NYRA

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will raise funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer research at Saratoga this coming Saturday, July 23. The first race will be named in honor of trainer Dominic Galluscio, while farrier Ray Amato, Jr. will also be remembered. Both passed away from pancreatic cancer. An autograph session with leading trainers, to be held at 11:30 a.m., will benefit the Lustgarten Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission of advancing scientific and medical research related to pancreatic cancer. For more information, visit NYRA.com.

With the first week of the 2022 Saratoga meet in the books, NYRA and Fox Sports TV analyst Andy Serling joined the TDN Writers' Room Tuesday as the to talk about how Saratoga somehow continues to exceed its sky-high expectations.

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. New York Track: N/A Date: 07/18/2022 Licensee: Juan Vazquez, trainer Penalty: Suspension Violation: Reciprocity of suspension for "grossly negligent, cruel and abusive" behavior. Explainer: Trainer Juan Carlos Vazquez is prohibited from participating in any New York State horse racing activity as his...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. released figures for the recently concluded Belmont Park spring/summer meet which generated $13,437,509 in average daily handle. With this year's 2% increase over 2021, average daily handle at the Belmont Park spring/summer meet has risen 23.1% since 2019. On-track handle for the 2022 spring/summer meet totaled $57,531,001, an increase of 16.6% over the 2021 figure of $49,343,664. All-sources handle for the 44-day spring/summer meet totaled $591,250,409, compared to $632,208,251 in 2021 when the meet was contested over 48 days. The June 11 Belmont Stakes...

Just like riding a bicycle. Starting his first horses since serving a 90-day suspension issued by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, trainer Bob Baffert won the two races in which he had entered horses on the Saturday card at Los Alamitos. Baffert's victories included a win by High Connection (Connect) in the Los Alamitos Derby. It was Baffert's sixth straight win in the race that used to be known as the Swaps S. and his 12th overall in the mile-and-an-eighth contest. Baffert had last started horses on Apr. 2. Afterward,...

If this is seeing the future, then maybe it really will work. Among all these tiny, straggling groups negotiating the arid wastes of the dirt stakes program, we finally reach a true oasis in the GI Caesars Belmont Derby Inv.

Wielding great might in Europe, the Aidan O'Brien arsenal has also proven one to be respected in many of the nation's top turf contests. That influence will once again be in evidence this weekend with the appearance of Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Concert Hall (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who arrived in New York Wednesday and are slated to contest Saturday's 10-furlong first legs of NYRA's Caesars Turf Triple series. The former, bred and co-owned by Peter Brant with Coolmore partners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg,...

The New York Racing Association and trainer Marcus Vitali have reached a settlement regarding NYRA's effort to exclude the trainer from participating at its three tracks. According to NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna, the agreement requires that the terms of the settlement remain confidential. The TDN reached out to both Vitali's attorney Brad Bielly Friday in an attempt to gather more information. By mid-afternoon, he had not responded. Vitali told the TDN that he was not aware of the terms of the deal. In September, NYRA announced that it would begin...

The New York Racing Association will welcome several sports and television celebrities to Saratoga Race Course to meet with fans during the brand-new "Stars at the Spa" entertainment series set to debut during the 2022 summer meet. The stars scheduled to visit historic Saratoga include: former New York Knicks power forward Charles Oakley Sunday, July 24; "Real Housewives of New Jersey" TV personality Teresa Giudice Sunday, July 31; and former New York Yankees All-Star and World Series champion Bernie Williams Sunday, Sept. 4. The "Stars at the Spa" series, presented...

The Caesars Turf Triple, the New York Racing Association (NYRA)'s series for 3-year-olds on the grass, will kick off July 9 at Belmont Park and may include a major European contingent. NYRA released the invitees Saturday for both the GI Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational, worth $1 million, and the $700,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational. Both the male and female divisions begin at the distance of 1 1/4 miles. Of the six races in the series--three each for colts and fillies--four were won last year by European-based trainers. Aidan O'Brien, who...

Significant increases of more than $1.6 million to the purse schedule for the 2022 summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course were announced Friday by the New York Racing Association, Inc. The meet begins Thursday, July 14 and continues through Monday, Sept. 5. The condition book for the Saratoga summer meet is now available online at nyra.com/Saratoga. "We're pleased to be able to offer these purse increases across the middle core of our racing program," said Frank Gabriel, Jr., NYRA's Senior Vice President of Racing Operations. "We look forward to...

Two key pieces of equine protection legislation advanced out of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Consumer Protection June 24, most notably the Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, H.R. 3355, which would permanently ban the transport of horses bound for slaughter. The measure was endorsed by more than 225 equine-related businesses, groups, and organizations, as well as a wide array of stake holders which included The Jockey Club; The Breeders' Cup; Water, Hay, Oats Alliance (WHOA); and the New York Racing Association (NYRA). Advancing alongside...