New York Racing

OZONE PARK, NY--Aqueduct has been running since 1959, for 67 years, the track is rundown and a new shiny Belmont Park will open in September. So the time has come for New York racing to move on, for the Big A to step aside in the name of progress. On Sunday, after the ninth race, a race they called "It Was a Good Run," the Big A shut its doors, taking a lot of history and memories with it. But what could have easily been a somber occasion was anything...

The act of calling a live horse race has got to be one of the most solitary, yet public endeavors around a track. Announcers have the power to attach their own soundtrack to a race for posterity. Whether you are Aiello, Becker, Beem, Calo, Collmus, Dinerman, Dooley, Geller, Griffin, Mirahmadi, Paquette, Rodman, Stone, Tammaro, Wrona or any of the others who dot racing's current U.S. landscape on high, track announcers are both foreign language translators and air traffic controllers. The big top demands an entertaining ringmaster and the pressure is...

Applications are now being accepted for the 2026 Gerald A. Nielsen, Sr. New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. Scholarship and the Debby Malloy Winkler New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. Scholarship, each of which will be presented by the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) at Saratoga Race Course on Friday, Aug. 21, according to a press release from the organization on Friday. Each scholarship recognizes a full-time undergraduate student enrolled in an equine-related course of study at an accredited college or university in New York State who has demonstrated academic achievement,...

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 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (NMRHOF) will celebrate its 50th annual Museum Ball on Friday, Aug. 7, according to a press release from the repository on Wednesday. The esteemed black-tie gala has been held continuously since 1977 and remains the Museum's largest fundraising event and one of the most prestigious social affairs of the Saratoga racing season. Click here for ticket information.

Breeders' Cup Limited and The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) unveiled the official logo for the 2027 World Championships, to be held Oct. 29-30 at the new Belmont Park, the organization said in a Wednesday press release. This marks the sixth time the World Championships will be held in New York, joining 1985, 1990, 1995, 2001 and 2005. The #BreedersCup is coming back to New York. 🗽 Learn more: https://t.co/1O8rAirl9G 📍Oct. 29-30, 2027 | Belmont Park @TheNYRA pic.twitter.com/vQc2EvuElt — Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) June 10, 2026

In a Zoom call with members of the racing media, NYRA lifted the curtain Friday regarding the drop in Computer Assisted Wagering play after the racing organization put certain "guardrails" in place intended to limit the wagers of the CAW players. In July 2021, NYRA became the first racing organization in the United States to establish a timing restriction for CAW activity, shutting off the win pool to CAW players with two minutes to post. A more significant step was taken in Dec. 2025 when CAW players were not allowed...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has updated protocols to further enhance fan safety and security while supporting the longstanding cooler policy tradition at historic Saratoga Race Course, the track said via a press release on Friday. Fans bringing coolers to Saratoga Race Course will be required to ensure all ice is contained inside sealed bags upon arrival at the admission gates. The policy will take effect with the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, June 3-7, and will continue during the Saratoga summer meet, July 3-Sept. 7. The initiative is...

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...

The New York Backstretch Employees Pension Trust has a bit of a "well-kept secret" shroud to it. Even longtime Thoroughbred owners who compete on the New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit are sometimes unaware that a pension fund exists for the backstretch workers, and that 2% of the purses at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course are invested toward the retirements of the people who provide daily, hands-on care for horses. Despite the under-the-radar nature of the fund, those who oversee it are continually trying to make sure...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will significantly increase purses on overnight races during the fall meet at the new Belmont Park, which will open for live racing Sept. 18, the track said via a Thursday press release. NYRA has increased purses in the open allowance category by 15 percent from $100,000 to $115,000. In addition, first-level optional-claiming events will be offered for $105,000 and second-level optional-claiming races will be offered for $108,000. Maiden special weight races will receive an 18 percent increase from $85,000 to $100,000, while New...

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, and New York Racing Association (NYRA) have partnered with the TAKE2 Program to donate $20,000 in prize money for two Thoroughbred Classics. The first $10,000 TAKE2 Thoroughbred Hunter Classic will be held on the morning of Friday, July 10, at the Saratoga Women in Business Spectacular, and the second on the morning of Friday, August 14, at the Saratoga Summer Horse Show. In addition to the prize money, the winners of the two Classics each will...