backstretch workers

A raft of changes to the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program woven into the recently introduced Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act could open up the visa to the immigrant backstretch workforce. Designed specifically for agricultural workers, the H-2A program has for a long time effectively excluded equine backstretch workers from participation as it is designed for non-immigrant ag' workers who perform seasonal or temporary jobs. "For decades, that has been strictly defined in regulations to mean the length of the job contract is limited to 10 months and the underlying job...

The New York Backstretch Employees Pension Trust has a bit of a "well-kept secret" shroud to it. Even longtime Thoroughbred owners who compete on the New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit are sometimes unaware that a pension fund exists for the backstretch workers, and that 2% of the purses at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course are invested toward the retirements of the people who provide daily, hands-on care for horses. Despite the under-the-radar nature of the fund, those who oversee it are continually trying to make sure...

The show "BACKSIDE: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing" begins at the breakfast table as a quiet middle-aged Hispanic man is slowly eating his breakfast. Then the camera pans to his clock. It reads 1:56. The message is clear: even at this hour, this is a man who has to be somewhere. He must be dedicated to his job, no matter how difficult it may be. That message resonates throughout the documentary, which debuted Monday and is part of PBS's Infinite Lens Series. For the next hour or so, the...

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) has received a generous grant from an anonymous donor to provide backpacks and school supplies for children of backstretch workers across the country, the non-profit said in a Thursday release. With more than 2,500 backpacks filled with essential school supplies, TCA plans to distribute the gift to 33 racetrack chaplaincies. Those organizations will deliver them directly to families over the summer so that kids can be ready for the school year. Click here to learn more.

It's a piece of legislation not introduced yet, but that didn't stop two industry leaders from discussing at last week's racing symposium in Arizona a proposed immigration change that could alter the way the sport's workforce seeks employment here legally. At the symposium, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) CEO Lisa Lazarus reportedly discussed a plan to expand P Visas to include equine workers with a built-in funding mechanism for the organization, according to BloodHorse. Currently, the backstretch workforce falls under the umbrella of the Fair Labor Standards Act, limiting...

The Jockey Club of Canada plans to offer a new Outstanding Western Canadian Backstretch Worker Award which will be presented for the first time at the upcoming 51st annual Sovereign Awards ceremony, the organization said in a release on Friday. The new award will go along with the Outstanding Groom Award, which has been given in the past to a stablehand working in Ontario. The Backstretch Worker Award is open to those who hold a valid Thoroughbred license in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and/or Manitoba. Click here to...

The Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) is once again rolling out its Annual Holiday Shopping Day on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Anna House located in Belmont Park, the organization said in a press release on Friday. Each year, more than 500 children from New York's Thoroughbred backstretch community experience a day filled with wonder and joy as they "shop" for gifts for their loved ones. Every item is brand new and no money is exchanged. The event is entirely free for families, which is made possible through donors, sponsors...

Backside, an observational documentary that honors the primarily immigrant workforce that helps sustain the horse racing industry, will be screened at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville. Filmed over five years by an all-LatinX team, Backside 'offers an intimate look at the lives of workers who begin their days before dawn, seven days a week, caring for some of the world's most prized racehorses' in the barns behind Churchill Downs—known as the "backside." According to a release, the documentary 'goes beyond the pageantry of the [Kentucky] Derby to reveal the...

John and Leona Velazquez were publicly recognized for their longstanding commitment to the backstretch community at Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct on Wednesday when they received the Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson Award from the New York Race Track Chaplaincy at the 18th annual fundraising brunch at the Saratoga National Golf Club, the non-profit said in a press release on Wednesday afternoon. On hand to assist with the award presentation was Marylou's Whitney's daughter, Heather Mabee. The brunch set a new record for fundraising. "Anyone who has spent much time around...

LOUISVILLE, KY-- Two months ago, trainer Dale Romans and California Horse Racing Board vice chairman Oscar Gonzales traveled to Washington, D.C. with the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) to join more than 150 business leaders in a push for bipartisan immigration reform. On Thursday, May 1 after training hours concluded at Churchill Downs, the pair participated in a media briefing to share their insights from the trip and explain why the group believes that now is the time to reform U.S. laws and regulations affecting legal immigrant workers. Around 20...

News this week out of the Maryland state legislature has mainly concerned lawmakers moving oversight of the rebuilding of Pimlico Racecourse (among other industry operations) from the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) to the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Maryland Economic Development Corporation. What garnered far less coverage was the successful passage of another bill that designates $250,000 annually for the next two fiscal years towards needed services for the backstretch staff living and working at Laurel Park. "I think this is unique," said Mary Kay Vavasour, who volunteers...

by Bill Finley and Dan Ross Throughout his campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to crack down on illegal immigrants, a promise he has kept during the first few weeks of his new administration. That has created much uncertainly on the backstretches of the nation's racetracks and at the horse farms spread across the country, both of which rely heavily on foreign labor. Should the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) set its sights on racing and start deporting backstretch employees that would mean a major crisis for a sport. A former...