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NY Governor Hochul Provides Belmont Park Update

Edited Press Release

New York Governor Kathy Hochul provided a project timeline and additional updates Monday on the construction of new racing facilities at Belmont Park. The New York Racing Association, which will oversee construction, also released a series of architectural renderings to bring the project's vision to life. Expected to be completed in late 2026, the multi-year project to build a new Belmont Park will generate $1 billion in construction-related economic impact and create 3,700 construction-related jobs. Following the return of thoroughbred racing to Belmont in 2026, additional racing and non-racing activities at the new facility will generate $155 million in annual economic output and produce $10 million in new state and local tax revenue per year.

“The redevelopment of Belmont Park is a critical investment in one of New York's most historic sporting venues,” said Governor Hochul. “The new facility will support year-round racing, thousands of new jobs for Long Islanders and provide an enhanced experience for customers attending the iconic Belmont Stakes for generations to come.”

The demolition of the current Belmont Park grandstand/clubhouse is expected to begin in March and continue through early July with the new building beginning to take shape in early 2025.

NYRA has developed a project plan that will allow for the Belmont S. to return to Belmont Park in June of 2026 prior to the full opening of the new building, which is scheduled for September of 2026. Although a venue for the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships has yet to be determined, the new Belmont Park will be complete and ready to host the 2026 Breeders' Cup should the opportunity arise. The Breeders' Cup has announced its commitment to add Belmont to the rotation of host venues following NYRA's modernization of the facility.

NYRA will also make further investments to improve the quality of life in the backstretch community, including:

–Improvements to the on-site medical facility

–Installing a modern Blue Light security system

–Upgrading the Recreation Hall and Track Kitchen facilities

–Renovating the on-site Gymnasium

–Implementing new flood mitigation strategies

–Ensuring access to reliable Wi-Fi

–Replacing fencing throughout the backstretch

–Improving multi-modal travel through constructing bicycle storage sheds

–Assess the feasibility of subsidized assistant trainer efficiency apartments

While the new Belmont Park will have the same 50,000-person capacity as the existing venue, the layout of seats, suites, and standing spaces has been adjusted to accommodate flexible seasonal attendance. The addition of a winterized building paired with new racing surfaces and a synthetic track will result in a facility suitable to host thoroughbred racing on a year-round basis. As required by the 2024 Enacted Budget, NYRA will consolidate all downstate racing and training activities at the new Belmont Park to unlock 110 acres of New York State-owned land at Aqueduct Racetrack for development opportunities.

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Slight Uptick in Rate of Fatal Injuries in 2023

According to numbers compiled by The Jockey Club for its Equine Injury Database (EID), there were 1.32 fatalities per 1,000 starts at North American racetracks in 2023. That was slightly worse than in 2022 when the number was 1.25, the lowest rate of fatalities since The Jockey Club started compiling numbers in 2009. It was the first time the number had increased year-over-year since 2018 when there were 1.68 fatalities per 1,000 starters.

Nonetheless, the figures showed that the sport has made obvious strides since 2009 when it comes to fatalities. In 2009, the rate was 2.0 per 1,000 starters. When compared to 2009, 2023 shows a 34% decrease in risk of fatal injury.

“This change is statistically significant,” said Professor Tim Parkin (University of Bristol), who has consulted on the EID since its inception. “This is equivalent to 171 fewer horses sustaining a fatal injury racing in 2023 than would have occurred had the number of starts remained constant since 2009.”

The 2023 figures were the second lowest since the EID began compiling numbers, surpassed only by 2022.

Analysis of the EID was provided Parkin and by Dr. Euan Bennet of the University of Glasgow.

“There was a slight increase in the rate of fatality from 2022 to 2023 of 5.6%,” Parkin said. “However, this is not statistically significant, and we are encouraged by the low numbers in 2023 that the industry is still headed in the right direction with regard to keeping its horses safe.”

Based on the 2023 data, 99.87% of flat racing starts at the racetracks participating in the EID were completed without a fatality.

Once again, synthetic tracks proved to be the safest among the three types of racing surfaces. There were 0.97 deaths per 1,000 starters on synthetic tracks, 1.13 on turf courses, and 1.43 on dirt tracks.

Races for 2-year-olds proved to be the safest types of races. There were 0.79 fatalities per 1,000 starters in those races versus 1.37 for 3-year-old races and 1.38 for races for 4-year-olds an upward.

By distance, races run at less than six furlongs showed the fewest fatalities at 1.22 per 1,000. Races run from six to eight furlongs had a rate of 1.37 and for races longer than eight furlongs, the number was 1.32.

During the year, the problems of horses breaking down were magnified by a rash of fatalities at Churchill Downs and Saratoga. At Saratoga in 2023, the rate of breakdowns was 2.55 per 1,000 starters. Churchill Downs does not make its numbers public.

Among tracks that had meets of more than 10 days, one stood out. There were zero fatalities at Del Mar during its racing seasons.

Racetracks under the jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) fared better than non-HISA tracks in 2023. There were 1.23 fatalities per 1,000 starters at HISA tracks, while the number at non-HISA track was 1.63.

“HISA's most important goal is driving down equine fatalities,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “We undoubtedly have significant work ahead of us, but I am pleased to see the rate is trending in the right direction. The reduction in the rate of equine fatalities at tracks under our jurisdiction demonstrates that setting high standards for racetrack safety and anti-doping and medication control across the country makes Thoroughbred racing safer.”

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HISA Review Finds A Multitude of Factors Contributed to Saratoga Fatalities

The Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Thursday released the report covering its investigation of the rash of fatalities that occurred during the 2023 Saratoga meet. The report found some factors that may have contributed to the fatalities, while also concluding that there was no link that covered all 14 deaths.

“This report concludes that there are a multitude of risk factors that likely contributed to the fatalities during the 2023 Meet. These findings will drive HISA's data collection, recommended racetrack practices and regulatory scheme going forward.” the report concluded.

HISA examined several factors, including the racetrack surfaces, the potential impact of weather, the veterinary histories of the horses that broke down and the necropsy reports that were done following their deaths, the exercise history of each horse and a review of any potential HISA rule violations that may have contributed to the injuries.

The closest HISA came to pointing a finger at one particular factor was its conclusion that weather may have played a role. It was a particularly wet meet at Saratoga with 11.03 inches of rain coming down during the racing season. In 2022, 7.76 inches of rain fell.

“…the significantly increased rainfall during the 2023 Meet compared to previous years cannot be overlooked and available data suggests that the rainfall could have played a role in the increased risk of fatal injury during the 2023 Meet,” the report read. “HISA is working cooperatively with the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory to collect and analyze additional track surface data to better understand the effects of weather on racetrack maintenance.”

Three of the 11 horses that suffered fatal musculoskeletal injuries received corticosteroid injections in the affected joint within 30 days of racing. HISA is in the process of trying to change its rules regarding corticosteroids so that they cannot be injected into a horse within 30 days of it racing.

HISA also discovered that there may be red flags associated with horses who undergo an excessive amount of exercise.

“…an analysis of the exercise histories of the deceased horses showed that horses having participated in more frequent high intensity exercise and furlongs were 2.5 times more likely than the control group to be injured.”

The report also found that one of the horses that suffered a fatal injury was on the veterinarians list as unsound at the time of the injury. Two others had previously spent time on the vets list.

Following the report, NYRA Vice President for Communications Pat McKenna issued a statement, which read: “Continuously improving equine safety is a fundamental responsibility shared among racetrack operators, regulators, trainers, breeders and owners. HISA's review of the 2023 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course enhances our understanding of the myriad factors that may contribute to injuries sustained during training or racing.”

“To prevent serious injuries before they happen, NYRA is embracing science and technology to provide veterinarians and trainers with the tools necessary to identify underlying conditions and further reduce the frequency of equine injuries. Beyond the adoption of biometric wearables and artificial intelligence, NYRA is working with the University of Kentucky and Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory to expand our understanding of how weather conditions impact racetrack performance. Ensuring the safety of horses and jockeys competing on the NYRA circuit is our highest priority, and we thank HISA for investing the time and resources to develop an informative review of the 2023 summer meet.”

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Horse Racing Women’s Summit Returns To Santa Anita In 2024

The third annual Horse Racing Women's Summit will be held at Santa Anita Park Sept. 25-26 the group announced Thursday, with satellite events at Keeneland, Saratoga, Del Mar and the 2024 Global Symposium on Racing and Gaming. The HRWS, founded in 2022, brings speakers, networking opportunities and events together from across the horse racing industry.

“Our executive committee and volunteers are working hard to pull together another series of great events across the country in addition to growing the membership and tackling the other priorities identified at the 2023 Summit,” said HRWS Chair Stephanie Hronis. “We look forward to fostering opportunities to engage, elevate and invest in women to transform our sport of horse racing.”

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