New York Racing Association

Following months of heavy rain, the New York Racing Association will reduce the number of turf races offered at the Aqueduct Fall Meet. A total of 13 races will be moved to the main track from Nov. 9 through 19, which covers the final eight days of the current condition book. There will be a reduction of two turf races (races four and nine) on the 9th, three on the 10th (two, three and five), one on the 11th (race four) and 12th (race nine), three on the 16th (one,...

Jockey Manny Franco earned the 2,000th victory of his career Sunday at Aqueduct when guiding the Chad Brown-trained Spirit of St Louis to a half-length score in the day's second race. "I feel great," Franco, who also won the day's opener, said. "I had that on me the whole week, so I'm glad to do it early. I'm a little calm now and happy to do it. I just let him do what he wanted to do because I know the pace wasn't fast in front. I just kept my...

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...

The New York Racing Association will partner with the Ed Brown Society to fund the non-profit's expansion into New York State and create opportunities for young people of color to establish careers in Thoroughbred racing. Founded by Living The Dream Racing & Stables, a group of racing syndicates managed by Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels, the Ed Brown Society celebrates the rich history of African-Americans in the equine industry by identifying and supporting college students of color who have demonstrated the skills necessary to become successful professionals in a variety...

With a forecast calling for additional rain in the greater metropolitan New York area for Friday and Saturday, officials at the New York Racing Association elected not to card any turf races for Saturday's live racing program at Aqueduct. The featured Athenia S., a listed event for older fillies and mares at nine furlongs will instead take place next Friday, Oct. 27. There has been measurable rain in New York on each of the last seven Saturdays and according to information from NYRA spokesperson Patrick McKenna, a total of 16.68...

An Albany County Court Judge has dismissed a lawsuit from two New York taxpayers backed by PETA that attempted to block the State of New York from loaning NYRA $455 million that is earmarked for the construction of a new Belmont Park. The new Belmont Park is expected to open for the 2026 spring meet. The plaintiffs, Jannette Patterson and John Dileonardo, had argued that the New York State Constitution prohibited the state from giving or loaning state funds to any private corporation. The lawsuit, filed in June, was announced...

New York's Sugar Maple Farm, comprising 466 acres and located about one hour from Belmont Park and two hours from Saratoga, has been acquired by the New York Racing Association (NYRA). NYRA's Patrick McKenna released the following statement Wednesday afternoon: "NYRA, through a wholly owned subsidiary, has acquired a large parcel of land in Duchess County, N.Y. known as Sugar Maple Farm. The 466-acre property, which was previously utilized as a breeding farm, could be appropriate for a wide array of uses including as a new center for equine health...

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) on Tuesday fined trainer Linda Rice $100,000 in a re-adjudication of her "improper practices" case that has persisted at the commission level and in the New York courts for more than two years. In 2021, the NYSGC fined Rice $50,000 and revoked her license for three years after investigating claims that Rice received favorable treatment from the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and that the racing office was releasing to her the names and past performances of horses that had already been entered...

Aqueduct Racetrack's 31-day fall meet will feature 33 stakes--10 of them graded--worth $6.385 million. The stakes scheduled is once again headlined by the $500,000 GII Cigar Mile, which will be held Dec. 2. The Cigar Mile card also includes the $250,000 GII Remsen S. and $250,000 GII Demoiselle S., as well as the $200,000 GIII Go For Wand S. Graded stakes action during the meet also includes the $200,000 GIII Pebbles S.--previously run at Belmont's fall meet--and the $300,000 GII Red Smith S. on Nov. 11 and the $300,000 GIII...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Following a tradition that has been in place for several years, King's Tavern across the street from Saratoga Race Course was not open for business Monday, the final day of annual summer meet. Closed on closing day. On purpose. While it may be a sad afternoon for the 22,097 patrons on the grounds for the last card of 2023, the Fitch brothers, who operate King's and the City Tavern on Caroline Street, use closing day at the track to pause a bit on Labor Day and...

The Horseracing and Safety Integrity Authority has added two new safety precautions to be in place for the remainder of the Saratoga Race Course meet. HISA rule 2142(a) requires all horses running under the authority's jurisdiction to undergo post-entry screening between the time the entry is taken and the time the regulatory veterinarians perform their in-person physical inspections on race day. This function is generally carried out by local regulatory veterinarians, but going forward through the remainder of Saratoga's summer meet, a HISA veterinarian will perform these post-entry screenings to...

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...