Manager of Community Relations Vanessa Rodriguez Payne. “Their work is absolutely crucial to helping post-9/11 veterans and military families regain their footing and thrive.”

United by Honor and Sacrifice

Hope For The Warriors calls itself, “a family, united by our shared conviction of honor and sacrifice.” It was founded in 2006 by military families aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, who witnessed firsthand what war does to service members and their families. The organization offers comprehensive support, health and wellness programs as diverse as the people it serves.

Its Warrior's Compass program provides comprehensive Transition Services for veterans starting new careers and opportunities for employers to find qualified candidates among service members, military spouses and veterans. That takes in everything from job training to candidate matching, mentoring, resume building and access to 1,500-plus companies looking to hire veterans.

The organization's scholarship program provides aid in continuing education at accredited universities, colleges or trade schools. And in cases where a veteran or family member is hesitant to seek mental health care treatment within their community or from the VA, a clinical team from Hope For The Warriors team provides short-term, stop-gap supportive services that engage the veteran or family in seeking treatment close to home.

Elsewhere, Hope For The Warriors' stability grant program provides short-term financial assistance when a veteran or service member is struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Still another program, Resilient Warrior, helps military members and families develop helpful coping tools to combat stress and become more resilient.

Staff Sergeant Anderson is thankful for those services. As a runner, the father of five now trains up to six days a week with an average of 18 to 20 miles, and has completed both the Boston and the Marine Corps marathons. And he is grateful that after his injury, he again has hope.

“It just means so much because Hope For The Warriors has given me so much after my injury,” Staff Sergeant Anderson said. “They've helped me get started from a hand cycle, all the way up to now I'm running marathons. I just couldn't do it without them. This organization has helped me to feel normal again, and I cannot thank them enough for everything that they do.”

The post NYRA Cares: NYRA Continues Support For Hope For The Warriors appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Afternoons can get busier. On racing days, Wolfendale-Morley is stationed in Belmont Park's paddock, where she offers the kind of pre-race analysis that has made her one of the most respected broadcasters in the game. The many responsibilities – ensuring that both she and Morley get time with their daughters while also preparing for each broadcast – leads to a packed schedule.

So how does that leave time for Wolfendale-Morley's passion for equine-related causes, particularly Thoroughbred aftercare?

“That's always the challenge, and the simple answer is that I make the time,” Wolfendale-Morley said with a laugh. “My dedication to racing-related causes is just something I've always deeply cared about. We're not in this game for any other reason but the love of the horse. So, you find the time and make it work.”

Take a 9-year-old Off-the-Track Thoroughbred (OTTB) named Zandar, Wolfendale-Morley's self-described aftercare “project” of the moment and a horse who the Morleys owned and trained for a time in his racing days. They kept track of Zander and brought him back home last fall.

Now, Wolfendale-Morley rides Zandar most mornings in hopes of grooming him to be a horse she can use to ride out on the track during broadcasts to interview the winning jockey after a major stakes race.

Zandar is a work in progress – a “sweet-natured and kind-heated horse,” Wolfendale-Morley says, but still a little too skittish for broadcast duties. The hope is with enough training and personal attention, he'll succeed Wolfendale-Morley's longtime broadcast OTTB, Yeager, who passed away last winter from colic.

Wolfendale-Morley's commitment to Thoroughbred aftercare and other equine-related causes is deep. She serves on boards of the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA) and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), a Saratoga-based organization accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). NYRA and its horsemen are committed supporters of the TAA, which accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations using industry-wide funding.

Every owner competing at NYRA racetracks donates $10 per start to the TAA, which funds the aftercare organizations that provide homes for retired racehorses. New York's horsemen also donate 1.5 percent of the purchase price of every horse claimed at a NYRA track to TAA and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association's TAKE THE LEAD (TTL) program, which provides preliminary vet exams and treatment, as well as costs related to transportation and rehabilitation or retraining.

At Saratoga, where summers can be filled with charity-related galas and events, Wolfendale is often on-hand at fundraisers to speak with fans, interview a panel, or host an auction that benefits racing-related non-profits.

In April, Wolfendale-Morley branched into yet another phase of her aftercare commitment by launching the podcast, “Off Track.” Coordinated with the TRF, “Off Track” (https://www.trfinc.org/offtrack/) details stories of Thoroughbreds who transitioned from the track to find successful and happy second careers – and the caring owners who helped them get there.

“Maggie is so passionate about Thoroughbred racing,” says BCCA Executive Director Joanne K. Adams. “She's exceedingly dedicated to the welfare of horses and supporting the backstretch community toward the goal of making our cherished sport the best it can be. We're so fortunate to benefit from Maggie's enthusiasm, knowledge, and talent, and most privileged to have her friendship.”

The daughter of Maryland-based trainer Howard Wolfendale, Wolfendale-Morley practically grew up at the barn – her father's barn 18 at Laurel Park, to be precise. First on a horse at age 2, she began riding a collection of aftercare horses at 10, which she continued to do in horse shows and dressage competition. At 16, Wolfendale-Morley turned to galloping horses at Laurel, all the while gaining a deep appreciation for the importance of giving OTTBs a second chance.

Attending college at Towson University, Wolfendale-Morley straddled two worlds by studying broadcasting, while continuing to gallop in the mornings: “I loved working with the horses, and realized with broadcasting, I might be able be able to marry the two. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world that I got to do that.”

After earning her degree from Towson, Wolfendale worked on-camera for both the Maryland Jockey Club and Colonial Downs in Virginia. Wolfendale-Morley joined the NYRA TV team in the fall of 2010 and quickly earned a reputation as one of racing's top analysts. Thanks to her early immersion in the sport, she is an expert on horse conformation, which she combines with considerable prep work in order to dispense tools and information from the paddock to horseplayers. And depending on the day, she often pulls double duty, interviewing the winning rider or trainer in the winner's circle.

“There is a lot of prep work, much of which I do in between the races and in homework in the evenings at home after the kids have gone to sleep,” Wolfendale-Morley says. “But I've been doing this for a while now, and the reps make you better, keep you in the zone.”

The key to making it all work, Wolfendale-Morley adds, is a supportive network. Wolfendale-Morley's mother, Tammy, is a rock in helping out with the Morleys' daughters. She and Tom are the same page in terms of child rearing; accordingly, Maggie's time at the barn in the mornings is often dependent on the needs of their girls.

“We're a case study in time management,” she jokes. “Some days, you're going to fail because there are never enough hours in the day. You accept that and keep going.”

All point back to the things that matter – family and horses – and the constant challenge of time. One look at Zandar, Wolfendale-Morley admits, is to realize that making it work is worth the commitment.

“Aftercare never gets old,” she says. “It's so rewarding to give a second chance and a second career to a horse. To see the change in them, well, it's time well-spent. We'll have to see if Zandar is up to the challenge.”

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Highlighted by Tiz the Law's dominant performance in winning the 151st running of the Grade 1, $1-million Runhappy Travers, the meet was conducted without spectators and with only a limited number of essential personnel, horsemen and owners on-site due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All-sources handle for the 2020 summer meet totaled $702,535,468 compared to $705,343,949 wagered from all sources on Saratoga in 2019.

Average daily handle for the 40-day meet was $17,563,387. The 2019 meet, which was run across 39 days due to the cancellation of a full card due to weather, generated average daily handle of $18,085,742.

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.

“NYRA thanks the horsemen and women as well as the entire backstretch community whose professionalism and dedication in adhering to our COVID-19 protocols enabled us to conduct our summer meet without interruption,” said NYRA President & CEO Dave O'Rourke. “We would also like to thank city and county leaders for their efforts in working with us to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants, and the Saratoga community for welcoming us without reservation. While the 2020 Saratoga meet was a success in many ways, it will most be remembered for the absence of our passionate fans and the irreplaceable energy that they bring to Saratoga each summer. Despite not being able to attend in person, horseplayers watched and wagered with tremendous enthusiasm, and we thank them for their continued support.”

A total of 409 races were run this summer including 226 on dirt and 183 on the turf. 32 races were taken off the turf due to weather. Average field size over the 409 races was 7.4. This compares to 403 total races run in 2019, including 225 on dirt and 178 on turf. 38 were taken off the turf due to weather. Average field size in 2019 was 7.9.

Klaravich Stables was the meet's leading owner with 13 wins. Trainer Todd Pletcher claimed the H. Allen Jerkens training title for the 14th time in his illustrious career with 32 wins. The Ortiz brothers battled down to the final race of the meet as Irad Ortiz, Jr. edged out Jose Ortiz 59 to 58 to claim the Angel Cordero, Jr. riding title.

NYRA Bets, the official betting partner for Saratoga Race Course, experienced significant growth during the meet. NYRA and locally-based Stewart's Shops partnered this summer to unveil a new method for fans to fund their NYRA Bets accounts through the introduction of NYRA Bets Gift Cards. Horseplayers responded enthusiastically and purchased more than 12,000 gift cards at Stewart's Shops between Opening Day and Labor Day.

During this season without spectators, fans turned to Saratoga Live, NYRA's highly-acclaimed and award-winning television program, in greater numbers than ever before. Average viewership of Saratoga Live on FS1 totaled approximately 120,000, while just under 1.3 million viewers watched the Runhappy Travers on FOX. Overall time spent viewing Saratoga Live increased by 300 percent during the more than 210 hours of live programming broadcast on FOX Sports throughout the meet.

NYRA was active on the charitable front to help support the Saratoga community during the pandemic.

NYRA Cares generated $13,380 for the Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund which will distribute the money to locally-based charities and non-profit organizations impacted by COVID-19. The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce raised the funds through an online auction of items provided by NYRA as well as through donations from fans.

NYRA donated $20,000 to four Saratoga Springs charities through the sale of Saratoga Race Course-branded face masks. NYRA worked closely with Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly in selecting the beneficiaries which provide food, shelter and other critical resources. The funds were divided evenly among AIM Services, Inc.; Franklin Community Center; Shelters of Saratoga and the SNACpack Program (Saratoga Nutrition Assistance for Children).

NYRA also made good use of its popular picnic tables which went unoccupied during the season by lending them to the Saratoga Springs City School District, the City of Saratoga Springs and the village of Schuylerville to enable students and residents to enjoy outdoor dining while maintaining social distancing.

“NYRA has not only been an outstanding partner from a philanthropic standpoint, but also as a leader in the continued effort to keep our community safe,” said Mayor Kelly. “For months, we have worked closely with NYRA to ensure this year's meet would be a success despite the challenging environment. We thank NYRA for its commitment to the health and safety of all city residents this summer.”

As a not-for-profit organization, NYRA's mission is to strengthen and grow the sport of thoroughbred racing in New York state, which drives an industry responsible for 19,000 jobs and $3 billion in annual economic impact, including $240 million alone in the Capital Region during a traditional Saratoga summer meet.

Live racing returns to Belmont Park on Friday, September 18 for the 27-day fall meet, which includes 38 stakes worth $5.58 million in purse money. Following opening weekend at Belmont, live racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday, with the exception of Columbus Day weekend, when live racing will be offered on Monday, October 12 and will resume on Friday, October 16. The meet runs through Sunday, November 1.

New York state currently requires all racetracks to operate without spectators in attendance to combat the spread of COVID-19.

America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the Belmont Park fall meet with coverage to air on FOX Sports and MSG Networks.

For more information, visit NYRA.com.

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