NYRA Raises Purses For 2024 New York-Bred Foal Crop

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2026, New York-bred overnight races for 2-year-olds on the NYRA circuit will offer purse amounts matching the race's open-company counterpart, which will directly benefit the state's 2024 foal crop and pave the way to compete for some of the richest purses of any state-bred program in the nation, the association said in a release Wednesday.

At the 2023 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, maiden races restricted to New York-bred 2-year-olds featured a purse of $88,000 compared to a purse of $105,000 offered for 2-year-olds competing in an open-company maiden event.

While this purse increase will impact only the 2024 New York-bred foal crop, NYRA intends to further expand purse parity for additional categories of New York-bred races in the future.

In 2022, NYRA conducted 556 races exclusively for registered New York-breds with purses totaling $42,366,000. Among those races were 56 stakes with $8,725,000 of purse money on offer. NYRA holds three high profile NY-bred showcase days annually, highlighted by New York Showcase Day at Saratoga Race Course. In 2023, Saratoga Showcase Day was run on the Sunday of Travers Weekend and featured a whopping 113 NY-breds competing in 11 races, including six stakes worth a combined $1.25 million.

As a result of the partnership between NYRA and FOX Sports, nearly every NY-bred contest is broadcast live to a national audience on the FOX Sports family of networks. Both Saratoga Live and America's Day at the Races, which are produced by NYRA, have generated sustained ratings growth since they were launched nationally in 2016.

“The New York-bred program is critically important to the future of thoroughbred racing in New York State,” said Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO. “This new purse structure increases the value of the upcoming foal crop of New York-breds, and reflects NYRA's commitment to the owners, breeders and trainers who choose to breed and race in New York.”

Beyond the rich purses offered by NYRA, a variety of owner, breeder and stallion awards are available to those who breed and race in New York. These lucrative incentives serve as a significant benefit to thoroughbred breeding farms across the state, which create and sustain thousands of jobs in every corner of New York.

“This initiative is a strong signal to the bloodstock market on why you should breed and foal in New York, and own a New York-bred to race,” said Najja Thompson, Executive Director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders. “New York-breds compete and win at the highest levels, and NYRA's consistent support guarantees more opportunities than ever for New York State's breeders and owners.”

New York State has adopted rules that expand the reach of the New York-bred awards and benefits by clarifying a pathway for non-resident mares to gain residency status. According to the rule changes, a non-resident mare purchased in foal through public auction is deemed a resident mare provided the mare is purchased for at least $50,000 in the public auction; is present in the state of New York within 15 days after a sale in North America and 60 days at any public auction sale abroad; the foal is foaled in New York; and the mare thereafter is continuously in residence in New York from within 120 days after her last cover in the year of conception of another foal and remains in residency until foaling.

“It pays to participate in the New York-bred program,” added Thompson. “And bringing a mare back to New York is a valuable proposition, especially for the 2024 foaling season.”

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HISA Teams With Amazon, Using AI To Reduce Equine Injuries

HISA is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to apply data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence with the goal of enhancing equine safety by analyzing the factors contributing to injuries, the organization said in a release Wednesday morning.

Representatives of HISA and AWS–along with a group of Thoroughbred trainers, veterinarians and industry technologists–met at AWS offices in Nashville last month for an Equine Health Innovation Workshop. The meeting focused on using data and technology to determine which interventions, such as specific changes to HISA's rules or the introduction of new technologies, could have further material impact on equine safety.

“The insights gleaned from big data and machine learning have revolutionized industries around the world. Thanks to HISA's uniform reporting requirements, we are now able to apply these powerful tools to help solve the sport's most pressing equine welfare issues,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “We're excited to collaborate with the best data experts in the world, including AWS, to develop concrete solutions to address the root causes of equine injuries.”

In addition to inputs such as sensor data from wearable devices, racing and training performance data, racetrack surface data, weather information and veterinary records, HISA and AWS are also exploring potential data inputs from other sources to measure horses' movements with a level of granularity never measured before.

The goal of this work is to create a comprehensive analytics and insights platform that would use HISA's expansive data to test experts' hypotheses about the root causes of equine injuries and provide horses' care teams with the tools needed to potentially predict and prevent injuries before they occur. First steps of this process–including data standardization and data capture/ingestion–are already underway.

“This collaboration signifies a fusion of technology, invention and the vast experience of dozens of leaders in horse racing who care greatly for these equine athletes,” said AWS Business Innovation Principal Glenn Holland. “We are honored to have HISA leverage the AWS Cloud to accelerate their vision and drive this impactful initiative. This project is part of a new era in horse racing, where innovation delivers long-lasting positive impact to the sport.”

AWS has worked alongside other major sports leagues, such as the NFL, for years to analyze injury data and use that data analysis to drive rules changes and equip coaches and club medical staffs with the tools they need to help players manage risk and prevent injuries.

HISA and AWS representatives, along with other industry technology leaders, are taking the next steps in this project at an AWS-led Solution Workshop on Monday, Oct. 30 in New York. The workshop will dive deep on data and technical requirements as well as end-user needs to continue to drive progress on this ambitious endeavor.

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Touch’n Ride Promoted To Ontario Derby Win After Foul

After a claim of foul by Twin City (Klimt) which took place at the first turn against Solo Album (Curlin), Touch'n Ride (g, 3, Candy Ride {Arg}–Niigon's Touch, by Niigon) was promoted to the winner's circle in Saturday's Ontario Derby.

The bay gelding won over the Tapeta in Toronto by 5 1/4 lengths at second asking July 30 before running a well-beaten fifth in the King's Plate Aug. 20. Winning the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown Oct. 1 in the Breeders' Stakes by a nose over SW Elysian Field (Hard Spun), Touch'n Ride was installed as the 2-1 favorite here.

With an even beginning, the Layne Giliforte trainee settled to the outside mid-pack just before the first turn as Solo Album cutoff Twin City to set the pace. Clocking all the fractions throughout, the leader held sway along the rail up the backstretch, continued into the final turn and with the field bearing down on him, crossed the wire by a length ahead of Touch'n Ride.

Once the steward's took down Soul Album, he was placed fifth, with Cool Kiss (Kantharos) finishing second, Twowaycrossing (English Channel) third, as Twin City was moved to fourth.

“I'm really proud of him,” said Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame jockey Robert Landry, now General Manager of Chiefswood Stables. “Earlier in the year, we didn't even nominate him to the Triple Crown. He was a slow developer. In April, Layne and I watched him work together and I said, 'We may have made a mistake not nominating him.' You know, you've got to let the horses tell you and he did, and he ran a tremendous race. We'll give him a little break now. He's done a lot. We'll give him a chance to get bigger and stronger and bring him back next year.”

Pedigree Notes:
This was the 57th graded stakes winner for Candy Ride (Arg). Out of SW Niigon's Touch, who is also responsible for Breeders' S. hero Neepawa (Scat Daddy), the winner has a weanling half-sister by Justify who was foaled Apr. 1. Her dam was bred to Twirling Candy for next year.

Saturday, Woodbine
ONTARIO DERBY-GIII, C$179,300, Woodbine, 10-21, 3yo, 1 1/8m (AWT), 1:48.93, ft.
1–TOUCH'N RIDE, 122, g, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg)
         1st Dam: Niigon's Touch (SW, $204,615), by Niigon
         2nd Dam: Laser Touch, by Touch Gold
         3rd Dam: Laser Hawk, by Silver Hawk
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Chiefswood Stables Limited (ON); T-Layne S. Giliforte; J-Kazushi Kimura. C$108,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-1, $317,257. *1/2 to Neepawa (Scat Daddy), SW, $307,222. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Cool Kiss, 120, g, 3, Kantharos–Hot Kiss, by Philanthropist. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. (C$40,000 RNA Ylg '21 CANSEP). O-Newtop Stables, John E. Russell and Joseph Depaulo; B-Phoenix Racing (ON); T-Michael P. De Paulo. C$36,000.
3–Twowaycrossing, 120, g, 3, English Channel–Double Guns Girl, by Langfuhr. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B/T-Roger Attfield (ON). C$18,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 3HF, NK. Odds: 2.40, 25.10, 34.25.
Also Ran: Twin City, Solo Album, Forever Dixie, Stanley House, American Blaze, Velocitor. Scratched: Souper Blessing.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Exercise Rider Luevano Dies During Training Hours At Los Alamitos

Alfredo Luevano, 53, died early Friday morning in a training incident at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, California, the track said in a press release late Friday evening.

Luevano was exercising a filly on the backstretch when the incident occurred. He was on the ground when assistance first arrived, while the filly ran off under her power. As of now, there have been no eyewitness accounts with any precise details on the incident. Luevano was rushed to Long Beach Memorial, where he was pronounced deceased.

The horse, a 2-year-old filly Quarter Horse named Fly From The Fire (Fly Thru the Fire), was not injured. She made five starts this year for trainer Mike Casselman and was entered in the seventh race at Los Alamitos on Saturday night. Track management has since confirmed that the filly will be scratched as a precaution.

“On behalf of the Los Alamitos Race Course family, we express our deepest condolences to Mr. Luevano's family members and friends,” said Los Alamitos Race Course spokesperson Orlando Gutierrez.

Born in the city of Luis Moya in Zacatecas, Mexico, the jockey had a total of 33 mounts during his professional riding career with most of his rides taking place in Mexico and Colorado. He was issued an exercise rider license by the California Horse Racing Board earlier this year.

Alfredo Luevano is survived by his wife, Marisela Martinez, their children, Lisbet, Alfredo Jr., Alex, Aldo, and Camila, six grandchildren and his father, Augustine. A moment of silence will be held in his memory before Sunday's Quarter Horse card at Los Alamitos.

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