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Reports of Mares Bred Due Aug. 1

Edited Press Release

The Jockey Club reminds stallion managers to submit their Reports of Mares Bred (RMBs) for the 2022 breeding season by Aug. 1.

“To ensure that the breeding statistics we release in the fall are as accurate as possible, we request that RMBs be submitted by Aug. 1,” said Matt Iuliano, executive vice president and executive director of The Jockey Club. “Mare produce records and catalog-style pedigrees from equineline.com are updated in real time with the latest covering information to assist industry stakeholders with their decisions. The number of mares reported bred is also an important economic indicator of the health of the Thoroughbred breeding industry.”

Stallion managers who submit completed RMBs by Aug. 1 are among the first to receive their Stallion Service Certificates, which facilitates the timely registration of 2023 foals.

Reports of Mares Bred may be submitted via Interactive Registration at registry.jockeyclub.com or a form is available by email, fax, or mail by contacting inquiries@jockeyclub.com.

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Jockeys to Sign Souvenir Ellis Park Posters Saturday for PDJF

Jockeys will sign Ellis Park 100th season commemorative posters to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) on Saturday.

The jockey autograph session is part of Jockeys Across America, where tracks across the country pay tribute to National Disability Independence Day and raise funds for and awareness about the PDJF.

The Ellis Park jockeys, as their riding schedules permit, will sign the full-color posters throughout the afternoon at a table between the paddock pavilion and the paddock. There is no charge, but donations will be accepted for the PDJF, a 501(c)(3) charity that currently provides financial assistance to approximately 60 former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries.

“This is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts,” said Jon Court, the dean of the Kentucky jockeys and a six-time Ellis Park meet leader. “We love our fans and invite everyone to come out and help us help our colleagues who sacrificed so much.”

“No other major sport allows so much access to its participants as horse racing does on a daily basis,” said Ellis Park General Manager Jeff Inman. “Our jockeys routinely sign autographs after races. Saturday provides an organized opportunity for fans to create a real keepsake by getting any number of riders to sign our souvenir century poster.”

Sunday is also HBPA College Day at Ellis Park with $1,000 scholarships and iPad mini/AirPods packages given out to full-time college students. Full-time students, including incoming freshmen, will receive a free Ellis Park/HBPA College Day ball cap just for registering for the drawings.

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Belmont Park Fall Meet to be Held at Aqueduct Racetrack

The traditional fall meet at Belmont will instead be held at Aqueduct and kick off Sept. 15, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday. It is anticipated that racing will return to Belmont for the 2023 spring meet.

The switch to Aqueduct will allow NYRA to undertake the first phases of what could be a major renovation of Belmont Park. Tunnels have been constructed at Belmont that will give construction vehicles access to the infield. The tunnels will also pave the way for pedestrians to have access to the infield. According to a statement issued by NYRA, “the tunnels will serve as a conduit to the infield for commercial vehicles allowing NYRA to completely reconstruct the Belmont main track and its two turf courses.” In addition, the tunnels will provide NYRA with an opportunity “to consider the installation of a synthetic track in the future.”

NYRA officials have spoken often in recent years about a desire to make significant changes at Belmont, including ones that could make it feasible to some day close Aqueduct. That could include a rebuild of the massive grandstand, which would make Belmont a better fit to host the Breeders' Cup, which has not been run in New York since 2005.

“This investment in the future of Belmont Park will transform our racing operations and pave the way for a broader re-imagining of the facility,” Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO, said in a statement. “The shift to Aqueduct this fall will minimize the overall impact on the racing schedule, and ensure continuity for the Belmont spring/summer meet and Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets. We appreciate the patience of our horsemen and fans as we enter this period of transition at Belmont, and look forward to an exciting fall at the Big A.”

According to NYRA spokesperson Pat McKenna, the current circumferences of the Belmont racing surfaces will not be changed.

The construction project will result in the closing of the main track and the turf courses at Belmont for training, starting with the conclusion of training on Aug. 7. Those tracks won't reopen until April of 2023. After a brief shutdown, the Belmont training track will re-open on Aug. 8 and will be the only outlet for regular training activities. Construction on the Belmont courses will begin following the conclusion of the 2023 Belmont Park spring/summer meet.

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) President Joe Appelbaum expressed his support for the project in the NYRA statement.

“NYTHA membership recognize the importance of modernizing Belmont Park and look forward to competing at a world-class Thoroughbred racing venue,” said Appelbaum. “We will continue to work closely with NYRA to reduce any burdens on horsemen created by the temporary closure of the main track at Belmont.”

Trainer Christophe Clement had mixed feelings about the impending changes.

“They are going to make Belmont Park even better, so this is exciting when you consider the future,” he said. “I think they are going to create an amazing Belmont Park when they are done.”

But Clement is not looking forward to what will be a major disruption to his training routines.

“This is very depressing because a guy like me trains mostly on the main track at Belmont and I work a lot of horses every weekend on the turf,” he said. “I adore Belmont Park as a racetrack, to race at and to train at. But I will have to adapt. That's just the way it is. We were aware of this. NYRA has been talking to us about this for about six months. We're just going to have to adjust.”

The Belmont-at-Aqueduct meet will run through Oct. 30 and will include 41 stakes races worth $9.9 million. The stakes season at Belmont-at-the-Big A will commence on Sept. 17 with the running of the $1-million GIII Jockey Club Derby and the $700,000 GIII Jockey Club Oaks. The Oct. 1 card will consist of four stakes, including the GI Woodward S. and the GI Champagne S. The Oct. 8 card will include the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and the GII Vosburgh, which has been shifted from six furlongs to seven furlongs. Six stakes were cut from the schedule, but none are graded stakes. The GII Kelso H., traditionally a prep for the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, has been shifted from late September to Oct. 29.

The good news for horsemen is that the Belmont-at-Aqueduct meet will offer significant purse increases with a particular focus on adding value to conditions impacting the broadest group of owners and trainers. Open allowance races will be run for six-figure purses while all claiming categories, New York-bred, and maiden races will enjoy purse enhancements. NYRA will also introduce a new bonus program to further reward horsemen for competing at the fall meet. The bonus will pay $500 to the owner and $500 to the trainer of any horse finishing outside of the top three in his/her first fall start provided the most recent start was during the 2022 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. Stakes races at Aqueduct do not qualify for the Belmont at the Big A bonus.

The capital improvement project will also include the installation of a synthetic Tapeta track on the quarter-mile Belmont “pony track.”

From 1963 through 1967, racing moved to Aqueduct after the Saratoga meet concluded as Belmont Park was being rebuilt.

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Aftercare, Promotion, and Communication Highlighted at OwnerView Conference

Edited Press Release

The need to ensure responsible ownership at all stages of a racehorse's life was a recurring theme at this week's Thoroughbred Owner Conference, which was held July 25-26 in the 1863 Club at Saratoga Race Course. The event, which attracted more than 100 attendees, was presented by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and hosted by The Jockey Club and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

The keynote address of the conference was delivered by Stacie Clark-Rogers, operations consultant for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). Clark-Rogers summarized the evolution of aftercare over the last 50 years and its increased prioritization among those involved in the Thoroughbred industry.

“These programs in my opinion are greatly undervalued, and we could be doing so much more to connect people with retired Thoroughbreds, and in return, promote the horse, the industry, and the sport of horse racing,” she said.

“If we have learned anything over the last 20 years of aftercare initiatives, we all need to work together in all aspects of this industry, not just so the aftercare groups can succeed, but so the industry can be more accountable and thus succeed as a responsible, ethical sport.”

Other topics of focus at the conference included buying at the sales, selecting a trainer, equine safety, partnerships, and international racing. The second day of the event featured a panel composed of a family of jockeys: Dylan Davis was joined by his sister Katie and her husband, Trevor McCarthy, with an appearance by Dylan and Katie's father, former jockey Robbie Davis.

Tony Allevato, chief revenue officer for NYRA and president of NYRA Bets, opened the conference by describing efforts NYRA has made to improve the racing and ownership experience. For example, during NYRA's racing coverage on Fox Sports, the production team makes it a priority to interview owners before and after each race.

“It's important for us as an operator to make the experience as good as possible,” he said. “If an owner thinks that there's a chance that they can get on national TV, we think that adds to the experience.”

The conference began with a reception at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, and attendees enjoyed the races at Saratoga on Wednesday.

“After being postponed for two years due to COVID-19, we were delighted to finally bring the Thoroughbred Owner Conference to Saratoga for the first time,” said Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView. “Competing at Saratoga is a dream for any Thoroughbred owner and a fitting location for this conference, where we provide existing, new, and prospective owners the opportunity to learn about all aspects of owning racehorses while facilitating networking with the industry's most prominent names.”

Tom Durkin served as the master of ceremonies. Participants on the panels included owners Tina Bond, H. James Bond Racing Stable and Song Hill Thoroughbreds; Michelle Borisenok, Old Tavern Farm; Peter Brant; Terry Finley, West Point Thoroughbreds; Tom Gallo, Dream Maker Racing; Len Green, D.J. Stable; Jack Knowlton, Sackatoga Stable; and others.

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