NYRA

The New York Racing Association updated COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys competing at the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet which runs through Sunday, Mar. 28. As of Mar. 1, out of town riders not established in the NYRA colony may ride at Aqueduct upon completion of two negative COVID-19 PCR tests within five days of race day. Incoming riders will be provided isolated jockey quarters. All COVID-19 testing must be performed in New York state. Prior to Mar. 1, Aqueduct Racetrack was closed to riders that were not considered...

James (Jimmy) Tsitsiragos, a longtime assistant starter at the New York Racing Association, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 16 at the age of 71. Born Aug. 6, 1949 in Leonia, New Jersey, Tsitsiragos graduated from Leonia High School in 1967 where he was a beloved football legend nicknamed by his classmates as "Zorba the Greek." He then attended Texas A&M University as a walk-on for the football team and quickly earned a full scholarship under Head Coach Gene Stallings. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1972, he...

NYRA's Turf Triple series for fillies will be incentivized by a pair of lucrative bonus opportunities at the upcoming Belmont Park and Saratoga meets. The Turf Triple series for fillies kicks off July 10 at Belmont with the $700,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. The series continues with the $700,000 GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational Aug. 8 and is completed by the Jockey Club Oaks at the Belmont fall meet. The "New York Stakes Turf Bonus" will provide $315,000 to the owner and $35,000 to the trainer of any previous winner...

The New York Racing Association unveiled the stakes schedule for the Saratoga meet, which will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses, including the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and GI Flower Bowl S., both of which were previously run at Belmont. Both races will be run Sept. 4 and, to accommodate this change, the GI Woodward S. and GIII Fasig-Tipton Waya S. will be moved to the Belmont fall meet. The Jockey Club Gold Cup will be worth a $1 million for the first time since 2016,...

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced Saturday that it will once again offer "Ship and Win" incentives for horses coming from Fair Hill Training Center or Oaklawn Park to race at Aqueduct or Belmont. Owners of horses stabled at Fair Hill, in Elkton, Maryland who register an official start during the Aqueduct spring meet (Apr. 1 through Apr. 18), or during the Belmont spring/summer meet (Apr. 22 through July 11), will be credited with an $800 shipping stipend, excluding stakes races. First-time starters must have their three prior works...

The stakes schedule for the 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet will feature 59 total stakes races worth $16.95 million in purses. The spring/summer meet will begin Thursday, Apr. 22 and continue through Sunday, July 11. On Feb. 10, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that live sports and entertainment venues will be permitted to re-open to a limited number of spectators beginning Feb. 23. In order for qualifying venues to re-open, those sites must gain New York State Department of Health approval and limit the number of spectators to...

The Week in Review by Bill Finley It's not often in this sport that John Q. Horseplayer gets a break, but that's exactly what happened last week when it was revealed that NYRA was no longer accepting bets from the so-called computer-assisted wagering (CAW) players on its Empire Six wager. The Empire Six wager joined the Cross Country Pick 5 and the late Pick 5 as NYRA wagers that are no longer available to the CAW players. The computer players use algorithms that predict the probability of a particular outcome....

Jockey Katie Davis has alleged that the NYRA racing office has been telling trainers not to ride her because of a New York State Gaming Commission rule that requires that horses running in the same race ridden by a husband and a wife must be coupled. Davis recently married Trevor McCarthy and both are riding at Aqueduct this winter. The comments were originally made on Twitter Friday and were repeated to the TDN the following day. Because of the rule, any time McCarthy and Davis compete in the same race...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. has moved the entirety of Sunday's live racing program at Aqueduct Racetrack to Monday due a winter storm slated to impact the New York metropolitan area throughout the day on Sunday. The National Weather Service (NWS), which aligns with NYRA's independent weather services, is calling for heavy snow with accumulation of five to nine inches as well as wind chill values between 20 and 25 for the downstate New York region on Sunday. As a result, NYRA has moved Sunday's eight-race card to Monday...

Members of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition Steering Committee voted unanimously to adopt four new medical and operational reforms to further reduce the use of medication in racing, enhance consistency across racing jurisdictions and promote transparency, according to a press release from the organization Monday. The Thoroughbred Safety Coalition is an industry-led effort to advance safety measures in Thoroughbred racing. "These new reforms set the stage for another productive year of advancing meaningful changes to strengthen the culture of safety in thoroughbred racing," said the release. The following recommended reforms have...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. announced the schedule for the 2021 Handicapping Challenge series, anchored by the two-day Belmont Stakes Challenge, scheduled for June 4-5. Register for the online contest is available via NYRA Bets. The leaderboard for all of these contests will be posted throughout the day on America's Day at the Races, the national telecast produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports. In order to enter and play online, contestants must be registered NYRA Bets account holders. To learn more, visit www.NYRA.com/challenge. Entrants for the two-day...

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) released its 2021 racing calendar. A total of 202 days of live racing are scheduled to be held at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. Aqueduct's winter meet will continue through Sunday, Mar. 28 and be followed by an 11-day spring meet starting Apr. 1 and concluding Apr. 18 (click for winter and spring Aqueduct stakes schedule). Racing then shifts to Belmont for a 48-day spring/summer meet starting Apr. 22 and ending July 11, highlighted by the 153rd running of the GI...