Brick Ambush

For what appears to have been nothing more than a minor clerical error, the New York Gaming Commission and its head steward Braulio Baeza, Jr. has fined NYRA Racing Secretary Keith Doleshel $2,000 for "failing to conduct business in a professional manner." Doleshel has appealed the decision and has the backing of NYRA management. Under Baeza, the Gaming Commission has been quick to fine NYRA employees for what can be argued are nothing more than honest and inadvertent mistakes. Among those who have been sanctioned with fines are clocker Richard...

The New York Gaming Commission issued a statement Friday regarding the controversial disqualification of Brick Ambush (Laoban) in the Dec. 16 Great White Way S. at Aqueduct that was meant to bolster the argument that the stewards made the right call, but it included a photo that could be construed as doing the exact opposite. The TDN and other news outlets received an email from New York Gaming Commission Director of Communications Brad Maione that included six screen shots from the race taken at the point where there was contact...

Regarding the Great White Way fiasco: The stewards made a huge mistake! We all make them. It happens in football all the time! When it happens there are no calls to remove the Commissioner. As in this situation, there should be no calls to remove Jockey Club leadership. What is needed is to look at the Stewards box. Stewards involved should be interviewed, past decisions reviewed and what we need is industry-wide implementation to improve the process. Possibly a fourth person "in the booth" might help when a foul occurs....

In the aftermath of the controversial running of Saturday's Great White Way S. at Aqueduct, in which Brick Ambush (Laoban) crossed the wire second but was disqualified and placed last, outspoken owner Mike Repole has called for the resignation of The Jockey Club's president and CEO Jim Gagliano and its chairman Stuart Janney III. He did so Wednesday in a post to his account on the social media website X. Repole, who did not have a horse in the race, recently announced the formation of The National Thoroughbred Alliance (NTA),...

Dean Reeves, the owner of recently disqualified Brick Ambush (Laoban), issued a statement Tuesday, following the Gaming Commission's decision to not allow appeals relating to last Saturday's Great White Way S. at Aqueduct. The statement read: "After receipt of the letter from the NY Gaming commission and further discussion with our attorney Drew Mollica, our trainer Danny Gargan, Patti and I have decided to not to pursue any further action regarding the disqualification of Brick Ambush in the 9th race at Aqueduct on Dec. 16th, 2023. We maintain our belief...

Whether or not the stewards made the right or wrong calls when disqualifying Brick Ambush (Laoban) and not disqualifying Antonio of Venice (Laoban) in the $500,000 Great White Way Division of the New York Stallion Series run Saturday at Aqueduct is something the New York Gaming Commission is not going to lose any sleep over. Two owners reached out to the Gaming Commission to file an appeal of the stewards' rulings on the race. The first came from Dean Reeves, whose Brick Ambush (Laoban) was disqualified from second and placed...

The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association has done it again, announcing Saturday that it has reduced the number of graded stakes races that will be run in the U.S. in 2024, while also downgrading 30 races. To most, this is a welcome development. With the foal crop continually declining, there should be fewer graded stakes races and fewer Grade I's. Many believe that the committee has not gone far enough. Yet, the announcement, as it always seems to do, did not come without a...