NTA

When lawmakers passed the New York State budget Thursday, the package included a gift for horseplayers. Starting Sept. 1, New York will join Kentucky and Washington as the only racing states to break payoffs to the penny. However, the bill allows for nickel breakage on on-track wagers, provided all breakage proceeds are dedicated to aftercare funding. It was not immediately clear which tracks would adopt the penny breakage and which would chose the nickel-breakage package. Both NYRA and Gov. Kathy Hochul were supportive of the move to penny breakage. "The...

Late last month, owner Mike Repole announced the formation of the National Thoroughbred Alliance (NTA), an organization charged with providing emergency triage to an industry struggling with fiscal ill-health for quite some time. For executive director of the NTA, Repole tapped Pat Cummings, who previously headed the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation, an organization focused on instituting change for racing's primary customers, the horseplayers and horse owners. At a press conference for the NTA's launch, Repole discussed his intentions in broad over-arching terms that were light on specifics. To put some meat...

Owner Mike Repole's efforts to form a group that he hopes can help solve some of the sport's problems and create growth in an industry that has been in a downward spiral for decades took a step forward Thursday with Repole announcing that he has formed what he is calling the National Thoroughbred Alliance (NTA). Pat Cummings, who has headed the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation, has been hired as the alliance's executive director. Repole said he picked the name because he thought using the term alliance sent a message that the...