Belmont Park

Gold Square LLC's Slip Mahoney (Arrogate) tuned up for the Mar. 4 GIII Gotham S. with a four-furlong work in :48.87 (6/54) over the Belmont training track Saturday. The gray colt worked in company with unraced stablemate Global Image (Liam's Map). "It wasn't as quick to watch it, but they moved pretty well," said Dustin Dugas, trainer Brad Cox's Belmont-based assistant. "It was really good and he came out of it in great shape and we're all systems go. Trevor [McCarthy] was happy with him and he's going to ride...

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has officially announced support for a plan by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) to modernize the racing facilities at Belmont Park. The plan has been included as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget Proposal. "Horse racing in New York State has a champion in Governor Kathy Hochul, who clearly recognizes the important role the sport plays within the New York economy," said NYRA President and CEO David O'Rourke. "Belmont Park stands at the center of the statewide racing ecosystem, and...

Early nominations for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds to become eligible to compete in the 2023 Triple Crown series are due Saturday with a $600 payment. Payment for early Triple Crown nominations must be made at the time of entry on www.thetriplecrown.com. Information regarding phone or mail-in entries can also be found on the website. Nominations are scheduled to be released to the public on Monday, Feb. 6. The 2023 Triple Crown opens Saturday, May 6 with the 149th running of the $3-million GI Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles at Churchill Downs...

Fifty-four stakes races worth $15.57 million in total purses will highlight the 40-day Belmont spring/summer meet, which is scheduled to open Thursday, May 4 and continue through Sunday, July 9, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday. Highlighted by the 155th running of the $1.5 million GI Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 10, the spring/summer meet will include 12 Grade I races, with nine of those contests scheduled during the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 8 through Saturday, June 10. The Thursday-through-Sunday event...

According to figures released Thursday by Equibase, a robust $1,309,837,841 in purse money was paid out during the year in the U.S., an increase of 10.92% and an all-time record for the sport. Total handle on U.S. racing in 2022 was $12,108,807,335, a decrease of 0.87% when compared to 2021 numbers. The total bet in 2021 was $12,215,598,838. "Thoroughbred racing purses and pari-mutuel handle continued to exhibit strength in 2022," NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney said in a statement. "Purses were up double-digits year-over year and reached an all-time...

There would be no fairytale ending Thursday at Aqueduct for trainer Rick Schosberg. Silken Dollar (Central Banker), the last horse he will start before retiring from training, finished eighth in Thursday's fourth race at Aqueduct. That's OK. Schosberg, 61, learned a long time ago that the life of a horse trainer is never that easy. "Obviously the game has changed with the emergence of unlimited stall allocations," Schosberg said. "It's really affected the competitiveness of it. It used to be that every barn had a different outfit. Now there are...

Christmas came a few days early for approximately 150 backstretch families at Belmont Park on Tuesday, December 20th when the New York Race Track Chaplaincy hosted its annual Sponsor-A-Family Program. The families received food and gifts, including new winter clothing for children, new toys and gift cards. Highlighting this year's festivities was the presence of Mario Artaza, the Consul General of Chile in New York, who dressed as Santa Claus. "I'm honored to participate in this year's event and it's heartwarming to see what the horse racing community is doing...

The Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) annually hosts a Holiday Shopping Day for all of the families of backstretch workers at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Race Track. This year, BCCA held its event on Saturday, Dec. 3 in the clubhouse at Belmont Park. The Belmont Cafe was transformed into a Winter Wonderland which included a Sugar Plum Cafe and Holiday Shop. Thanks to the New York Racing Association (NYRA), BCCA was provided with a beautiful venue to host its event and NYRA's facilities and security departments provided much needed...

Seven weeks before the start of the final remaining high-profile trial in the federal doping conspiracy case from 2020, the New York-based veterinarian Alexander Chan, whose client list included co-defendant trainer Jason Servis, has changed his mind about having a jury decide his fate on three felony charges for alleged participation in drug adulteration, misbranding, and wire fraud conspiracies. On Thursday, Chan asked for and was swiftly granted a Dec. 5 change-of-plea hearing in United States District Court (Southern District of New York), at which he will likely either plead...

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) will award the Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) $10,000 to be used for educational purposes in 2023. The mission of the BCCA is to provide a safe, supportive, and academically inspiring environment for children of parents working in the Thoroughbred racing backstretch area located at New York's historic Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course. "What makes BCCA so unique is that we are changing lives at the racetrack every day," said Executive Director Joanne K. Adams. "For the past 20...

The 2023 push to secure bond funding for a new Belmont Park officially kicked off on a gray, chilly November morning with a press conference at the out-of-session New York State Capitol in Albany on Thursday. The unveiling of the legislative agenda for next year was hosted by the "We Are NY Horse Racing" coalition of small businesses, labor unions, non-profits, and trade associations. While the scope of the years-in-the-planning project was largely framed in general terms as being able to bring state-wide economic benefits at no cost to taxpayers,...

It might feel a touch trite to repeat it, but the timeworn observation is such for a reason: the stallion market is one packed to the brim with tough customers and salty competition. And it turns out, both literally and metaphorically as evidenced by the recently released Report of Mares Bred. Breeders gravitate to quality and are more frequently turning to tried-and-true sources to find it, or are becoming more demanding of first-year sires before taking the chance. In an economy where connections are forced to steadily tighten their belts,...