NYTHA

Officially kicking off its fourth season, the Empire Racing Club (ERC) will offer a reduced membership price of $400 through the official re-launch date of May 1. Membership dues for both new and returning members will be $475 beginning May 2, 2022. Membership is open to both licensed and unlicensed enthusiasts looking to enjoy the social and educational benefits of the Club. The ERC will once again be managed by famed race-caller Tom Durkin. Training the current roster of runners for the 2022 season are Hall of Famer Mark Casse;...

Backed by a number of animal rights groups, two New York state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would end payments made to the state's racing and breeding industries from slot machine or video lottery terminal (VLT) revenue. According to a press release issued Wednesday by the animal rights group NYCLASS, the bill would cancel out the $230-million payment made annually to horse racing and breeding and will redirect the money to "help New York's taxpayers, schools, workers and other social programs." NYCLASS has led the effort to ban carriage...

Rob Masiello has been coming up to Saratoga since he was in the seventh grade. It all started when he went to "nerd camp" at Skidmore College one summer. He was miserable there, missing his usual summer vacation spent playing baseball with his friends. One day his parents came to visit and told him they would take him home if it was what he really wanted, but first they wanted to go to the track. "We had a great time and I ended up staying," Masiello recalled. "Then it sort...

The California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT), Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) have teamed up to provide a Continuing Education platform for Thoroughbred trainers and assistant trainers called Horsemen U, which offers approved online CE webinars and issues CE certificates after a course and a short quiz have been completed. Trainers and assistant trainers can register, free of charge, and maintain their CE records in their account at www.HorsemenU.com. Continuing education has been adopted as one of the core Best Practices developed by the stakeholders...

The upcoming 48-day spring/summer meeting at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, will offer the richest overnight purse structure in the history of the New York Racing Association, the organization said Thursday. Open-company maiden allowance races will feature purse money of $90,000, while first-, second- and third-level allowance races will be worth $92,000, $94,000 and $96,000, respectively. New York maiden special weight races will carry prize money of $75,000, while horses bred in the Empire State will benefit from an $85,000 purse for non-winners of two/ $45,000 claiming and an...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has joined with the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB) to highlight the economic impact created by Thoroughbred racing in New York. The first piece of this effort is a video released on Thursday. "Thoroughbred racing in New York state is responsible for 19,000 jobs and more than $3 billion in annual economic impact," said NYRA's Sr. Director of Communications, Patrick McKenna. "It is a sport that is deeply intertwined with our state's history, and a...

The New York Jockey Injury Compensation Fund (NYJICF) continues its high-deductible workers' compensation insurance plan in 2021 enabling New York's horsemen to better control their costs. "The NYJICF is building upon the incredible progress the New York racing community has made on workers' compensation in the past three years", NYJICF and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) President Joe Appelbaum said.     The NYJICF was able to secure a 15% premium reduction for 2020 to help offset the weeks of racing lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. Essentially, the program benefits remain...

TAKE2 announced the launch of the new TAKE2 Member Marketplace. TAKE2 Thoroughbred League Members can post horses or other equine-related items, including Thoroughbred Hunter or Jumper prospect, new or used saddles or bridles,  horse trailers or any other apparel, equipment or supplies, on the TAKE2 website (www.take2tbreds.com). The TAKE2 Member Marketplace will be open to the public, however, only League Members can post items for sale. For more information, email take2tbreds@gmail.com.

Congratulations to Dionne Johnson, one of three finalists in the Administration Award category of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), presented by Godolphin. Currently the business manager for New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), Johnson has been with the organization for 37 years. She is involved in multiple NYTHA committees, including the Scholarship Committee, which has donated over $1.6 million in scholarships to over 500 children of backside workers over the past decade. "She has quite literally been the backbone of [NYTHA] for more than a decade," said nominator Andy...

Congratulations to Maria Cristina Silva, winner of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA) Community Award, presented by Godolphin. Silva serves as the backstretch program coordinator for the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA). A native of Santiago, Chile, Silva first acted as an interpreter for the backside community at Belmont, but now also works to secure clothing, furniture, food, and more for backstretch workers and their families. She also puts together backpacks for children in need prior to school starting each fall. "No one has served the employees on the...

With impressive gains in handle and with the reopening of the casino at Aqueduct, NYRA will increase purses starting Oct. 18 and for the remainder of the Belmont meet. Like many tracks, NYRA was forced to make purse cuts due to COVID-19 related problems that reduced revenue sources. Rather than an across-the-board purse increase, NYRA will put more money into certain categories, in particular maiden races. The purse for an open maiden special weight race will go from $63,000 to $80,000. New York-bred maidens will see a purse increase from...

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) announced the candidates Thursday for its 2020 President and Board of Directors. The NYTHA Board is comprised of five Owner Directors, five Trainer/Trainer-Owner Directors and the President. Candidates are as follows: PRESIDENT: - Joe Appelbaum (incumbent) - Chad Summers OWNER/DIRECTOR: - Tina Marie Bond - Daniel Collins - Peter Dorsman - Jonathan Green - Jeanne A. Liddy - Robert Masiello - Edward J. Messina, Ph. D. - Aron S. Yagoda TRAINER/TRAINER-OWNER/DIRECTOR: - Leah Gyarmati - Patrick J. Kelly - John Kimmel, V.M.D. -...