New York

Jockey Manny Franco captured his fourth winter meet riding title at Aqueduct, posting 63 wins at the meet that ran from Jan. 1 to March 26. Linda Rice paced all trainers with 37 wins, while Windylea Farm secured their first NYRA-circuit owners title with 12 wins. "It means a lot to me. This is what we're here for," said Franco, who is represented by agent John Panagot. "I want to be one of the top riders here on the New York circuit, and I work hard to make it happen....

What does the most recognizable jockey of the nineteenth century have in common with a young rider from the 1970s-turned-modern-day playwright? This seemingly disparate pair might be divided by over a century along the continuum, but their experiences, told in a fresh biographical treatment of Isaac Murphy by historian Katherine C. Mooney and through Robert Montano's self-penned and deeply-personal play, have much to tell us about the perilously-seated life in the irons. What they both encountered is particularly instructive for us, especially after the sudden and tragic losses of jockeys...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has canceled live racing on Friday and Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack due to high winds and frigid temperatures forecast to impact the New York metropolitan area. The National Weather Service (NWS), which aligns with forecasts provided by NYRA's independent weather services, is calling for wind chill values between zero and 10 degrees on Friday with wind gusts up to 37 mph, while Saturday's forecast includes wind chill values between eight and 10 degrees with sustained high winds throughout the day. As a result,...

Howard (Howie) Tesher, a winner of 1,302 races, including several Grade I events, and a popular figure around the New York racetracks for decades, passed away Friday. He was 90  years old. According to his niece, Jodie David, Tesher passed away at the Majestic Memory Care Center in Hollywood, Florida, and had been there for about five years dealing with dementia. David said the cause of death was pneumonia. "He was happy right up to the end," David said. "There was no patient there like him. He was always grabbing...

MGSW & GISP Independence Hall (Constitution) sired his first reported foal when a colt out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Seascape was born Monday, Jan. 16 at Mahoney Eden Manor Farm in New York. The colt was bred by Mahoney Eden Manor, Dark Horse Racing Stable and Cutair Racing. "He's a very leggy, racy-looking colt, just what you imagine when you look at Independence Hall," said Britt Wadsworth. "If they come out looking as such, we're all in good shape." From the first crop of leading sire Constitution, Independence...

Mind Control (Stay Thirsty--Feel That Fire, by Lightnin N Thunder), who closed his career with a battling victory in the GI Cigar Mile H., will anchor the 2023 stallion roster at Rockridge Stud, where he will stand for $8,500 LFSN as a joint venture between Irish Hill/Dutchess View Farm, Waldorf Farm and Hidden Lake Farm. The farm's other stallions with their stud fees (all LFSN) are: Al Khali (Medaglia d'Oro, $2,500); A Shin Forward (Forest Wildcat), $2,500); Disco Partner (Disco Rico, $4,000); Frank Conversation (Quality Road, private); Slumber (GB) (Cacique...

Red Oak Stable (Stephen P. Brunetti) and Madaket Stable's (Sol Kumin) Mind Control (Stay Thirsty--Feel That Fire, by Lightnin N Thunder) winner of the GI $750,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Dec. 3 in the final start of his career, will stand at Rockridge Stud in New York under the management of Irish Hill Farm, Dutchess Views Stallions, Hidden Lake Farm and Rockridge Stud. The five-year-old is out of a stakes-winning mare and is priced at $8,500 LFSN. Mind Control won the GI Hopeful S. as a 2-year-old and the...

The project to modernize Belmont Park will produce billions of dollars in economic impact and generate thousands of jobs, according to an independent economic study released by We Are NY Horse Racing Wednesday. According to the rigorous analysis completed by HR&A Advisors, a leading economic development and real estate consulting firm, the multi-year project to build a new Belmont Park will generate $1 billion in one-time construction-related economic impact while supporting 3,700 construction jobs. Upon completion, racing and non-racing activities at the new Belmont Park will generate $155 million in...

A trio of GI Kentucky Derby preps highlight the Aqueduct 2023 winter meet stakes schedule, which was released by NYRA Wednesday. The 44-day winter meet, which begins Jan. 1 and runs through Mar. 26, will offer a total of 25 stakes races worth $3.2 million. Live racing will be conducted Thursday to Sunday until Feb. 12 and will move to a Friday to Sunday schedule from Feb. 17 through the end of the meet. Stakes action kicks off on opening day with the first Derby prep, the $150,000 Jerome S.,...

The New York Racing Association has released its 2023 racing schedule, which will include a return to Aqueduct for the traditional fall Belmont meet. NYRA first moved the Belmont fall meet to Aqueduct this year so that tunnels could be built that would provide access to the infield. In 2023, moving the Belmont fall meet will allow for reconstruction of the three Belmont racing surfaces. The 28-day Belmont at the Big A fall meet will open on Thursday, Sept. 14 and continue through Sunday, Oct. 29. Live racing will be...

We Are NY Horse Racing, a coalition of small businesses, labor unions, non-profits, and trade associations, released a public opinion poll that found 68% of voters statewide and 75% of voters on Long Island support using state bonding authority to construct new horse racing facilities at Belmont Park. In addition, New Yorkers view horse racing favorably by a 3-to-1 margin. In 2022, legislation was introduced for the first time that would allow the New York Racing Association to finance the modernization of Belmont Park through state-backed bonds. "Constructing a new...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. California Track: Los Alamitos Date: 09/16/2022 Licensee: Victor Espinoza, jockey Penalty: $500 fine Violation: Excessive use of...