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Nancy Underwood Named Executive Director of BEST

Nancy Underwood has been named executive director of the Backstretch Employee Service Team. Underwood succeeds Paul Ruchames, who retired in December after 14 years leading the organization.

Founded in 1989, BEST is a non-profit organization devoted to supporting the health and well-being of the backstretch community living and working at Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park. BEST provides on-site counseling and primary healthcare services, access to health insurance, and case management assistance. Much of this work is accomplished by the dedicated BEST staff located at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, with healthcare services provided by Saratoga Hospital and Northwell Health.

Underwood has directed BEST's efforts at Saratoga Race Course since 2014. During that period, BEST significantly expanded its presence and impact for the backstretch community living and working at Saratoga from April-November each year.

In 2023, BEST opened a new, modern health care clinic on the Oklahoma side of Saratoga Race Course. Funded by philanthropist John Hendrickson in memory of his late wife, Marylou Whitney, and Saratoga Hospital, the Saratoga Backstretch Healthcare Clinic is a state-of-the-art facility with six examination rooms, a lab for blood work and space for staff, education and on-site insurance specialists.

“BEST is successful because of the dedication of our staff, volunteers and healthcare providers,” said Underwood. “I am honored for the opportunity to lead this organization at a time when the future of Thoroughbred racing in New York State is so bright. I thank the BEST Board of Directors for their commitment to advancing our mission in the years ahead.”

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NYRA Rolls Out 2024 Race Dates

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) released its 2024 schedule, which includes 195 live racing days at Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course, the organization said in a release Thursday morning.

As previously announced, the ongoing construction at Belmont Park will require significant adjustments to the customary schedule. In addition to the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival being held at Saratoga Race Course from June 6-9, the fall and spring/summer meets traditionally held at Belmont will take place at Aqueduct Racetrack in 2024.

Following the conclusion of the 2023 Aqueduct fall meet on Dec. 31, the 47-day winter meet begins Monday, Jan. 1 and continues through Saturday, Mar. 30. Live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday for the first three weeks of January and Friday-Sunday from Jan. 26 through the first week of March. Aqueduct will host a Presidents' Day card on Monday, Feb. 19. Four-day race weeks resume on Mar. 7.

The 16-day Aqueduct spring meet will run from Thursday, Apr. 4 through Sunday, Apr. 28. The NYRA circuit will then remain at Aqueduct for the 31-day Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet, which will open on Thursday, May 2 and continue through Sunday, July 7. Racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday throughout the spring/summer with the exception of a Memorial Day program on Monday, May 27.

The 40-day summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will open on Thursday, July 11 and continue through Labor Day, Sept. 2. Following the four-day opening weekend, live racing will be conducted Wednesday-Sunday with the exception of closing week, which will conclude on Labor Day, Sept. 2.

The NYRA circuit will then return downstate for the 31-day Belmont at the Big A fall meet, which will open on Friday, Sept. 13 and continue through Sunday, Nov. 3. Apart from the opening weekend, racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday throughout the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

The year will conclude with a 26-day fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, which will open on Thursday, Nov. 7 and continue through Sunday, Dec. 29. Apart from closing week, live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday throughout the Aqueduct fall meet.

Click here for the complete calendar.

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Pletcher-Forte Team Granted Temporary Restraining Order On Hopeful DQ

The Schenectady Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order Thursday that put a halt on the New York Gaming Commission's efforts to disqualify Forte (Violence) from his win in the 2022 GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga and suspend trainer Todd Pletcher.

Acting on behalf of Pletcher and owners Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola, attorney Drew Mollica filed an Article 78 appeal. Article 78 appeals are lawsuits mainly used to challenge an action, or inaction, by agencies of New York State and local governments.

The New York Gaming Commission has alleged that Forte tested positive for meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, widely prescribed to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and sold under the brand name Mobic. Forte was disqualified and Pletcher was issued a 10-day suspension and fined $1,000.

The Forte team has used Dr. Steven A. Barker, considered one of the foremost experts in equine drug testing and research, as a witness and Barker has said that 500 picograms or .5 nanograms of meloxicam was detected in Forte's system. Barker said he believes that such a low level of the medication would not impact a horse's performance and that the small amount is indicative of environmental contamination.

A hearing was granted by the Gaming Commission, which voted unanimously to uphold a recommendation from a hearing officer. After that decision, Forte's legal team took the next step and went to court. The case is scheduled to resurface on Jan. 9, at which time the court can issue a permanent injunction.

“We look forward to appellate review of one of the most unfair, egregious hearing processes and commission orders that I have ever seen,” Mollica said. “The facts will show that not only did Mr. Pletcher break no Gaming Commission rule, the rule by which he was charged has no applicability at all and the hearing was constitutionally flawed.”

Mollica also argued that the amount found in the horse's system did not merit a violation. He said that Dr. George Maylin, the director of the New York Equine Drug Testing Programs, agreed with that finding and stated as much when going before the hearing officer.

“The scientific finding alleged by the Gaming Commission did not meet the standard of a violation,” Mollica said. “Dr. George Maylin, the nation's foremost equine pharmacologist, testified as much at the hearing. It should be noted that Dr. Maylin did not testify for the prosecution, in this case the Gaming Commission, but testified for the defense. That speaks volumes. We look forward to an impartial review of this matter. After reviewing the transcript of the hearing all I can say is that this was a travesty of justice.”

Once the positive finding was revealed Repole has been adamant that the disqualification was unwarranted and vowed to fight.

“I spent $20 million last year on horses, I can spend $20 million fighting this case,” he said in May. “I think long-term this is going to be good for racing. This whole process, though sad and pathetic, has been a great learning experience for me.”

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Travers Hero Alpha Comes To Old Friends

Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky welcomed Godolphin's GI Travers S. hero Alpha (Bernardini) on Friday, Dec. 8, the retirement farm said in a release Saturday.

Bred by Darley in America, Alpha was trained by Kiaran P. McLaughlin and owned by Godolphin his entire career. He finished with a record of six wins and $1,815,667 in earnings over 22 starts, which included the first dead heat in the Travers since 1874.

Alpha began his stud career in 2015 at Sequel Stallions in New York, before moving to Haras Bagé do Sul in Brazil in 2019. He returned stateside and arrived in Florida Nov. 29, where he completed quarantine. Shipping to Kentucky, the recent retiree was inspected to ensure he was in good condition and then sent to Old Friends.

“While Alpha was small in stature, he was big in heart,” said Michael Banahan, Director of Bloodstock, Godolphin USA. “He was a Saratoga specialist, winning multiple graded races there during his career. He became the second Travers winner for our stable, with his sire, Bernardini, being the first. But it's also special being able to facilitate his return to Kentucky and Old Friends.”

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