Longtime NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes will retire at the end of the Saratoga meet in September 2025, the organization announced Friday.
“The New York Racing Association is proud to recognize and celebrate the career of Andrew Byrnes,” said NYRA's Senior Vice President of Racing and Operations Andrew Offerman. “Andrew has invested much of his career working to showcase the best racing in North America at NYRA's racetracks. The consummate professional, we appreciate Andrew's willingness to provide advance notice of his retirement and his desire to ensure his replacement is set up for the future success of NYRA at the new Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.”
Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time Belmont Stakes-winning trainer, offered his appreciation for the retiring stakes coordinator.
“Over the past 25 years or so, Andrew was the person at NYRA that I could speak to for an update on which stakes were coming up, and he made the whole process easy. I always enjoyed talking to him and it was always very productive,” said Lukas. “It will be very difficult to fill the position of a man that was that dedicated and knowledgeable. I hope that he enjoys his retirement because he was certainly a tremendous asset to NYRA.”
Byrnes has enjoyed numerous roles at NYRA through the years, including in the mailroom, in horse identification and as an entry clerk in the racing office. Byrnes spent eight years as a paddock and patrol judge before landing his dream role as stakes coordinator one week before the start of the 1999 Saratoga meet.
“Racing has given me my entire life,” said Byrnes. “I'm a kid that grew up a couple miles away from here. I had no connections to anybody in racing. I grew up a racing fan and here I am years later putting together the Travers, Met Mile, Belmont Stakes–to this day, looking back, I still can't believe I've had a hand in the success of these last 30-plus years. I feel blessed, and I have nothing but positive things to say about NYRA and how they've treated me all these years. I've worked with so many good people and it's been quite a journey, but there comes a time when the journey ends. I'm looking forward to the next chapter. It's been quite a run.”
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