Drew Mollica

   The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) on Monday denied a request by trainer Ken McPeek to bring clarity to the process of how and when Thoroughbreds coming out of a quarantine can be allowed to enter races.    Back on July 15, another trainer's horse in the barn McPeek shared at Saratoga Race Course tested positive for equine herpesvirus (EHV-1). State agriculture officials, the New York Racing Association, and the NYSGC then imposed a 21-day quarantine of the entire barn retroactive to July 11, which is a common...

by Andrew J. Mollica, Esq and Len Green, CPA What an industry! The recent, well-publicized ongoing legal sagas of both Ahmed Zayat and Ken Ramsey have brought issues surrounding owner-trainer financial relationships into clear focus. Yet, the truth is that no-pay or slow-paying owners probably have been a small, but existing part of racing since the game was invented. Despite its topical nature, the problem is not going away anytime soon, and the reason is simple: horse racing is a 21st-century industry that is based on an 18th-century business model....

According to a ruling released Wednesday, trainer Orlando Noda has been fined $5,000 by the New York stewards for "action detrimental to the best interest of racing." According to a report in the Daily Racing Form, which cited multiple sources, Noda was seen being overly aggressive with a horse during morning exercise recently in Saratoga. When reached by the TDN, Noda declined to comment and referred questions to his attorney, Drew Mollica. "The commission rendered a fine and the allegation is not clear to me yet," Mollica said. "I am...

When his barn at Saratoga was placed under quarantine due to an outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus, trainer Ken McPeek assumed his horses would be allowed to race starting Aug.1, the day the quarantine was due to be lifted. Instead, none of his entries for the Aug. 1, 4 and 5 cards were accepted because, McPeek was told, the horses were still under quarantine at the time entries were taken. While it is too late to get his horses entered into the upcoming cards in question, McPeek, through his attorney Drew...

The Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) has reversed a ruling issued in November and dropped all penalties that had been levied against trainer Anthony Pecoraro for alleged unauthorized use of a shockwave therapy machine. Pecoraro, who was originally suspended six months and fined $1,000, appealed the ruling and the matter was resolved Tuesday at a commission meeting. The penalties originally accessed to owner David Neilson were reduced with the commission voting to reduce his one-year suspension to 30 days. The case revolved around 5-year-old Glencairn, who suffered a catastrophic injury...

Trainers who run on the New York circuit tend to have the best horses in the country and compete for some of the highest purses in North America. But attorney Drew Mollica, whose expertise is equine law, said that investigations conducted by the New York Sate Department of Labor have put many New York horsemen in a precarious position. Mollica made his comments on this week's edition of the TDN Writers' Room podcast in a segment sponsored by The Green Group. Several prominent New York trainers have been hit with...

Drew Mollica started his career in racing as a jockey agent, but had an epiphany at the age of 47: he was miserable. While keeping his day job, Mollica enrolled in law school, and today, is the most popular and affable lawyer on the New York Racing circuit. Mollica joins Joe Bianca, Bill Finley, Brian DiDonato and Jon Green to talk about Ahmed Zayat and other legal issues in this edition of the Writers' Room. Listen to this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast here. 

Drew Mollica started his career in racing as a jockey agent, but had an epiphany at the age of 47: he was miserable. While keeping his day job, Mollica enrolled in law school, and today, is the most popular and affable lawyer on the New York Racing circuit. Mollica joins Joe Bianca, Bill Finley, Brian DiDonato and Jon Green to talk about Ahmed Zayat and other legal issues in this edition of the Writers' Room.