NYRA starter

Frank Calvarese, who held the position of head starter at the NYRA tracks from 1984 through 1993, passed away Thursday at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was 96. He died of heart failure. "He was a great horseman and a great man," said his wife, Lisa. "He was ill for about a month, but during the last year he had been on the decline. But he looked so young. He looked great. He still had his black hair and he grew a goatee. He even looked great...

On Thursday in Palm Beach, Bob Duncan was honored with a Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence acknowledging his contribution to the sport of horse racing through his work at the starting gate. I loudly applaud the NTRA, DRF and National Turf Writers & Broadcasters for recognizing Bob's unique talent and gift to racing with this award. I applaud Bob himself for his approach to his craft and the shining example he has set in handling horses with respect as partners in winning races. Bob and his craft are known...

Attorneys for former New York Racing Association head starter Hector Soler have filed suit against NYRA in the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, alleging discrimination, retaliation in the workplace, and misclassification as an employee exempt from earning overtime. The suit was filed Tuesday by attorneys Nadia Prevez, Aneeba Rehman, and Andrew Mollica, and seeks compensatory damages, back pay, and punitive damages. Soler worked at NYRA for 25 years, starting as a part-time assistant starter and working his way up to the role of head starter in...