New York Racing

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, the New York State Assembly passed an aftercare bill which prohibits the slaughter of racehorses and racehorse breeding stock, requires that racehorses be microchipped, and provides tax incentives for Thoroughbred aftercare donations on tax returns. The bill will now be sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to sign it. The purpose of the legislation is to ensure the prohibition of the inhumane slaughter of retired racehorses and breeding stock. The legislation also increases access to funding for appropriate care of retired racehorses by ensuring...

Seeking to overturn a three-year license revocation and $50,000 fine for "improper and corrupt conduct" levied against her by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), the legal team for trainer Linda Rice has filed a complaint in a state court alleging that the penalty is "so unduly harsh and so disproportionate to Ms. Rice's purported misconduct that it shocks one's sense of fairness and constitutes an abuse of discretion on the part of the Commission." In a complaint seeking a declaratory judgment that would either annul or vacate her...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced that NYRA Bets Gift Cards will be available for purchase for the 2021 Triple Crown beginning Apr. 25, at more than 150 Stewart's Shops across the Capital Region. NYRA Bets Gift Cards will be available at Stewart's Shops through the conclusion of the Saratoga meet. For a complete list of participating Stewart's Shops locations, click here. "We were overwhelmed by the response of fans to the introduction of our gift cards last summer and are excited to make them available earlier than...

America's Day at the Races, produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will present live racing throughout the 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet that will run from Thursday, Apr. 22 through Sunday, July 11. The network will also feature live racing from the 38-day Churchill Downs spring meet that runs Apr. 24 to June 26, as well as continued coverage of the 57-day Oaklawn Park which runs through May 1. Each live racing day at Belmont Park will feature coverage on FS2, which...

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) Jan. 26 once again elected not to propose or vote upon any changes to whip use that would be more humane to Thoroughbreds, making it now more than a year since that agency first began discussing how it might address one of the sport's hot-button equine welfare issues the way regulators in other racing states have long since done. "We have a report that just arrived to us in the last 24 hours on the use of the crop. And staff will be...

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 Racing Association, Inc. announced the Empire 6 wager will offer a daily mandatory payout in the month of January beginning with Aqueduct's New Year's Day card, which is highlighted by the 151st renewal of the Jerome S., a one-turn mile for sophomores offering 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers. First post on Friday's nine-race card is 12:20 p.m. EST, with the Empire 6 set to kick off in Race 4 (1:50 p.m.) Featuring a $0.20 bet minimum and 20% takeout, the Empire 6 wager...

The New York clenbuterol clampdown that was foreshadowed earlier this month by New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) equine medical director Scott Palmer, VMD, has been codified into a series of proposed rule amendments that advanced Nov. 30 by a unanimous 5-0 commission vote. The new clenbuterol regulations follow a model rule of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) that was approved last August. After publication in the New York State Register and a public commentary period, the commission will have to vote again to formally adopt the changes....

Hunter O'Riley (Tiz Wonderful) last saw the starting gate just over a year ago. Some may remember him blowing up their ticket that day, as it was when he snuck up from the outside to win the GI United Nations S. at odds of 14-1, beating the likes of eventual GI Pegasus World Cup Turf S. winner Zulu Alpha (Street Cry {Ire}), as well as the near-millionaire graded stakes-winning Channel Cat (English Channel). Co-owner Mike Ryan has had his share of pinnacle moments in racing as the bloodstock agent for...

Shug McGaughey joins the TDN Writers' Room to talk about the return of New York racing along with his star four-year-old Code of Honor.

The race was just a $20,000 maiden claimer, but the importance of the moment was not lost on Belmont track announcer John Imbriale, who welcomed racing back to New York Wednesday. "We can finally say...they're off and running at New York's Belmont Park," Imbriale called out as the field burst from the gate. And as Star of the West (Flashback) crossed the wire to win the opener, Imbriale once again recognized that this race was something special. "It's now official. New York sports is back and beautiful Belmont Park is...

Stephen A. DiMauro, the Eclipse Award winning trainer of 1975, passed away at his home in Winter Park, Florida Wednesday. He was 87. According to his son, Stephen L. DiMauro, currently a steward at Gulfstream, DiMauro succumbed after battling cancer for about three years. "I just hope I can be half the man he was," said the younger DiMauro. "He was a force, involved in everything. He was good for the game and well-respected." Born in Camden, N.J., DiMauro began his career in racing as a jockey. As a trainer,...