New York State Gaming Commission

The New York State Gaming Commission has named seven individuals to form an advisory board to assist in directing contributions from New York's Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeding funds to responsible racehorse aftercare organizations. The newly named board members are: Joseph Battaglia, Lois Engel, Bill Ketzer, Robin Malatino, Lisa Malloy, Liz O'Connell, and Rick Schosberg. "These dedicated individuals recognize the importance of making sure racehorses have viable options after they leave the track," said gaming commission chairman Brian O'Dwyer. "Their collective expertise will undoubtedly help the cause, and I thank each...

When veteran New York trainer Gary Contessa ran a horse named Answer the Call (Dialed In) in a Sept. 25 claiming race at Delaware Park, he had no idea that he had violated a rule. He claimed the horse out of an Aug. 4 race at Saratoga and believed the filly was allowed to run outside of New York because more than 30 days had transpired since the claim. Little did he know that only a few days earlier, the rule was changed so that a claimed horse had to...

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) and Steve Asmussen have entered into a negotiated agreement that will "adjourn" twice-postponed hearings that were supposed to have examined the Hall-of-Fame conditioner's fitness for owner and trainer licensure after the NYSGC raised concerns regarding Asmussen's pay practices involving backstretch workers. In exchange for the hearing being taken off the NYSGC's docket, the agency explained in a Nov. 12 press release, Asmussen must engage and pay for an independent monitor approved by the NYSGC who will provide quarterly written reports to the NYSGC...

New York State Gaming Commission will launch an advisory board to assist directing contributions from New York's Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeding funds to responsible racehorse aftercare organizations, the organization announced in a press release Tuesday. Thoroughbred and Standardbred owners and breeders, and animal protection organizations specializing in horse aftercare and rescue are eligible to serve on the panel on a volunteer basis. "We are seeking responsible and dedicated horseracing industry participants and animal welfare organizations to work together to drive resources to equine aftercare organizations," said Chair Brian O'Dwyer. "This...

A unanimous voice vote Monday by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) restructured some of the time frames related to Thoroughbred claiming rules in the state. The measures had been developed in consultation with the managements of New York's Thoroughbred racetracks and horsemen's organizations in the state. The overall slate of changes had been in the works since last August, and the package was originally scheduled to be voted upon last month. But during the May 20 meeting, commissioner John Crotty raised concerns about whether it was in the...

For what appears to have been nothing more than a minor clerical error, the New York Gaming Commission and its head steward Braulio Baeza, Jr. has fined NYRA Racing Secretary Keith Doleshel $2,000 for "failing to conduct business in a professional manner." Doleshel has appealed the decision and has the backing of NYRA management. Under Baeza, the Gaming Commission has been quick to fine NYRA employees for what can be argued are nothing more than honest and inadvertent mistakes. Among those who have been sanctioned with fines are clocker Richard...

Following the successful debut of its North Warning Distance Claiming series in 2023, Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack has added three more claiming series to its 2024 meet which opens Apr. 29. Pending approval from the New York State Gaming Commission, the track's racing secretary Jerry Richards will add an additional distance series for fillies and mares and two sprint claiming series. All three series are named after some of the winningest horses to ever compete at Finger Lakes. The Unhinged Iron Distance Claiming Series is the female version of...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) have placed Barn 15 at Belmont Park under a precautionary quarantine until further notice due to a potential case of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) in that barn. Cute Curls (Tapiture), an unraced 3-year-old filly trained by Danny Gargan, exhibited acute neurological symptoms on Saturday and was subsequently euthanized. As of Saturday afternoon, no additional horses in Barn 15 have presented symptoms. Samples are in-route to Cornell University for analysis with results expected within 48 hours. Barn...

The New York Gaming Commission issued a statement Friday regarding the controversial disqualification of Brick Ambush (Laoban) in the Dec. 16 Great White Way S. at Aqueduct that was meant to bolster the argument that the stewards made the right call, but it included a photo that could be construed as doing the exact opposite. The TDN and other news outlets received an email from New York Gaming Commission Director of Communications Brad Maione that included six screen shots from the race taken at the point where there was contact...

The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association has done it again, announcing Saturday that it has reduced the number of graded stakes races that will be run in the U.S. in 2024, while also downgrading 30 races. To most, this is a welcome development. With the foal crop continually declining, there should be fewer graded stakes races and fewer Grade I's. Many believe that the committee has not gone far enough. Yet, the announcement, as it always seems to do, did not come without a...

New York State Equine Medical Director Dr. Scott Palmer has described Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan as a "fantastic diagnostic tool" and that "it can play a very important role" in helping to identify and pinpoint subtle musculoskeletal injuries in horses, but that the scan is not the best initial screening tool in singling out horses at risk for catastrophic injuries. Palmer addressed the issue during an equine health and safety briefing held at Tuesday's meeting of the New York State Gaming Commission and also offered some preliminary findings  on...

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...