Humberto Chavez

The 15th annual jockeys-versus-horsemen charity basketball game, which benefits the programs of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, this year in partnership with the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, will be played Aug. 1 at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center beginnning at 7 p.m. The jockey team will once again be coached by Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr., with trainer Todd Pletcher and agent Kiaran McLaughlin coaching the horsemen team. Mitch Levites of the NYRA TV department will once again serve as the game's announcer. "This annual game is...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy is seeking donations for their Summer Enrichment Program in Saratoga, which keeps families together when workers have to travel from Belmont Park to Saratoga for the summer, and provides children with a summer experience they may have never had before, away from the city and the track. The Chaplaincy has been providing the program for over a decade. "Of all the services offered by the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, the summer enrichment program may be the most important one," said Chaplain Humerto Chavez,...

Len Green will be honored with the New York Race Track Chaplaincy's Marylou Whitney Award for his ongoing humanitarian support of the New York backstretch community. Green will be presented the award at the group's 17th annual Fundraising Brunch to be held Aug. 14 at Saratoga National Golf Course in Saratoga Springs. "Len and his late wife Lois have silently, although generously, supported an increasing number of NY Chaplaincy vital initiatives and events over the course of the past several years," said Ramon Dominguez, president of the board of the...

Edited Press Release Nancy C. Kelly, who helped raise millions of dollars for equine research and for individuals in need throughout the Thoroughbred industry over the course of a 32-year career at The Jockey Club, died Feb. 9 in Garden City Park, NY. Kelly was 71 years old and had been battling ovarian cancer since February 2019, approximately one year after she retired. As the vice president of development for Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the executive director of The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, Kelly organized countless fund-raising events...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy and its team of volunteers distributed backpacks and school supplies to the children of Saratoga backstretch workers on Thursday, Aug.31, the organization said in a release early Friday. The children received the supplies requested by their teachers in their personalized backpacks along with a brand-new pair of sneakers and a first day of school haircut. Supporters of the program include Saratoga's leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr., who helped to distribute the supplies. "The backstretch workers make what I do possible," Ortiz said. "Whether you...

Liz Bishop, the longtime, award-winning television news anchor at the Albany CBS affiliate station (WRGB-TV) will once again serve as the master of ceremonies for the New York Race Track Chaplaincy's Annual Brunch on Aug. 16 to be held at the Saratoga National Golf Club, the organization said in a release Wednesday. "First of all, I'm really honored beyond words to emcee this event," she said. "When I walk into that big room and see all those people from all facets of the Thoroughbred racing world gathered together, I get...

The 13th annual jockeys-versus-horsemen charity basketball game, one of the most popular events on the Saratoga social calendar and which benefits the programs of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, will be played Thursday, Aug. 3 at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center at 6:30 p.m. The jockey team will once again be coached by Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr., with trainer Todd Pletcher and agent Kiaran McLaughlin coaching the horsemen team. Mitch Levites of the NYRA TV department will once again serve as the announcer and retired NBA...

Scott and Cindy Heider and their Heider Family Foundation have issued a $10,000 matching grant to raise money for the New York Race Track Chaplaincy's Summer Enrichment program, the focus of a TDN feature earlier this week. The Chaplaincy started the summer program 10 years ago to allow families to stay together when racing shifts to Saratoga, sending the children to local summer camp programs while the parents work. "The kids love it," Humberto Chavez, New York Chaplain for the Race Track Chaplaincy of America told the TDN last week....

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy, an organization devoted to serving the community of stable workers and their families who make Thoroughbred racing possible at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course, have announced that tickets and sponsorships for its 16th annual brunch in Saratoga Springs are now available. The brunch, scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. EDT, will once again be held at the Saratoga National Golf Club. Tickets and sponsorships can be obtained online by visiting www.rtcany.org. or by calling 516-216-5196. "This increasingly popular event...

The mission of the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy is to better the lives of the some 3,500 people who care for the horses at the NYRA racetracks, which, among other things, means finding an outlet in the summer for the children of the backstretch workers during the Saratoga meet. It's a huge need given the obstacles backstretch families encounter when it comes to how to care for their kids, but the Racetrack Chaplaincy has come up with an answer. Some 10 years ago, the group started the Saratoga Enrichment Program,...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy (NYRTC) will honor Tracy and Todd Pletcher for their generous and continued support of the New York backstretch community at its 16th Annual Fundraising Brunch, which will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 16 at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, New York. "This honor means the world to Tracy and to me," said Todd Pletcher. "Our record reflects a team effort and the members of the backstretch are key members of our team. The New York Chaplaincy does great work serving those...

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...