New York Race Track Chaplaincy

Kim Weir, the Director of Strategic Growth for Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga, and an active volunteer with the Chaplaincy, has been named the inaugural Nancy Kelly Volunteer Award winner, according to a New York Race Track Chaplaincy release Sunday. The award will be presented annually to a person or people for outstanding volunteer efforts in support of the organization. Weir will be honored at a luncheon at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY on Nov. 11. The master of ceremonies will be longtime...

The 16th annual jockeys-versus-horsemen charity basketball game, which benefits the programs of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, as well as the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, will be played Aug. 6 at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center beginning at 7 p.m. The jockey team will once again be coached by Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr. Assisting him on the sidelines this year will be Taaj Ridley, the head of player development and assistant coach for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. The horsemen's team will be...

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez and his wife Leona will be honored with the newly renamed John Hendrickson and Marylou Whitney Award by the New York Race Track Chaplaincy (NYRTC). The award recognizes the couple for their longstanding support of the New York backstretch community and will be presented at NYRTC's 18th Annual Fundraising Brunch to be held Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at Saratoga National Golf Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. "Johnny and Leona have demonstrated a deep commitment to the backstretch community and they continue to set...

Michelle Cuozzo Borisenok, who was named to the board of directors of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy in December, has been elected vice president of the organization, filling the vacancy left by the late Nancy C. Kelly, who passed away in February. The announcement was made by Terry Finley, the chairman of the chaplaincy. "Michelle is always looking for ways to improve the quality of life for members of the backstretch community and we know she will do a great job in this new role," said Finley. A Thoroughbred...

Edited Press Release Len Green is well known in racing circles for D.J. Stable's success at the New York Racing Association tracks, but on Wednesday he was publicly recognized for his longstanding commitment to the backstretch community when he received the Marylou Whitney Award from the New York Race Track Chaplaincy at the organization's 17th annual fund-raising brunch at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, NY. On hand to assist with the award presentation was Marylou's Whitney's granddaughter, Margaret Schlachter. "My late wife Lois and I have always...

The 15th annual jockeys-versus-horsemen charity basketball game, which benefits the programs of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, this year in partnership with the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, will be played Aug. 1 at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center beginnning at 7 p.m. The jockey team will once again be coached by Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr., with trainer Todd Pletcher and agent Kiaran McLaughlin coaching the horsemen team. Mitch Levites of the NYRA TV department will once again serve as the game's announcer. "This annual game is...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy is seeking donations for their Summer Enrichment Program in Saratoga, which keeps families together when workers have to travel from Belmont Park to Saratoga for the summer, and provides children with a summer experience they may have never had before, away from the city and the track. The Chaplaincy has been providing the program for over a decade. "Of all the services offered by the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, the summer enrichment program may be the most important one," said Chaplain Humerto Chavez,...

Len Green will be honored with the New York Race Track Chaplaincy's Marylou Whitney Award for his ongoing humanitarian support of the New York backstretch community. Green will be presented the award at the group's 17th annual Fundraising Brunch to be held Aug. 14 at Saratoga National Golf Course in Saratoga Springs. "Len and his late wife Lois have silently, although generously, supported an increasing number of NY Chaplaincy vital initiatives and events over the course of the past several years," said Ramon Dominguez, president of the board of the...

Len Green will be honored by the New York Race Track Chaplaincy with the Marylou Whitney Award at its Annual Fundraising Brunch Aug. 14, the organization announced Thursday. Founder of The Green Group, a CPA firm specializing in the Thoroughbred industry, Green also works with son Jon who manages D.J. Stables, the owners of Eclipse winners Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) and Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief). "Len and his late wife Lois have silently, although generously, supported an increasing number of NY Chaplaincy vital initiatives and events over the course of the...

Michelle Cuozzo Borisenok, a longtime Thoroughbred owner, entrepreneur and philanthropist in the Capital region, and Najja Thompson, the executive director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., have been named to the Board of Directors of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, the organization said in a release Friday morning. "Michelle and Najja both have a deep appreciation for the mission of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy and they are widely admired throughout the Thoroughbred industry," said Ramón Dominguez, the President of the NYRTC. "We are honored to have...

Of all the events, activities, programs, and services that the New York Race Track Chaplaincy provides to the backstretch communities at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course, the Christmas Sponsor-A-Family program closes out the year in a very special way that touches the hearts of donors and families alike. Months of preparation culminate with the distribution of food, clothing, toys, and gifts for approximately 250 families just before Christmas each year. (This year, the distribution will take place at the new Chaplaincy Center at Belmont Park on Tuesday, December...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy and its team of volunteers distributed backpacks and school supplies to the children of Saratoga backstretch workers on Thursday, Aug.31, the organization said in a release early Friday. The children received the supplies requested by their teachers in their personalized backpacks along with a brand-new pair of sneakers and a first day of school haircut. Supporters of the program include Saratoga's leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr., who helped to distribute the supplies. "The backstretch workers make what I do possible," Ortiz said. "Whether you...