Andrew Offerman

An online forum to discuss the benefits of winter racing in New York is scheduled to take place Tuesday, Aug. 18. The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) is hosting the webinar which features the New York Racing Association's Andrew Offerman and Rob MacLennan. To be discussed during the session are programs such as the Big Apple Bonus, the Empire Trillium Series and boosted purses for overnight races, as well as housing for assistant trainers. Also on the agenda are the extensive aftercare and benevolent programs available and tips on...

Edited Press Release from TAKE2 There are many second-career opportunities for retired racehorses. Some head to the breeding shed to produce the next generation of potential stars, some become show horses, some help humans through equine-assisted therapy programs--and some provide support to their fellow Thoroughbreds, accompanying them in training and to the starting gate in the essential role of racetrack pony. This year, New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day will honor the former racehorses who now serve as ponies. This sixth annual New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day will be held Friday,...

Globetrotting superstar Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) will target a title defense in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland, and will prep for that tilt via the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at the new Belmont Park, the connections announced via the Yahagi Stable X account. NYRA will celebrate a new era for the historic track starting Sept. 18 with a program anchored by the Gold Cup on its return from Saratoga, where it has been run since 2021. The 10-furlong contest is a 'Win and You're In'...

To accommodate ongoing construction within the grandstand and infield at Belmont Park, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has rolled out an abbreviated schedule for training on both the Tapeta and main track, the organization said via a press release on Friday. Beginning Monday, June 29, and in coordination with construction efforts, the Tapeta track will be open for light galloping and jogging on Mondays and Tuesdays from 5:30-7 a.m. Beginning Wednesday, July 1, the main track will be open for training Wednesday-Sunday from 5:30-8 a.m. Timed workouts will...

The Belmont Big Apple Bonus, a new initiative created to reward owner and trainer participation at the new Belmont Park, will kick off in September, according to the New York Racing Association, Inc. on Tuesday. Scheduled to launch with the opening of the fall meet on Sept. 18, the Big Apple Bonus will provide up to $8,500 in awards per horse shipping or relocating to Belmont Park from other racing jurisdictions. Owners and trainers currently based at NYRA are fully eligible for these bonuses, which complement the record overnight purses...

When the new Belmont Park opens on Sept. 18, NYRA will kick off an expanded fall meet that will run through Dec. 6 and include 72 stakes races worth $17.7 million in total purses, the racing association announced Thursday. Among the highlights will be the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, which has been moved back to the downstate track after being run in Saratoga from 2021 through 2025. With a purse of $1 million, it will be the feature race on the first day of racing at the new facility....

A new partnership has been announced between Chester Racecourse and The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), creating an international pathway from the Boodles May Festival to some of the most prestigious Graded races in America. Under the initiative, the winner of the G3 Ladbrokes Ormonde Stakes (Thursday, May 7) at Chester's May Festival will receive automatic entry and travel incentives to compete in the GII Belmont Gold Cup (Thursday, June 4), worth $250,000. The Belmont Gold Cup has been hosted at Saratoga Race Course since 2024 while the new...

The New York jockey colony refused to ride after Sunday's first race at Aqueduct because of a number of recent problems they have said they were having with NYRA management. The latest incident occurred around the time of the first race when the jockeys learned that NYRA Assistant Clerk of Scales Brian Pochman was told to leave work and go home after he balked at additional duties that NYRA had asked him to do. Pochman was not fired. "I have never seen such disrespect to a jockey colony and the...

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...

Pending relevant licensing, Scott Jordan will take over the post of head starter at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks beginning May 23, the organization announced Monday afternoon. With more than 20 years of experience in the position and a tenure at Churchill Downs which began in 2006, Jordan has also worked roles at Keeneland, Ellis Park, and Kentucky Downs. In addition to managing NYRA's team of assistant starters and starting gate operations at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga, he will also work with trainers and riders to aide...

Guests Andrew Offerman of NYRA, Cathy Shircliff of Churchill Downs, Del Mar's David Jerkens and 1/ST Racing's Jodie Vella-Gregory, joined the latest installment of the OwnerView webinar series Apr. 8 to discuss how they ensure owners take center stage in their operations, according to a Friday press release from The Jockey Club of America who serves as one of the hosts. The panel discussed a myriad of topics related to how to improve an owner's experience at the racetrack, and the group addressed the all-important issue of how to attract...

by Jim Reisler, Edited Press Release Courtesy of NYRA For Laurie Scott of the Great Strides Equestrian Foundation, the biggest impact of escorting a group of teenage students to Saratoga Race Course as part of the New York Racing Associations, Inc. (NYRA)'s Leg Up! program, didn't happen on the day of their visit. The impact came days later when Scott realized the students were still buzzing about the races and meeting people from across NYRA--and most of all, about the range of job opportunities in horse racing. "What really hit...