NYSGC

On the day that Thoroughbred drug testing nationwide got transferred to the control of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority, Robert Williams, the executive director for the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), disclosed during that board's monthly meeting that three outstanding Thoroughbred drug positives remain unadjudicated by the commission and are still lingering at various stages in the regulatory process. That disclosure is not only timely because of the HISA Authority's May 22 implementation of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control program. Monday's news of the three...

In response to comments from Forte's connections on a conference call last Thursday, May 11 accusing the New York State Gaming Commission of unprofessional handling of the Forte meloxicam overage in the Sept. 5, 2022 Hopeful Stakes, the commission's spokesman, Brad Maione, has issued a timeline of the eight months between the positive test and the stewards' hearing to discuss the results. At that hearing May 10, Forte was disqualified from the Hopeful Stakes win, Todd Pletcher was fined $1,000 and suspended for 10 days. The connections said they would...

Richard E. Dutrow, Jr., the 63-year-old GI Kentucky Derby-winning trainer whose long and controversial history of racing infractions culminated in a 10-year license revocation in New York for a period that concluded last month, on Monday was granted approval for a trainer's license by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC). The announcement was read into the record during the regularly scheduled Feb. 27 NYSGC meeting without any commentary by commissioners. "The former New York State Racing and Wagering Board revoked the Thoroughbred trainer's license of Richard E. Dutrow, Jr.,...

The notice began appearing on the overnight in early January. "By order of the stewards. Pursuant to NYSGC RULE 4033.8. Effective February 1st, only equipment specifically approved by the stewards shall be worn or carried by a jockey or a horse in a race. No equipment change (including shoes) will be allowed once the overnight is published." "There is no new rule," wrote Brad Maoine, Director of Communications for the New York State Gaming Commission in response to TDN's request for information about the new posting on the overnight. "The...

Richie Gazer, the longtime NYRA head clocker who is set to begin a 30-day suspension and pay a $2,500 fine for "altering a published work of a horse to make the horse eligible to race," has been denied a stay of his penalties by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) while he seeks to elevate the case to the state court level. Gazer's attorney, Karen Murphy, confirmed the NYSGC's denial to TDN on Friday afternoon, shortly after the commission emailed her the decision stating the stay would not be...

Keith Doleshel, fined $2,000 by the New York Gaming Commission for "failing to conduct business in a professional manner," will appeal that ruling before the commission, and has retained attorney Drew Mollica to represent him, according to Mollica. The ruling stemmed from an incident at Saratoga in which an unauthorized agent was allowed to claim a horse this past summer. The New York State rules of racing require that an individual be licensed with the Gaming Commission and registered with The Jockey Club. After the claim, NYRA officials informed the...

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) took a unanimous voice vote on Thursday to request an exemption from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority (HISA) that will allow the continued use of Lasix in races other than those for 2-year-olds and in stakes. Asking for the exemption also opts states into a three-year study that will be conducted by HISA that is designed to shape future federal Lasix policies, possibly as early as 2026. The vote itself was hardly a surprise. Not applying for the exemption would have...

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) on Monday unanimously voted to change the licensing procedure for jockey agents by removing the long-standing requirement for an applicant to have been previously licensed as an exercise rider, jockey, assistant trainer or trainer for at least one year. The change now allows the stewards to determine whether an applicant is qualified based on experience, background and knowledge. TDN first reported on this restrictive practice in 2020, describing the then-current version of the rule as "arbitrary, insular and protectionist, ensuring that the path...

Some 9 1/2 years after being handed a 10-year ban by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, the predecessor of the New York Gaming Commission, trainer Rick Dutrow could be only a few months removed from a return to the racetrack. His last starter came on Jan. 16, 2013 at Aqueduct, meaning that he may be allowed to resume training by mid-January of next year. "Ricky is doing quite well and he really is in a great frame of mind," said trainer Tony Dutrow, Dutrow's brother. "He's excited...

Without any public discussion among commissioners and in quick succession by unanimous voice vote, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) Monday enacted a new rule designed to keep jockeys from stalling via filing appeals to get out of serving riding suspensions during the lucrative Saratoga Race Course meet. In similarly brisk fashion, the NYSGC also set into motion Feb. 28 the advancement of a proposed regulation to lift controversial pari-mutuel restrictions related to married jockeys competing in the same race. This measure must come back for a final vote...

   The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) on Monday denied a request by trainer Ken McPeek to bring clarity to the process of how and when Thoroughbreds coming out of a quarantine can be allowed to enter races.    Back on July 15, another trainer's horse in the barn McPeek shared at Saratoga Race Course tested positive for equine herpesvirus (EHV-1). State agriculture officials, the New York Racing Association, and the NYSGC then imposed a 21-day quarantine of the entire barn retroactive to July 11, which is a common...

The claim and subsequent transfer of a horse within the prohibited 30-day time frame mandated by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) has resulted in a 30-day suspension and $2,000 fine for trainer Wayne Potts and a $2,000 fine without suspension for trainer Amira Chichakly. DRF.com's Dave Grening first reported the story Monday. His story quoted Potts as explaining that he had ownership clients wanting to claim a horse out of the second race at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 4, but that Potts told them he couldn't because he...