“It's an honor to be elected president of such an esteemed collective,” said Bond, who is the first woman ever to helm the organization. “THA is at the forefront of collaborative decision-making and policy implementation on issues such as racehorse aftercare, equine safety and welfare, and protecting the integrity of our sport. I look forward to leading the organization as it addresses the challenges that horsemen and women face on local, regional, and national levels.”

In other THA officer elections, Chris Block and David Richardson were named vice presidents; Michael Musto was named treasurer; and Bessie Gruwell will serve as secretary.

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“Andy has a wealth of experience in all facets of the racing industry,” said newly elected NYTHA President Tina Bond. “In addition to her knowledge base, Andy's devotion to equine welfare and aftercare are especially crucial in this period of our sport. We are very pleased that she will be rejoining the NYTHA team.”

Belfiore started her career in racing on the backstretch at Belmont Park, working as a hotwalker, groom and exercise rider, before joining the Rick Violette stable as assistant trainer. After six years as Violette's assistant, she moved to the frontside at the track, and spent five years in the communications and marketing departments at the New York Racing Association.

Belfiore left NYRA in 1993 to take the post as editor in chief at the Thoroughbred Daily News. During her tenure, the TDN grew from a four-page publication with just a few hundred subscribers to a leader in the Thoroughbred industry. Named Director of Communications for NYTHA in December, 2011, and Executive Director in September, 2015, she was instrumental in the creation of the TAKE2 and TAKE THE LEAD Programs.

She returns to New York after serving as Executive Director of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association for two years.

“This is an exciting time to be a part of the racing industry in New York,” said Belfiore. “I thank the NYTHA Board and President Tina Bond for the opportunity, and I am looking forward to working with such a great team.”

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The candidates are as follows: Tina Marie Bond (President), Chad Summers (President), Andrew Aaron (Owner/Director), Tom Bellhouse (Owner/Director), Kevin Brady (Owner/Director), Daniel Collins (Owner/Director), Matthew Cutair (Owner/Director), Sanford Goldfarb (Owner/Director), Michael Iannaconi (Owner/Director), Patrick Lewis (Owner/Director), Steven Rocco (Owner/Director), Vincent Vivolo, Jr. (Owner/Director), Dr. Jennifer White (Owner/Director), Aron Yagoda (Owner/Director), Jena Antonucci (Trainer), Amira Chichakly (Trainer), David Donk (Trainer), David Duggan (Trainer), Robert Falcone, Jr.(Trainer), James Ferraro (Trainer), Leah Gyarmati (Trainer), Linda Rice (Trainer) and John Terranova (Trainer).

The ballots for the NYTHA election were mailed Nov. 10 and voting for the NYTHA Election will take place, in person or by proxy, at the NYTHA Annual Meeting, to be held Dec. 27.

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Incumbent Owner/Directors Tina Bond, Rob Masiello and Aron Yagoda were re-elected as well, with Jon Green and Dan Collins filling the two additional Owner/Director spots. Incumbent Trainer/Directors Leah Gyarmati, John Kimmel, Linda Rice and Richard Schosberg will be joined by Pat Kelly, who most recently served as an alternate to the Board.

“Thank you to all of New York's owners and trainers who took the time to participate in our Election,” Appelbaum said. “Now, more than ever, it is important to make your voice heard. We welcome Jon Green and Dan Collins to the team, and look forward to working on your behalf to promote and protect your interests, the backstretch community, the horses and Thoroughbred industry that is so vital to our state.”

The new NYTHA Board will take office effective Dec. 14, 2020.

NYTHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Joe Appelbaum

OWNER/DIRECTOR

Tina Marie Bond

Daniel Collins

Jonathan Green

Robert Masiello

Aron S. Yagoda

TRAINER/TRAINER-OWNER/DIRECTOR

Leah Gyarmati

Patrick J. Kelly

John Kimmel, V.M.D.

Linda Rice

Richard E. Schosberg

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They have a 42-horse racing stable of such quality that they won 12 races from 40 starts during Saratoga's prestigious summer meet. Their runners hit the board 63 percent of the time on behalf of their clients.

They have 17 broodmares and a dozen retired Thoroughbreds, the latter a reflection of their commitment to make certain every horse they breed will always have a home.

For all that the Bonds worked to obtain, what they have, more than anything, is each other.

Kevin was struck by that during this strange fan-free summer at Saratoga. Picnic tables, occupied by the same families for generations, were empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When their horses entered the winner's circle, there was no applause from the grandstand.

In one sense, it hardly seemed to matter.

“You turn to your dad, you turn to your brother. You high-five each other or whatever,” Kevin said. “There is no greater gratification than that, just to know that everybody is on the same team and just proud of each other.”

Those heartwarming moments can be traced to the ailing heart of James' father, Harold, a trainer in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. Due to his father's medical issues, James was forced to abandon his dream of becoming a veterinarian to obtain his trainer's license on his 16^th birthday.

James would arrive at the barn at 4 a.m. and begin his high school classes once that work was done. He is forever grateful to an understanding guidance counselor who would arrange his schedule to allow him to shower at school before he attended his first class.

Perhaps the early start helped James, who turns 63 in October, build on what came before him as a third-generation horseman. His operation has totaled more than $45 million in purses. He is a two-time winner of the Whitney Handicap, with Travers victor Will's Way in 1997 and with Tizway in 2011. He has been prominent on the international stage, with a third-place finish by L'Carriere in the 1996 Dubai World Cup and a runner-up effort by Behrens in that same event in 2000.

James is a pillar of the lucrative New York breeding program as a breeder and trainer. He estimates that 80 percent of his stock is comprised of New York-breds. He said of the opening of Song Hill in 2007: “We wouldn't have this farm without New York-breds. It was the basis of our decision to build this farm.”

While James had no choice but to take over his ailing father's business, Kevin and Ryan were initially encouraged to pursue other careers after completing their college educations.

James, Kevin and Ryan Bond

“It's a hard industry. It's hard on family life if you're not all in it together because you can't get away,” said Tina. “I did try to push them in another direction.”

Kevin studied business management at Lynn University. Ryan was a finance major at Florida Atlantic. It did not take either of them very long to make their way back to the track.

“I really didn't see myself in an office,” said Ryan.

Neither did Kevin. Both determined that nothing could match the adrenaline rush that goes with watching a horse they bred compete on the rugged New York circuit and elsewhere.

“There is always something to look forward to with one horse or another. There is a lot of action,” Ryan said. “It doesn't feel like work.”

Tina admits that her role as business manager very much feels like work. She takes pride in her sharp pencil.

“You have to run a smart business to keep everything afloat. It's an important part of the business, just not as much fun as what they do,” she said. “They work seven days a week. So do I.”

James treasures the time with his sons at the barn.

“I thought they both were going to go in different directions,” he said. “I always told them they both had jobs if they needed it, and they both came back. It was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

James makes decisions on various matters after seeking input from other family members. Some disagreements are inevitable.

“There are more pros than cons to it because we all know we are looking out for each other, we are looking out for the family's best interests,” Kevin said.

Their shared goal is to produce a Kentucky Derby winner. James thought he had one after Buddha won the Wood Memorial in 2002 – only to suffer a crushing disappointment. Buddha had to be scratched two days before the Derby with a foot injury.

“There was no doubt in my mind he would have been the Derby winner if we could have led him over that day,” James said. “You try to build that mountain and, all of a sudden, you just go tumbling down. It's hard, but I would have hated to hurt the horse.”

With the Bonds, the horse comes first from the moment of conception. They attach a postcard to the foaling papers of each horse they breed that contains their contact information in case that horse ever needs a home. That is typical of the way the family conducts business.

“It's all about integrity. Basically, you build your life up to have a name. That's what I hope to leave them, a good name to carry on and, hopefully, have the same good fortune or better than I had,” said James, looking ahead to the fourth generation.

Tom Pedulla wrote for USA Today from 1995-2012 and has been a contributor to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Blood-Horse, America's Best Racing and other publications.

If you wish to suggest a backstretch worker as a potential subject for In Their Care, please send an email to info@paulickreport.com that includes the person's name and contact information in addition to a brief description of the employee's background.

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The Woodward, being run at 1 ¼ miles for the first time since Easy Goer won the 1989 edition at Belmont Park, is Prioritize’s first try in a Grade I and his first graded stakes in almost two years. Prioritize, a 5-year-old gelding owned by Bond’s longtime patron William Clifton Jr., was a turf horse back in Oct. 2018 when he was third in the GII Hill Prince.

Late last year, Bond moved Prioritize to the dirt and he has flourished, with two wins and two seconds in four starts. The most recent was a neck victory over Money Moves (Candy Ride {Arg})–who is running in the Kentucky Derby–on July 25. In the Woodward, Prioritize will face five others, led by GII Suburban winner Tacitus (Tapit).

“It’s a tough race, there is no lying about it,” Bond said. “But it’s a handicap and I think they were pretty fair with the weight.”

Prioritize, who drew the outside post and will be ridden by Eric Cancel, will carry 115 pounds. Tacitus is the high weight at 124.

Bond, whose private stable on Gridley Ave. is a couple of blocks from the Nelson Avenue gate to the Saratoga backstretch, is enjoying a great summer at Saratoga. He is eighth in wins with 11 and 12th in purse earnings with $462,418. While he has had plenty of success at Saratoga through the years–he’s won the GI Travers once and the GI Whitney twice–this is one of his better seasons. Last year his stable won seven races; in 2018 he visited the winner’s circle twice.

“I am proud of the horses. I am proud of my staff. I am grateful for my owners. It has been a fantastic season,” he said, sitting in his office that has posters and photos of his standouts like Will’s Way, Tizway, L’Carriere and Bhudda on the walls.

Bond said the strong summer at the Spa was especially gratifying in a year that has been like no other because of the world-wide Covid-19 pandemic that shut down racing in New York from mid-March to early June.

“There were times when you saw me in May and in the beginning when this place opened, we were scared to death,” he said. “If this thing came back and bit us again, it could be all over. This barn may have to be for sale. I have worked my life to try and build something special for the family and it was tough. This game is, needless to say, hills and valleys. You just hold on and hope to God you can survive going up that hill again.”

Bond said he thinks his best year at Saratoga was 12 victories.

“I am scared to count sometimes because it’s scary,” he said. “You just do your job, that’s all. We don’t look back. We keep doing what we are doing and hopefully it keeps going. I am very proud of the homebreds because a lot of the homebreds have stepped up really, really well. That to me is really huge. I am cautiously optimistic … we have a lot of nice 2-year-olds and we haven’t run any 2-year-olds yet. I think the best is yet to come.”

Describing Prioritize as “a grinder,” Bond said he thinks the nine-furlong win over Money Moves over his home course will set him up for the Woodward.

“Every time I have asked him to do something a little bit better, he has done it,” Bond said. “He is a big, scopey colt. He has a lot of distance pedigree on the bottom. Tizway, I always thought, would go a mile and a quarter but he never had the opportunity, unfortunately. The horse is doing great but he has to step up his game. But you know what? He is in his backyard and I just have to lead him over there and it’s $500,000 in COVID times. All I can do is look good.”

Bond heads a family operation with his wife Tina and their two sons and assistants, Kevin and Ryan. The Bonds have a farm nearby and are deeply connected to the Saratoga Springs region. Despite his stable’s success this summer, Bond said the meet hasn’t been the same without spectators.

“I feel bad for the fans,” he said. “I feel bad for the local people who like to come once or twice a year to say they were here at Saratoga and to get a glimpse of the great work everyone does here, the jockeys, the trainers, the owners picking out horses, the breeders. It’s hard. It is not an easy task for anybody.”

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