NYTB Board Elects Ahlschwede As President

Edited Press Release

The Board of Directors of New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) held its first meeting of 2024 on Friday, Jan. 19. The newly seated board unanimously elected Dr. Scott Ahlschwede, D.V.M., to serve as Board President through 2026.

Current NYTB director Seth Gregory, owner of Innisfree Farm and Seth Gregory Bloodstock, was elected to the office of Vice President. The board also elected Lere Visagie, owner of Rockridge Stud, to serve as Secretary-Treasurer.

Dr. Ahlschwede is a shareholder veterinarian with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital and owner of River Valley Farm. He has previously served as an NYTB director since 2016 and succeeds Thomas J. Gallo, III, managing partner of Dream Maker Racing Stable, Thomas J. Gallo, III Sales Agency, and owner of Blue Stone Farm, who previously served as NYTB President since 2015.

“On behalf of our board of directors and membership, I want to thank Tom for his leadership of NYTB and am thankful he will remain a part of the board with his institutional knowledge and experience,” said Dr. Ahlschwede. “As President, I want to ensure we continue to increase and promote the benefits of breeding and foaling in New York with our fellow stakeholders as we work to sustain the Thoroughbred industry in New York and nationwide.”

“I am proud of the work our organization has accomplished under my tenure as President. I look forward to continue working with Scott and our newly elected officers to ensure NYTB remains the unified voice of Thoroughbred breeders in the state,” said Gallo.

The 2024 NYTB Officers and Board of Directors for 2024 is as follows:

 

Officers:

  • Dr. Scott Ahlschwede, D.V.M., shareholder with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital and owner of River Valley Farm, President

 

  • Seth Gregory, owner, Innisfree Farm and Seth Gregory Bloodstock, Vice President

 

  • Lere Visagie, owner, Rockridge Stud, Secretary/Treasurer

 

Directors: H. James Bond, Rick Burke, Lois Engel, Thomas J. Gallo, III, Michael Lischin, Vivien Malloy, Jane McMahon, Mallory Mort

Directors Emeritus: Chester Broman, Suzie O'Cain, Joanne Nielsen

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NYTB, SUNY Cobleskill Course Kicks Off at Saratoga

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. and the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill's accredited course designed to expose upper-class students in the Animal Science program to various segments of the Thoroughbred industry started last weekend at Saratoga Race Course.

The visit by students focused on the culmination of the breeding and racing industries and allowed for observation of the finished product during morning training and afternoon races. Students received a behind-the-scenes tour of the Oklahoma Training Track Saturday during training hours led by NYTB President Tom Gallo.

The group spent the afternoon at the races, with visits to the paddock, watching from the rooftop and helping the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.) selected the “Best Turned Out Award” for the day.

“The NYTB, through Tom Gallo's leadership, provided SUNY Cobleskill students an experience at Saratoga Race Course that was second to none,” said Raymond Whelihan, SUNY Cobleskill Associate Professor in Animal Science who collaborated with Gallo to develop the program. “Time spent observing training at the Oklahoma track, lengthy discussion with a Hall of Fame trainer, comped racetrack entry and seats, a roof top view and the opportunity to enter the paddock and select the groom of the day. Every student was enthusiastic and appreciative. What a wonderful way to kick off the new Thoroughbred Industry course at SUNY Cobleskill.”

The pilot program is offered to 15-20 junior undergraduate students that have met prerequisites. The course, which runs from late August to early December, falls in line with the NYTB's goals to make outreach with upper-level science students majoring in equine studies and finding the next generation of the industry's workforce and leaders in racing and breeding.

“When I first introduced the idea of the NYTB educational seminars years ago, along with raising the standard of care and awareness for the general population of the New York breeders, my ultimate goal was to use these seminars for the education of young people who may be interested in coming into our industry,” Gallo said. “This could not have been done without the help of NYTB Executive Director Najja Thompson and our forward-thinking board members. With the help of my longtime friend, Ray Whelihan, we were able to put together a program which not only exposes these students to many different aspects of the horse industry in New York, but also allows them to gain college credits for their participation. These are seniors in college, and they have participated in the equine studies program for the length of their college career. This is a targeted-interested and engaged group of students, who hopefully will find one aspect of our industry interesting enough for them to enter with career expectations. I can't tell you how happy I am that this is finally happening.”

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Letter to the Editor: C’mon, Bill

Years ago, a dear friend, Joe Spadaro, a veteran turf writer who coined the phrase “get with the program!”, and I were at a bar one evening up on Jericho Turnpike after the races at beautiful Belmont Park. We were commiserating with the Eclipse Award-winning writer Paul Moran about racing. I was always a pretty opinionated guy (still am) and Joe could hear my tone of voice elevating to rebut something that Paul said. Joe turned to me and said “Tom, never get into it with somebody who buys ink by the barrel”. I've always listened to that advice so I'm not going to get into it but: Come on, Bill.

In reference to yesterday's article about the Metropolitan Handicap not being on Memorial Day, when it was traditionally held, yes, I totally agree with you. I am very much a traditionalist also. However, you know what the trend is, right? The bean counters think that apparently big championship racing days generate the most handle. I guess that might be a trend for the future.

But that's not my issue with the article. You referred to this Memorial Day as “it will be just another day at the track”. Come on Bill!!

It's New York-bred Showcase Day, the biggest day of racing for New York-breds in the spring at beautiful Belmont Park. We showcase the best New York-breds in stake race after stake race. New York breeders spend a ton of money all over the country including Kentucky. We just passed a rule whereby you can buy a mare at any auction in Kentucky and other states, ship the mare back within 15 days and take advantage of everything the program has to offer. New York-breds race with up to a 30% advantage over non-New York-breds at New York tracks for some of the biggest purses in the country.

Times are tough. We went from an annual 50,000 foal crop nationally when I got into the business back in the 70s to around an 18,000 foal crop presently. Let's go easy on each other and try and be supportive of all the state programs, including New York's.
And go easy on me with all that ink in your barrel!

Respectfully,
Tom Gallo
President, New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

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OTTB Kid Blast Enjoying New ‘Challenges’ At Therapeutic Horses Of Saratoga

In 2014, a bay gelding named Kid Blast created lasting memories for owner Parting Glass Racing, winning or finishing on the board in all eight of his starts at New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) tracks. Now, at the age of 13, Kid Blast is still bringing joy to those around him as a therapy horse just five miles from Saratoga Race Course at Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga.

Trained by Bruce Levine during his racing days, the son of Posse made 26 career starts throughout his five seasons of racing, compiling a record of 5-4-7 with earnings of $151,576. Upon retirement from racing, “Kid”, as he is affectionately known, became a track pony at NYRA, his friendly and easy-going personality making him a good candidate for assisting racehorses on the track.

When a back injury forced his retirement from pony work, Lisa Molloy's Re-Run Thoroughbred Retirement took in the gelding and provided him with a place to rehabilitate.

Tom Gallo, managing partner of Parting Glass Racing and now Dream Maker Racing, reached out to Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga (THS) after Kid Blast retired from pony work, suggesting the gelding's experience would allow him to excel as a therapy horse.

“Kid's personality was just perfect,” said Laura LaRue, the Director of Equine Care at Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga. “We got him in 2019 and he's got a big brother kind of personality. He flowed right into his role here and just wants to please everyone.”

A Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) accredited not-for-profit organization, Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga was founded in 2018 with the mission of retraining retired thoroughbreds and standardbreds to become therapy horses for clients in partnership with ECS Psychological Services in Saratoga Springs.

Patients are taught equine husbandry at the organization's Lake Avenue farm, learning to problem solve and work through their emotions.

“Our clients typically spend time getting to know the horses on their first few visits,” LaRue said. “We'll ask them to catch and bring us a horse from the field and provide them with a halter and lead rope, but most do not know what those are or how to use them. Sometimes they will just entice them over with a piece of hay. This helps our patients learn how to figure things out for themselves and then down the road, we can have them do other things like lead the horses through obstacle courses. The horses challenge them to work through it.”

Kid Blast has proved popular on the farm, a gentle giant who can work in a variety of the program's activities.

“Kid does everything because he's amazing,” said LaRue “He's a very big, stoic and mellow horse and the herd leader in his paddock. Patients will spend time with him and groom him, take him for walks, and go through the obstacle courses. We made this thing we call the car wash. It's made of pool noodles and the goal is for the clients to guide the horses through it while the noodles brush up against them. Kid Blast has done it a million times and sometimes plants his feet and challenges them to make it through.

“We also have the clients build a corral where they use things like traffic cones and hula hoops to create a pen to lead the horse into,” LaRue added. “There's a lot of metaphors in it.”

As THS continues to see success in their programs, LaRue credits the emotional capacity of horses as the reason equine therapy can provide another level of support for patients along with traditional therapies.

“The horses are very good at reading emotions and are reactive in a way that is both challenging and comforting,” LaRue said. “They have a very good balance of what the client needs. They can do all this in a way that humans can't. We are setting the experience up but it's the horses who are doing all of the mental and emotional work.”

With many success stories to reflect on in the organization's three years, LaRue fondly recalled her favorite moment shared between Kid Blast and one of their clients.

“We had someone who was saying they were fine when they weren't, and in therapy it's kind of hard to turn that off sometimes,” LaRue said. “They were trying to place a halter on another horse and the horse kept walking away. The client was getting frustrated and you could tell that they were feeling like they wanted to give up. Kid walked up from behind and gave them a nudge on their back and placed his face in the halter for them. He reaches out when you need it. He takes good care of everyone.”

Now in his third career, Kid Blast is exemplary of the wide array of new jobs available to racehorses when their days on the track are over. LaRue emphasized that both thoroughbred and standardbred racehorses are favorable to work with in new settings because of how they are handled on the racetrack.

“Racehorses are exposed to things like the starting gate, noise, and crowds and they get used to it pretty quickly,” said LaRue. “Here on the farm, they aren't nervous around tractors or a tarp flapping around in the breeze. All of their exposure on the track made it a lot easier for them to transition here. It makes a big difference.”

NYRA and its horsemen are committed supporters of the TAA, which accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations using industry-wide funding.

Every owner competing at NYRA racetracks donates $10 per start to the TAA, helping to fund aftercare organizations that provide homes for retired racehorses. New York's horsemen also donate 1.5 percent of the purchase price of every horse claimed at a NYRA track to TAA and the New York
Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association's TAKE THE LEAD (TTL) program, which provides preliminary vet exams and treatment, as well as costs related to transportation and rehabilitation or retraining.

“The conversations have grown about aftercare over the last few years which is great,” said LaRue. “NYRA has a day at the races where they bring horses in from the TAA and educate fans to show them options for the racehorses after their careers. It's really important to continue to have the aftercare conversation and we are excited to be a part of it.”

For more information on Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga, visit https://thsaratoga.org/.

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