NYRA

An Albany County Court Judge has dismissed a lawsuit from two New York taxpayers backed by PETA that attempted to block the State of New York from loaning NYRA $455 million that is earmarked for the construction of a new Belmont Park. The new Belmont Park is expected to open for the 2026 spring meet. The plaintiffs, Jannette Patterson and John Dileonardo, had argued that the New York State Constitution prohibited the state from giving or loaning state funds to any private corporation. The lawsuit, filed in June, was announced...

Due to inclement weather forecast late Saturday and into Sunday, NYRA has moved Sunday's $125k Glen Cove S. to Thursday, Oct. 19 and also the GIII Knickerbocker S. to Friday, Oct. 20, the track said via a tweet Thursday afternoon. Both races open to original nominations and supplements with the Glen Cove to be drawn this Saturday and the Knickerbocker on Sunday. The GII Sands Point S. is still scheduled for early on the card this Saturday before the rain arrives. Due to inclement weather forecast late Saturday & into...

New York's Sugar Maple Farm, comprising 466 acres and located about one hour from Belmont Park and two hours from Saratoga, has been acquired by the New York Racing Association (NYRA). NYRA's Patrick McKenna released the following statement Wednesday afternoon: "NYRA, through a wholly owned subsidiary, has acquired a large parcel of land in Duchess County, N.Y. known as Sugar Maple Farm. The 466-acre property, which was previously utilized as a breeding farm, could be appropriate for a wide array of uses including as a new center for equine health...

With a nod to Chicago motorsport legend Jan Gabriel's famous call of Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!, the blockbuster weekend of horse racing isn't in the books just yet with 11 graded stakes scheduled. Out of those, three guarantee a starting spot in next month's 40th Breeders' Cup World Championships --'Win and You're In'. In Toronto, Woodbine Racetrack cards the GI E.P. Taylor S. A renewal of the celebrated 1 1/4 grass event, this year's edition includes Godolphin homebred and Dubai multiple group stakes winner With The Moonlight (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). The...

Upset last time out by one of the three rivals she raced Saturday, McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}) bounced back and turned the tables on Parnac (Zarak {Fr}) to give trainer Chad Brown his fifth straight win in the GIII Waya S. The beaten favorite at odds-on in Saratoga's GII Flower Bowl S. Sept. 2 as Parnac went gate-to-wire, McKulick looked to gain an edge on that rival with the addition of a speedy uncoupled stablemate breaking from the inside gate in Idea Generation (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Running over a bogged-down...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday and opened the doors to its new Chaplaincy Center at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY. The 3,500-foot multi-purpose building and chapel, designed by Frost Hurff Architects of Saratoga Springs, NY, is located just inside the Gate 6 entrance to Belmont Park on Hempstead Avenue in Elmont, NY. "The creation and the opening of this facility is something we have worked for and dreamt about for many years and it is absolutely thrilling to see it become a reality," said...

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) on Tuesday fined trainer Linda Rice $100,000 in a re-adjudication of her "improper practices" case that has persisted at the commission level and in the New York courts for more than two years. In 2021, the NYSGC fined Rice $50,000 and revoked her license for three years after investigating claims that Rice received favorable treatment from the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and that the racing office was releasing to her the names and past performances of horses that had already been entered...

The Supreme Court of New York will hear oral arguments Oct. 11 in a case involving two self-described "citizen taxpayers" who want the state's $455 million loan to renovate Belmont Park declared as "an illegal and unconstitutional expenditure, misappropriation, misapplication, or disbursement of State funds." During the oral arguments, the court will consider both the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction and a motion to dismiss the case made by the defendants, who are the New York Racing Association (NYRA), the State of New York, the New York State Assembly,...

In Yiddish, a mensch is a person who personifies integrity, morality, dignity and a sense of what is right and responsible. But mensch is more than just an old Yiddish adage, it is a word that best describes the managing partner of In Front Racing Stables, Howie Heiberger. Heiberger was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and that meant having Aqueduct as a beacon of fun and excitement just a few miles away. As a teenager in the late 70s, he and his friends would put forward the $1...

Officials at the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Jockeys' Guild have announced that members of the newly formed Jockey Mental Health Steering Committee and Advisory Council have been appointed. An inaugural meeting of the new groups will take place Tuesday, Oct. 3 at Columbia University in New York City. The Steering Committee, led by Ambassador Earle Mack, was created with a collective goal of driving research, programming, and resources towards jockey mental wellness initiatives. The steering committee members are as follows: Ambassador Earle Mack; Denali Stud's Craig...

Many of you may have seen that last week a bill was introduced in Congress to repeal the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, better known as HISA. I want to set the record straight as to what this legislation does or doesn't do, assure you that the bill isn't going anywhere in Congress, and stands no chance of becoming law. First things first-it's important to remember that any member of Congress can introduce a bill. They write the language, file the bill, and voila it's been introduced. Just in the...

Following New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) approval, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has moved the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic from Sunday to next Saturday, Oct. 7, at Aqueduct Racetrack. Friday's 11-race Aqueduct card was cancelled due to a powerful coastal storm causing widespread flooding and hazardous conditions throughout New York City and Long Island. In addition to Friday's cancellation, NYRA moved Saturday's 11-race card to Sunday and pushed Sunday's 10-race program to Wednesday. The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic will be re-drawn with entries to be taken...