David O'Rourke

After a very successful mini-meet highlighted by the running of the GI Belmont Stakes, NYRA is set to return to Saratoga for the start of the 2024 meet. Guiding the ship will be NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke, who will be hoping for sunny skies, no breakdowns and record attendance and handle numbers. That's a lot to ask, but it is Saratoga, where magical things happen. To talk about the meet, O'Rourke joined this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast Presented by Keeneland. He was the Green Group Guest of...

David O'Rourke, the President and CEO of NYRA, joined this week's TDN Writers' Room ahead of the opening week at Saratoga.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) machinery is now in place at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Saratoga Springs and is available for use throughout the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and during the entirety of the 2024 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, the New York Racing Association announced in a Sunday press release. "Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital is excited to provide PET scan technology to the racehorse population in New York this summer," said Dr. Katherine Garrett, Director of Diagnostic Imaging at Rood & Riddle. "This is a valuable...

Edited Press Release The NYRA Foundation, a philanthropic effort designed to raise funding and awareness for the work of non-profits, service providers, Thoroughbred aftercare groups and charitable organizations connected to horse racing, has been launched by the New York Racing Association, Inc. Throughout its history, NYRA has dedicated significant resources and made direct investments to support the communities surrounding Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. In addition, NYRA provides sustaining financial contributions to deepen the impact of the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST), the Racetrack Chaplaincy of New...

Track announcer John Imbriale has announced that he will retire following a 44-year career with the New York Racing Association. Imbriale's tenure with NYRA dates to 1979 when he won a New York Daily News contest, giving him the opportunity to call a race and work with the NYRA press office. In 1990, the Queens, New York native became Tom Durkin's backup and along the way, took on other responsibilities at NYRA by working with Harvey Pack on the Inside Racing program, and in a variety of roles within NYRA...

The New York Racing Association has announced the formation of an All-Weather Surfaces Committee to study the impact of various racing surfaces on equine injury rates. According to a Wednesday NYRA press release, the committee, which first met last October, will evaluate safety metrics from tracks utilizing all-weather racing surfaces, as well as study the feasibility of broader adoption of all-weather surfaces nationally. The committee, chaired by NYRA CEO and President David O'Rourke, was formed at the request of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, as part of HISA's strategic...

General admission tickets, hospitality offerings and reserved seats for the Belmont S. Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 15, the New York Racing Association announced via press release Thursday. Tickets may be purchased here, with advance pre-sale opportunities available by signing up here. "The 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be a four-day celebration of world class thoroughbred racing at the sport's most historic and exciting venue," said NYRA President & CEO David O'Rourke. "NYRA is thrilled...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a job fair on Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET, the first in a series of events to support the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course, the association said in a release Thursday. The job fair will be held on the first floor of the 1863 Club at Saratoga Race Course. Interested applicants should enter through the Wright Street entrance (Gate 8) with parking available in the 1863 Club lot. "The 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing...

The New York Islanders, in partnership with Northwell, the New York Racing Association and USA Hockey, have announced the opening of The Park at UBS Arena, a 155,800 square foot season-long, outdoor experience that will introduce the first two public pond hockey rinks to the community. With UBS Arena located within the heart of historic Belmont Park, The Park aims to take advantage of this unique setting and create something special for hockey fans of all ages. The first rink, named the Northwell Pond, boasts a sheet of natural ice....

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2026, New York-bred overnight races for 2-year-olds on the NYRA circuit will offer purse amounts matching the race's open-company counterpart, which will directly benefit the state's 2024 foal crop and pave the way to compete for some of the richest purses of any state-bred program in the nation, the association said in a release Wednesday. At the 2023 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, maiden races restricted to New York-bred 2-year-olds featured a purse of $88,000 compared to a purse of $105,000 offered for 2-year-olds competing...

Seven new members were elected to the Jockey Club of America, which include Gary Fenton, Eric Gustavson, Bret Jones, Jane Lyon, Michael Mulvihill, David O'Rourke and Mandy Pope, the organization said in a release early Thursday morning. Fenton has been the managing partner of Little Red Feather Racing, a racing syndicate based in California, since 2005, and he is on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and has been chairman since 2021. Over the last 17 years, Gustavson has overseen Spendthrift's growth as it acquired, raced and launched...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY. - In the wake of two fatal breakdowns during the Travers day program Saturday, New York Racing Association officials faced the questions of if they should immediately cancel the remaining races on the card at Saratoga Race Course and whether to run on Sunday. After fact-finding sessions both days, NYRA President and CEO David O'Rourke said the courses were deemed safe for competition--the jockeys were in agreement--and racing continued as scheduled. The catastrophic leg injuries that led to two horses being euthanized Saturday brought the total of...