NYRA

Just One More (English Channel) ran for purse-money only in the 11th race at the Belmont Big A meet Saturday after there was a scratch discrepancy between the tote system and the Talking Horses broadcast, NYRA announced. Stewards were alerted to an issue while runners were in the paddock for the race. Earlier Saturday, Just One More appeared as scratched during a portion of the morning broadcast despite not having been scratched in the tote system at any point. The stewards determined the Horacio De Paz trainee would run for...

The latest twist in the legal odyssey involving Phil Serpe and the agencies that regulate racing at the federal level was made public late on Tuesday, when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an order staying the issuance of a $25,000 fine that had been imposed against the veteran Thoroughbred trainer barely one day earlier by an administrative law judge (ALJ). That ALJ, Jay Himes, had been assigned by the FTC itself to adjudicate Serpe's FTC-level appeal of banned-substance charges. In addition to re-imposing the fine that the Horseracing Integrity...

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 280 entries for its upcoming Saratoga Fall Mixed sale, the company announced Tuesday. The sale will run Tuesday, October 14 in Saratoga Springs, New York, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion. "Saratoga Fall is New York's breeding stock sale," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "There are nearly 230 weanlings catalogued, by top sires both nationally and within New York. There is also a quality group of broodmares in foal on attractive covers." The company noted that, beginning in 2026, New York-breds will race...

The administrative law judge (ALJ) handling Phil Serpe's appeal to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stemming from a two-year suspension imposed by a Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) arbitrator over a contested clenbuterol positive case has upheld the sanctions imposed against the veteran trainer. However, Jay Himes, the ALJ, also wrote in his Sept. 12 decision that he would "modify the award to add a $25,000 fine against Serpe," even though the ALJ also ruled that, "I hold without merit Serpe's argument that he is entitled to a jury...

It was another memorable meet at Saratoga, which ended its 2025 season Monday having generated paid attendance exceeding one million fans for the 10th straight year. However, that wasn't enough to avoid a small decrease in all-sources handle. The total handle at the meet was $791,129,471, off just a tick from 2024's handle of $803,806,984. Total on-track average daily handle was virtually even with 2024 figures, $19,778,237 versus $20,610,435. "Saratoga is special in many ways, but it is the enthusiastic support from fans and horseplayers that transforms this historic venue...

There are moments in every great industry where legacy is forged not in silence, but through bold, decisive action. As we approach the 2025 Keeneland September Sale, this is one of those moments. In last week's Thoroughbred Daily News, two pieces struck a deep and unsettling chord: the Thoroughbred Rescue Alliance's open letter titled "When Does a Thoroughbred Earn a Safe Retirement?" (Aug. 25), and Pat Cummings's "Aftercare Not Meeting The Need" (Aug. 28). As an industry of excellence, prestige, and tradition, these letters were hard to read--not because they're...

Black Silver (Slumber {GB}), who was pulled up after the running of the second race Saturday at Saratoga, was euthanized at Rood & Riddle, NYRA said. In a statement, NYRA said: "During the running of Race 2 today at Saratoga Race Course, the Fernando Abreu-trained Black Silver (No. 7) was pulled up during the gallop out with an injury to the left front. The horse was immediately attended to by on-track veterinarians, who stabilized the injury and transported Black Silver to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for further evaluation Radiographs...

The state of New York will implement penny breakage, a horseplayer-friendly measure that will result in all wagers placed on NYRA races being paid to the penny instead of the tiered breakage model that was previously in effect under New York Law, NYRA announced Thursday. The new breakage will be in effect for Saratoga's closing day. Beginning Monday, September 1, New York will join Washington and Kentucky as the only racing jurisdictions in the country to eliminate breakage on races hosted within their state. "This is a common-sense reform that...

The program "Students to the Starting Gate", an initiative tied to the donation of 500 backpacks containing essential school supplies to community-based organizations serving families in Queens, Nassau and Saratoga Counties, has been launched by the New York Racing Association, according to an organization release Monday. Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 26, NYRA staff and Saratoga's, Gallop, will visit Saratoga City Center at 5 p.m. to help distribute backpacks and school supplies to students at the 2025 Salvation Army Back to School Expo. Downstate, NYRA provided students in the Elmont Union Free...

John Velazquez, the winningest jockey in the history of Saratoga Race Course, will serve a three-day "careless riding" suspension this coming Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday stemming from the disqualification of his mount from a win in the sixth race there Aug. 17. Velazquez waived his right to an appeal, according to an Aug. 20 stewards' ruling posted on the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) website. The race in which Velazquez got disqualified was a $100,000 maiden special weight turf route for 2-year-olds. He was aboard first-timer Scope (Gun Runner),...

Trainer Phil Serpe, who has an appeal pending with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in an attempt to overturn a two-year suspension imposed in July by a Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) arbitrator over a contested clenbuterol positive case from last summer at Saratoga Race Course, is also seeking to renew his request for a preliminary injunction in a 10-month-old lawsuit against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the FTC. A key issue in Serpe's federal court filing is the fact that HIWU and HISA did not...

The New York Racing Association has rolled out its 2025 stakes schedules for the 32-day Belmont  At The Big A  fall meet (BAQ) and the 27-day fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack which sport a combined purse structure in excess of $15-million, according to a pair of press releases on Saturday from the organization. Due to the ongoing construction of the new Belmont Park, the BAQ fall meet will once again be conducted in Ozone Park and will run from Thursday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 2. The meet will offer a...