Tag: The Biz

From the desk of his cramped office at the New York division of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America (NYRTCA) on Belmont Park's backstretch, Chaplain Humberto Chavez can gaze out the window at what he calls, “something we've been planning for and dreaming of for years.”

Directly north of the NYRTCA's current office, a team of New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) carpenters, electricians and plumbers are at work constructing the Chaplaincy's new 3,500-square-foot building, which will double the Chaplaincy's current space and become its hub. The new building will house a chapel, a multi-purpose room, a classroom to be named after Hall of Famer and longtime NYRTCA supporter Cot Campbell, and staff offices.

“People ask about the best racing in the country, and we have that in New York,” said Chaplain Chavez. “Great people on the back stretch? We have them as well. What this new building gives us is another big positive for New York racing: a place that will welcome everybody. People will come in and they'll be home. This is something we've dreamed of for a long time. To see it happening is exciting.”

The New York Racetrack Chaplaincy Center, designed by Frost Hurff Architects of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., will ease space issues at its current headquarters, now comprised of two double-wide trailers. The Chaplaincy will continue to utilize the trailers for its weekly food pantry and clothing drive, which are currently held outdoors. A core component of the NYRTCA, the non-denominational services now held at the track's recreation hall, will move into a dedicated chapel within the new building.

A consortium of longtime NYRTCA supporters have contributed major funding to the construction of the new building including the late-Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, former NYRA President & CEO Chris Kay as well as Kenny and Lisa Troutt of WinStar Farm.

Thoroughbred owner and NYRA board member Michael Dubb supplied the bulk of all materials for the new Chaplaincy Center. Mr. Dubb is also the founder and chairman of the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA) at Belmont Park; and he and his wife, Lee, founded Faith's House, the BCCA childcare center for the backstretch community at Saratoga Race Course, which opened last summer.

The work kicked off on February 7 and is proceeding on-schedule. A groundbreaking ceremony for the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy Center is scheduled for March 28, with a full move-in as early as the fall.

“The Racetrack Chaplaincy provides indispensable services to the backstretch community, and NYRA is proud to be able to make this new building a reality” said Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO. “We congratulate Chaplain Chavez and his team, and look forward to opening the doors of the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy Center in short order.”

The NYRTCA dates to 1986 and ministers to the spiritual needs of the backstretch community at all three NYRA racetracks – Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course. In addition to non-denominational prayer services, the NYRTCA provides wide variety of social and educational services to the backstretch community.

Though the Chaplaincy's work with NYRA dates back several decades, the relationship rose to a new level in March 2020 when NYRA was forced to suspend live racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That's when the essential work of caring for the needs of a small city at Belmont Park – anywhere from 450 to 600 backstretch workers living in approximately 500 rooms among 69 cottages, along with hundreds of others living in the local community with their families – took on a new urgency.

Chavez joined NYRA's Preparedness and Response Plan Committee, comprised of key NYRA staff members, along with representatives of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.),the BCCA and Premise Health. For the next year-and-a-half, the Committee used an effective team approach in dealing with the effects of COVID-19 on the men and women living and working at Belmont Park.

Committee members used the same team approach in providing the most updated information on COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, followed by crucial information on COVID-19 vaccinations. Chavez played a key role in a wide variety of areas and worked as a translator for local health officials and EMTs.

“We're proud of all of the ways in which our team have stepped in as needed during the pandemic while keeping up with regular services like the food pantry, which became a real lifeline at a tough time,” said NYRTCA Board Chairman Terry Finley, who is also the President and CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds. “What this new building will do is help us take the next step in continuing to meet the needs of backstretch workers.”

Chaplain Chavez agreed.

“We're so grateful to the people and organizations that have helped make the new building a reality,” he said. “This marks the start of a new era for our community, and we can't wait.”
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To learn more about the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, visit: https://www.rtcany.org/

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A barn fire early Sunday afternoon in Lexington, Ky., left three Wesley Ward horses dead, including Strike the Tiger – his first Royal Ascot winner – according to a report in Horse Racing Nation.

Electrical storms blanketed the region Sunday morning and early afternoon and  reportedly was the source of the fire. Ward told Horse Racing National he was informed by fire department officials lightning struck a service pole that led into the barn at around 12:50 p.m. ET. Ward was  at home at the time, the report said.

In addition to Strike the Tiger, the 5-year-old Uncle Mo ridgling Modesto also perished in the fire, the report stated. A $240,000 yearling purchase, Modesto had raced just twice for owner Ramon Tallaj, finishing second in a 2020 Saratoga maiden race, then winning at Keeneland last April 21.

Ward said Strike the Tiger is the pony who accompanies his Royal Ascot contingent to England each year.

A third horse who died, according to Horse Racing Nation, was an unraced 2-year-old sired by Ward-trained Hootenanny.

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The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association approved a 10% across-the-board purse bonus for overnight races through the end of month at its Board of Directors meeting March 3.

The 10% increase is based upon the purse structure in place at Laurel Park prior to a two-week shutdown of live racing to accommodate a racing surface improvement project.

The MTHA in mid-January approved a 20% increase in overnight purse money that took effect Jan. 16 and ran through the end of February. It was designed to compensate for the loss of six racing days and was in conjunction with the addition of three Thursday programs in February.

The board also voted to examine the financials at the end of March and then decide whether to extend the 10% purse bonus through April. Based on statistics, the 20% purse bonus provided roughly the equivalent of purse money that was lost due the canceled days.

The March condition book shows a minimum purse of $18,700 for $5,000 claiming races; $26,400 for claiming $10,000-$8,000; $42,900 for waiver/maiden claiming $40,000-$32,000; $50,600 for a maiden special weight event; and $61,600 for a “non-winners of three races other than” allowance.

Beginning Friday, March 11, or when programming changes can be made with InCompass, the connections of horses that finish seventh through last in each race will receive $300.

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Trainers must adjust to the times to have any hope of alleviating the chronic shortage of backstretch workers.

That was among the takeaways at a panel on guest-worker programs and employee development Friday morning for the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association Conference at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.

“What does it matter if you want to expand your operation with horses, build a new extension to your farm or barn if you don't have the workers to muck out the stalls, to care for the horses?” said panel moderator Remi Bellocq, executive director for equine studies at Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

“In many cases, we have valued employees, but how do we keep them?” Bellocq continued. “How do we keep them from running down the street to go work at Amazon? Is it about pay? Is it about housing? Is it work-life balance or a combination? It's a lot easier to keep somebody than to train a new worker…. Is this an important enough issue for us to start the charge in our industry to elevate workforce to a national issue, just as we've done equine welfare and medication? I submit it is.”

Even before COVID hit the world, American horse trainers faced a chronic shortage of workers. Will Velie is one of horse racing's pre-eminent immigrant attorneys. However, he emphasized the necessity of the industry to build a pipeline nationally to find, train and retain American employees. He said it's vital to show the government the programs and efforts that horse racing makes to recruit domestic workers before requesting visas to provide a supplementary workforce.

Oscar Gonzales, a member of the California Horse Racing Board who also is assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, echoed that the industry can't bank on immigration reform coming to the rescue. But he offered a glimmer of hope through the Farm Workforce Modernization Act that has passed the U.S. House and is pending before the Senate. That bill would allow non-U.S. residents working in agriculture to receive Certified Agricultural Worker Status and put them on a path to being lawful, permanent residents.

“I try to remind people in the horse-racing industry there is tremendous upside to embracing our agricultural roots,” said Gonzales, who worked as a groom growing up and through college. “We've just got to figure out a way to get workers on racetracks … eligible for that.”

The panelists encouraged trainers to learn about and utilize existing resources that could make a difference for employees' quality of life. Those include access to education with programs such as Bellocq's at BCTC, the Groom Elite courses offered at many tracks and English lessons.

Panelist Dr. Reid McLellan developed the Groom Elite program to improve the horsemanship skills of backstretch workers.

McLellan said that his team will take its training program to wherever there is a potential employment pool, such as correctional facilities. He said that also could include an area such as western Kentucky, where hundreds of chicken- and candle-factory workers are without jobs, homes or transportation in the wake of the devastating tornadoes in December.

Bellocq said such training programs can play an important role in the welfare of racehorses.

“A trainer hires a guy and he's on his phone trying to figure out how to put bandages on,” he said, citing a real-life example, because the trainer didn't have any way of verifying 'what can this person actually do as far as his skill level?' That's one of the things we need to do.”

Gonzales noted there is a lot of grant money available if horsemen and their representatives develop partnerships with entities such as community colleges, chambers of commerce and health clinics.

“It is so incumbent upon us to tell our story, especially to policymakers,” he said. “Never let an opportunity go by to have your voice heard.”

Bellocq, who said the vast majority of his BCTC students are female, said it's a different world than when he came on the racetrack in 1975.

“You have to adapt; you can't make the workforce change for you,” he said. “If a young gal graduates from our program, she'll say, 'I don't want to work for Amazon. They're offering me more money, retirement, insurance. But I love horses. So meet me half-way. Pay me enough so that's not a temptation for me to go work over there.'… The trainers, the owners, the farm managers who get that and understand that are the ones who are retaining their workers longer. The ones who refuse to change have a lot of turnover.

“… As business people, as horsemen, we're no different than the guy who has a landscaping or construction business down the road or Amazon. Either we compete and compete successfully for the workforce, or we don't. It's not a gray area.”

(Panelist Julio Rubio, the Kentucky HBPA's Hispanic and backside services coordinator who also works across the country as a consultant, said the No. 1 thing backstretch employees say they'd like is a day off a week.)

Another thing facing today's horsemen is the extensive paperwork both employees and employers must fill out to be in compliance with labor regulations. McLellan spelled out best practices in managing a stable's workforce, recommending horsemen do a self-evaluation of their stable.

“The question to ask when you get done is: Would I work for me?'” he said. “… Make a labor plan. Let's sit down and look at a budget and see how can we afford to do the things we need to do to be competitive in the marketplace. Take advantage of what organizations like the HBPA offer. Because we do have access to bring in accountants, human resources people. We provide a lot of service. Because if you train your team, they will help you train your horses.”

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