New York Race Track Chaplaincy

The Horse Racing Women's Summit (HRWS) community will 'Meet Up' in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, Aug. 3. The gathering at Saratoga Race Course will feature New York horsewomen and provide attendees with an opportunity to network during morning training hours and at the races. A breakfast buffet on the clubhouse porch is available, but must be purchased separately from the HRWS ticket. Attendees will reconvene at the racetrack for an afternoon of racing in the climate- controlled Paddock Suite. Tickets to the Aug. 3rd HRWS Meet Up at Saratoga are...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy (NYRTC) will honor Tracy and Todd Pletcher for their generous and continued support of the New York backstretch community at its 16th Annual Fundraising Brunch, which will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 16 at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, New York. "This honor means the world to Tracy and to me," said Todd Pletcher. "Our record reflects a team effort and the members of the backstretch are key members of our team. The New York Chaplaincy does great work serving those...

Christmas came a few days early for approximately 150 backstretch families at Belmont Park on Tuesday, December 20th when the New York Race Track Chaplaincy hosted its annual Sponsor-A-Family Program. The families received food and gifts, including new winter clothing for children, new toys and gift cards. Highlighting this year's festivities was the presence of Mario Artaza, the Consul General of Chile in New York, who dressed as Santa Claus. "I'm honored to participate in this year's event and it's heartwarming to see what the horse racing community is doing...

Tickets are now on sale for the New York Race Track Chaplaincy's fundraising Brunch at Saratoga National Golf Club Aug. 17. Tickets can be obtained online or by calling 516-216-5196. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for interested persons, groups or organizations. The honoree at this year's brunch will be Andy Serling, the New York Racing Association television analyst and handicapper. Previous honorees for their devotion to the backstretch community include: Anne Campbell, Edgar Prado, Michael Dubb, Fay and David Donk, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, Letty and Kiaran McLaughlin, Lisa...

Feature courtesy of the New York Racing Association From the desk of his cramped office at the New York division of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America (NYRTCA) on Belmont Park's backstretch, Chaplain Humberto Chavez can gaze out the window at what he calls, "something we've been planning for and dreaming of for years." Directly north of the NYRTCA's current office, a team of New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) carpenters, electricians and plumbers are at work constructing the Chaplaincy's new 3,500-square-foot building, which will double the Chaplaincy's current space...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy will honor Andy Serling for his work with the backstretch community at its 15th annual fundraising brunch, to be held Aug. 17 at Saratoga National Golf Club during the Saratoga meet. Serling is best known as a television analyst and handicapper for New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), where he has been a member of the broadcast team since 2008. He is also the senior racing analyst on America's Day at the Races, which presents coverage of NYRA racing on the networks of FOX...

The 13th annual jockeys-versus-horsemen charity basketball game, which benefits the programs of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy and was scheduled to be played Wednesday, Sept. 1, has been canceled. "With COVID-19 infection rates climbing again, we just couldn't jeopardize the safety of the participants or the hundreds of fans who come to the game each year, so we decided it was best to cancel it once again," said NY Race Track Chaplaincy executive director and lead chaplain Humberto Chavez. "We are all disappointed but hopefully we can resume the...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy (NYRTCA) will host a 2021 edition of a roundtable discussion featuring retired riders Ángel Cordero, Jr., Chris McCarron, Richard Migliore, and Jorge Velásquez on Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. ET. Entitled "Champions Talk," the event will be moderated by retired NYRA announcer Tom Durkin and will be shown on TDN's YouTube channel, the NYRTCA's YouTube channel, and Facebook live @race.ny, as well as in other locations. The conversation, which ranges from the serious to the humorous, will primarily be reflections about the riding...

After a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19, the 13th Annual Charity Basketball Game featuring jockeys against horsemen will be held Wednesday, Sept. 1. Proceeds from the event, which will take place at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center at 6:30 p.m., will benefit the programs of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy. Admission is free. Hall of Famer Angel Cordero, Jr. will coach the jockey team, while 2021 Hall of Fame inductee Todd Pletcher will coach the horsemen team alongside trainer-turned-agent Kiaran McLaughlin. NYRA's Mitch Levites will do the announcing....

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) named a race for the New York Race Track Chaplaincy (NY Chaplaincy) Friday, June 4, allowing the organization to honor the groom and hotwalker who cared for the winning horse in that race. Trainer Bill's Mott's Aunt Kat (Uncle Mo) won, with Gustavo Solorio and Agripina Lara each receiving a trophy and a gift provided by the NY Chaplaincy as part of the winner's circle ceremony. [Elite_video_player id="2" html5videos_hd="https://player.vimeo.com/external/563681100.sd.mp4?s=7aa9e04522f055a8dd8fb5b00d2a9b2278e3bd45&profile_id=165" html5videos_videoThumbnails_jpg="" html5videos_title="Moment in the Sun for Grooms and Hotwalkers in New York" prerolls="https://player.vimeo.com/external/508839980.sd.mp4?s=9bd052c283c79e01810c3fa759659e3f10f14b60&profile_id=165"] "These are...

While 2020 has been a year of hardships for everyone in our industry, many people have said the sport has come together in ways it never has before. As we enter into the holiday season, we spoke with several people who helped make this year a little better. We asked them to reflect on the things that have been particularly difficult to deal with this year; what they have learned because of these struggles and what they hope our industry will take away from this year as we look to...

Angel Cordero, Jr., Dale Romans, Ramon Dominguez and Terry Finley discussed some of their fondest racing memories in the New York Race Track Chaplaincy's Champions TALK roundtable Wednesday evening. It can be viewed here. The discussion, filmed at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, NY, was moderated by former track announcer Tom Durkin. Viewers are encouraged to make a donation to the chaplaincy. The organizations two annual fund-raising events in Saratoga Springs, NY were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the discussion, the NY Chaplaincy also honored the...