New York Racing Association

Keeneland Sales, which will continue to be presenting sponsor of the GI Alabama Stakes at Saratoga Race Course this summer, will also be the presenting sponsor of this year's GI Del Mar Oaks. Both races for 3-year-old fillies will be held Aug. 17. "Keeneland is thrilled to once again collaborate with the New York Racing Association and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in sponsoring prestigious summer stakes," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. "Endorsements such as these allow us to celebrate Keeneland sales graduates from coast to coast...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-With the mighty successful prelim--the GI Belmont Stakes--now part of Saratoga's storied history, it is time to move on to the main event. The 40-day racing season, the 156th since the first meet was staged in 1863, commences Thursday with an 11-race program at Saratoga Race Course, America's oldest sporting venue. The listed six-furlong $175,000 Schuylerville S., a graded stakes for 2-year-old fillies through last year, is the traditional opening-day feature. The first post is at 1:10 p.m. By the time the meet concludes on Labor Day, Sept....

The fourth annual New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day, hosted by the New York Racing Association, New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and New York Thoroughbred Breeders will be held Aug. 15 at Saratoga Race Course. New York Aftercare Day showcases retired racehorses demonstrating the skills they've learned in second careers, and interviews with members of New York's aftercare community. The $125,000 Rick Violette Stakes, named for the late trainer and NYTHA President who spearheaded the creation of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program and TAKE THE LEAD Retirement Program, will anchor...

Tim Grande, the California Horse Racing Board's (CHRB) chief official veterinarian, remembers sitting among the first panel of experts charged with screening horses for elevated risk of injury even before they could be entered to race. "If an entry came across the racing office's desk, we had to give it approval before it could be accepted," said Grande, of the then new addition to the regulatory furniture mandated by the California Governor's office in the wake of the 2019 Santa Anita welfare crisis. "It wasn't particularly practical with just the...

The one-mile Tapeta track currently under construction at Belmont Park will become the exclusive winter racing surface on the New York Racing Association circuit when the Long Island facility reopens in 2026, NYRA announced Monday. The change will result in approximately three months of racing exclusively on an all-weather surface with the shift from dirt to the all-weather in the winter months expected to enhance equine safety and provide additional opportunities for the circuit's year-round horse population for the benefit of the state's Thoroughbred racing ecosystem. "At its core, our...

The New York Racing Association will be hosting a Belmont Stakes Watch Party just steps from the race's traditional home track on Long Island. The event will be held at Northwell Presents The Park at UBS Arena, a community space unveiled in December featuring two outdoor hockey rinks and a variety of amenities. Northwell Presents The Park at UBS Arena is located in the Belmont Park backyard adjacent to UBS Arena. The Belmont Stakes Watch Party will open at 1 p.m. and is free of charge, with complimentary parking available...

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...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will have a presence at Saratoga Racecourse during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the organization announced in a release Thursday. In addition, to highlight accredited aftercare, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has named a race on the undercard on Friday, June 7 in honor of TAA. A presentation will be made to the winning connections, including a TAA branded blanket and gift bag. "NYRA is pleased to welcome Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance for Belmont Week at Saratoga Racecourse, particularly during this historic year when the...

Juddmonte homebred Batten Down (Tapit), a full-brother to multiple graded winner Tacitus, worked five furlongs in company in 1:01.09 (1/4) over the Oklahoma training track in Saratoga Monday, but trainer Bill Mott is still considering whether the sophomore will line up for the June 8 GI Belmont S. Batten Down, with jockey Junior Alvarado up, went on the outside of stablemate Arthur's Ride (Tapit) as NYRA clockers caught them through splits of :12.54, :24.80, :36.99 and through five-eighths in 1:01.99 before galloping out in 1:14.19 and 1:28.94. The pair stayed...

Bidding opens Sunday, May 19 for Box B30, a second floor Saratoga Clubhouse finish line two-seater for the 2024 Belmont Stakes Festival, which is being auctioned off over the course of 10 days by The Jana Domino Foundation, the non-profit said in a Thursday press release. The box was donated by Lynwood 'Doc' O'Cain with the cooperation of the New York Racing Association. Proceeds from the auction will be used to fund the organization's work in supporting Thoroughbred aftercare, the PDJF and the children of backstretch workers. "Words cannot express...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, trainer Pavel Matejka has four separate pending cases issued against him for cannabidiol (CBD) positives. The four cases occurred between Feb. 17 and March 15. Under HISA, CBD is classified a Class B controlled substance, a first offense for which comes with a possible 15-day suspension and $1,000 fine. The massive proliferation in CBD products for humans has spilled over into the equine world....

Nominations are now open for the 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards. The nomination period concludes July 15. The awards, sponsored by Godolphin, in association with The Jockey Club, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, and the Breeders' Cup, offers cash prizes totaling $122,000 to be presented to winners and two finalists in a total of seven categories, as well as monetary awards going to two runners-up. The awards are the Dr. J. David "Doc" Richardson Community Award, Katherine McKee Administration Award, Dedication to...