New York Thoroughbred Breeders

In the early 1980s your correspondent had the great fortune of having been a guest lecturer at a series of background seminars developed and hosted by Bradley Telias at the sometimes too precious New School in New York City's West Village. There were basically a couple of dozen people at each two-hour meeting, mostly people either wanting to get into Thoroughbred racing and breeding, or some who were already in the game but were eager to expand their knowledge. The first year's class included Vivien G. Malloy, who became a...

The New York Racing Association, New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders will host the second annual New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day at Saratoga Race Course July 21. The day will include a variety of events and demonstrations to highlight the work of the New York State aftercare community. The featured race will be the $125,000 Rick Violette, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for New York-bred sophomores named for the late trainer and NYTHA President who spearheaded the creation of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program...

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders' Inc. is partnering with Wanamaker's to provide a New York-bred horses of racing age sale in advance of the 2022 Saratoga meet. Horses will sell Wednesday, July 13, the day before the 40-day Saratoga meet begins. Entries for the sale will close July 5 and the catalogue will be released the following day. The NYTB partnered with Wanamaker's for its annual stallion season auction in January.

Years ago, a dear friend, Joe Spadaro, a veteran turf writer who coined the phrase "get with the program!", and I were at a bar one evening up on Jericho Turnpike after the races at beautiful Belmont Park. We were commiserating with the Eclipse Award-winning writer Paul Moran about racing. I was always a pretty opinionated guy (still am) and Joe could hear my tone of voice elevating to rebut something that Paul said. Joe turned to me and said "Tom, never get into it with somebody who buys ink...

The Take2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program is celebrating its 10th year with a "Give 110 Percent!" campaign to raise $10,000 a month for 10 months. The ultimate goal is to reach $100,000 in donations by the end of the year. To help kick start the initiative, racehorse owner and entrepreneur Len Green has donated $10,000 to the campaign. "I've been in the Thoroughbred industry for almost 50 years as the founder of both DJ Stable and The Green Group," Green explained. "I have witnessed firsthand the extraordinary work by TAKE2...

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) will honor the 2021 New York-Bred Divisional Champions Friday, Aug. 12 at Saratoga Race Course and Fasig-Tipton Co. in Saratoga Springs. The festivities start with "A Day at the Races" from 1-6:30 p.m. with a dining buffet in The Rail at the exclusive 1863 Club at Saratoga, which will host four New York-bred stakes, worth $500,000 in purses, on the day's card. The proceedings continue across Union Avenue from 7-8 p.m. with the 2021 New York-Bred Annual Awards Presentation and Cocktail Hour at...

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB), in partnership with Wanamaker's, has opened its annual stallion season auction. A total of 49 stallion seasons are available, ranging from Kentucky sires Candy Ride (Arg), Union Rags, and Honor Code to New York stallions War Dancer, Mission Impazible, and Honest Mischief. The seasons are no guarantee and non-refundable. A percentage of proceeds from seasons sold for stallions standing in Kentucky will be donated to the Foundation of Appalachian Kentucky for those impacted by recent tornadoes in the region. Live bidding began Tuesday and...

During the Turf Publicists of America award luncheon at the Global Symposium Tuesday, Dave Zenner and Tom LaMarra were re-elected as secretary-treasurer and vice-president, respectively, and Ryan Martin was elected as vice-president; his first time on the board. Dave Zenner is a freelance publicist, a racing official at Hawthorne, and was the stakes coordinator at Arlington Park. Tom LaMarra holds a diverse set of positions including Communications Director for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horseman's Association, and Coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships. NYRA's Ryan Martin is a racing communications specialist. The...

Prominent regional owner/breeders Patricia and the late Frank Generazio and the recently deceased Ellen Bongard will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in the New York-bred program, officials at the New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB) announced Monday. Former NYTB Executive Director Jeffrey Cannizzo will also receive a special award for his exemplary service to the organization. "On behalf of our Board of Directors, we are proud to honor each of these noteworthy individuals for their contributions and service to the New York racing and breeding industry," said NYTB President...

Thomas J. Gallo, III, founder and managing owner of Dream Maker Racing, Thomas J. Gallo III Sales Agency, LLC and owner of Blue Stone Farm, was reelected President of the Board of Directors of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) during a meeting Jan. 21. Mallory Mort, manager of Gallagher's Stud, was reelected as Vice President, while Edition Farm owner Vivien Malloy was again elected Secretary/Treasurer. All three NYTB board officers will serve two-year terms concurrent with their two-year tenure on the board. Board directors are: Scott Ahlschwede, D.V.M.,...

New York Thoroughbred Breeders has announced Executive Director Najja Thompson will be appointed, as the NYTB's representative, to the New York Racing Association Board of Directors and the New York Breeding and Development Fund Board of Directors, made effective at a Dec. 18 meeting of the Board. Thompson's appointment fills the vacancies created with the resignation of former Executive Director Jeffrey Cannizzo, who will join NYRA on Jan. 1 as Senior Director of Government Affairs. "I feel very fortunate to represent the interests of breeders in New York with this...

Officials at New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. have announced that Najja Thompson will be the organization's new executive director. He will begin in his new role Dec. 14. Thompson brings nine years of experience with the New York Racing Association to his new position, having served in various roles in the marketing and communications offices. Most recently, he worked as a recruitment and employee engagement specialist, where he was responsible for identifying and cultivating new talent and developing onboarding initiatives. Additionally, he serves as Vice-President of the Turf Publicists of...