#New York Racing Association

Item: Malathaat, the undefeated winner of the Kentucky Oaks, will not race next month in the Belmont Stakes. So much for the battle of the sexes. Item: Because of his ongoing medication contretemps, Bob Baffert and anyone associated with his stable have been ordered to stay away from New York Racing Association tracks. That means Kentucky Derby…

In what will go down as the most surreal week in sports since 9/11, racing got a double spoonful of distasteful medicine. As the sports world - and the real world - come to grips with the spreading coronavirus, the horse world must also sort out the impact of the criminal bombshell that dropped Monday. Rival trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro,…

It is easy see why Tiz The Law is a heavy favorite for the Belmont Stakes. His two Grade 1 wins and his 4-for-4 record on fast tracks put him alone in the front of the plane while the rest of the field is stuck in coach. But if it is easy to declare that he will win Saturday, why is it so hard to figure out who will lead him there? Blame it on Fore…

Essential Quality, shown winning the Grade I Travers, is among the favorites in a Breeders' Cup Classic field announced this week. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Oct. 29 (UPI) -- It's a week for looking forward as horse racing around the globe nears its annual champion-making events and youngsters get in final licks to make a case…

Sports bettors in the Empire State are excited New York online sports betting is underway, especially now that Caesars Sportsbook is available. Caesars Sportsbook New York is offering a world-class betting site and mobile app to new customers as of January 8, 2022. New users can claim a huge welcome bonus that's exclusive to the state of New York…

The 2023 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series comes to Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Jan. 28 (4:30-6 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock). Some of the biggest names in the sport are potentially going after the $4.5 million at stake. Cyberknife is most likely the biggest name that is probably to be in the field of the headline dirt race. He finished second in…

Just one live day - the New Year's Eve card at Aqueduct Racetrack - remains in 2020 to complete a remarkable year of racing action on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. The NYRA Press Office checked in with a selection of New York-based racing personalities to get their reflections on the memorable year. As a third-generation…

Kentucky Derby 147 champ Medina Spirit will run from the No. 3 spot in the gate at Pimlico in the 146th Preakness Stakes on May 15 with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert agreeing to a special set of conditions after the colt failed his post-Derby drug test. He opens as the 9-5 favorite. The 2021 Preakness Stakes will air on Saturday, May 15 from 2…

ARCADIA, Calif. - It's proving time for 3-year-olds in the barn of trainer Bob Baffert. The next four months will weed out the best of the bunch as the calendar moves closer to May and the start of the Triple Crown series. "See what you have, see what they like to do," Baffert said. "You learn from the races and hope they stay healthy. That's the…

The Breeders' Cup Classic pits the top horses from around the world against each other in the ultimate showdown to finish out the year in horse racing. Here's everything you need to know about racing's grand finale this weekend at Santa Anita: What is the Breeders' Cup Classic? The $6 million Classic is a 1 1/4-mile race on the dirt with 14 spots…

A decade ago, the word "aftercare" was not part of the industry vernacular when talking about Thoroughbreds leaving the racetrack. There were a handful of nonprofits which had battled the tide of horses retiring from racing for years. The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation launched in 1983, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program in 1992,…

Renowned thoroughbred trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended indefinitely by the New York Racing Association, meaning he won't be able to enter any horses in this year's Belmont Stakes as fallout continues over a positive drug test for Kentucky Derby-winning horse Medina Spirit, who Baffert trained. The suspension stems from Medina Spirit's…

Brad Cox's Essential Quality opens as the 2-1 favorite for the 2021 Belmont Stakes ahead of Preakness winner Rombauer (3-1). Essential Quality and Rombauer will break side-by-side from the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. The 153rd Belmont Stakes airs on Saturday, June 5 from 3-5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and from 5-7 p.m. on NBC. Coverage is also…

Brad Cox's favorite Essential Quality ran down a furious pacesetting Hot Rod Charlie down the stretch to win the 153rd Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. New York regular Luis Saez was in the irons. United Arab Emirates ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum owns Essential Quality. The victory by Essential Quality could bring extra scrutiny of…

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There is a full field of 14 entered for the 147th running of the Travers Stakes on Saturday, including the Preakness victor Exaggerator and the Belmont champion Creator. Still, the Midsummer Derby, as the race is known, is a wide-open affair in a year in which the crop of male 3-year-olds seems evenly matched. The…

ARCADIA, Calif. - On the morning of March 29, Santa Anita Park was reopening for racing for the first time in three weeks after the mystifying deaths of nearly two dozen horses. Satellite trucks, national news reporters and animal rights activists converged for what had become a macabre death watch. But California regulators were watching a live…

Maximum Security, the colt disqualified from victory in the Kentucky Derby, returns to the winner's circle Saturday at Belmont Park. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Oct. 28 (UPI) -- It was a very good weekend of horse racing for Japan as Lys Gracieux landed the Group 1 Cox Plate in Australia and Almond Eye returned to her dominant…

Today is Day 6 of the Saratoga Race Course meet. Racing starts at 1:05 p.m. RECENT STORIES FROM THE DAILY GAZETTE AT THE TRACK Eddie Fazzone could barely speak, his vocal chords shot from rooting for his filly Dream Central. But he had plenty to say. The Schenectady native and Mont Pleasant High school graduate, who runs the popular Eddie F's…

The horses for the 149th running of the Belmont Stakes are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds were set by Eric Donovan of the New York Racing Association. Purse: $1.5 million guaranteed Distance: One and a half miles Track record: 2:24 (Secretariat,…

Bobby Flay's homebred Pizza Bianca (#4 outside) under Jose Ortiz on her way to winning the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico May 20, 2022, and earning Black Type. (Maryland Jockey Club photo) By Maribeth Kalinich There's a phenomenon happening in North America. Turf races are booming. That is in part thanks to more European horses coming across the pond to…

Patrick Gilligan, a former Newmarket racehorse trainer who moved to Kentucky five years ago, reflects on the state of American racing as he sees it. Gilligan (left), who was a'small-time' trainer in the UK for 15 years, moved to the U.S. so his son could pursue his goal of becoming a jockey. He wrote a book - Around Kentucky with the Bug - about…

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a special cross breed Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, featuring Grade 1 thoroughbred action from Whitney Day at Saratoga Race Course and standardbred racing from the Hambletonian card at Meadowlands Racetrack. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick…

With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) beginning to roll out proposed regulations to the Federal Trade Commission in advance of its scheduled start-up July 1, 2022, the agency created through federal legislation to regulate anti-doping and safety policies for Thoroughbred racing dominated discussions on the opening day of the 47…

New York Racing Association stewards ruled Sunday's seventh race at Saratoga a No Contest due to a mechanical issue with the starting gate tractor. That mechanical issue created a delay in removing the gate once the field started the race. The outriders communicated to the jockeys there was a problem. Several pulled up their mounts during the 1…

By Pat McKenna - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the stakes schedule for the 2023 spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, featuring 14 stakes worth nearly $2.8 million in total purses. The 19-day spring meet will open on March 30 and continue through April 30. Live racing will be conducted…

Welcome to another edition of America's Best Racing's Main Track. Each Tuesday in this space we spotlight the most meaningful story of the past week, detailing news that stands out because of its importance or perhaps the emotional response it generates. Looking ahead, if you believe there's a story this week that should be featured in next…

With the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and the Preakness Stakes in the books, it is time to turn our attention to the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets on June 5 at Belmont Park Learn page on America's Best Racing for additional racing terms, educational information, and betting tips. Triple Crown: Thirteen horses in racing…

From Florence, Kentucky to Hallandale Beach, Florida to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, a blockbuster day of racing is on tap Saturday, allowing fans and handicappers to tune in and show off their wagering acumen. The $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) is the richest race of the day, featuring an international 14-horse field with four U.S.-based…

Strummer wins the 2006 Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct (NYRA/Coglianese) By Mary Eddy - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- In January of 2006, a plain bay named Strummer made his connections proud as he crossed the finish line first in the $65000 Jimmy Winkfield to score his first stakes victory. Nearly 17 years after posting his biggest…

Handicappers at the horse track all hold their own theories and conjectures about who will win the next race, mining programs for split times and race histories, bloodlines and surfaces. On any given day, the rail may be golden or dead. And then there are questions about how much impact the jockey has. Joe Appelbaum played college football at Yale…

Caesars Racebook expanded into its third state for mobile horse betting Wednesday, launching in Indiana ahead of Saturday's Belmont Stakes. The mobile app, having originated as a partnership between Caesars and the New York Racing Association in January, launched in Ohio and Florida last week. Caesars owns both horse racing tracks in Indiana -…

Americanrevolution wins last year's edition of the Cigar Mile (NYRA/Coglianese) By Pat McKenna - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Saturday's edition of America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed television show presented by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will present live coverage and analysis of the…

Rich Strike, the 80-1 shot ridden by Sonny Leon and trained by Eric Reed, mounted a furious and improbable rally to capture the 148th Kentucky Derby on May 7. He was not even in the field until another horse was scratched the day before the race. But after skipping the Preakness Stakes on May 21, forgoing a shot at the Triple Crown, Rich Strike…

American Revolution, shown winning the Grade I Cigar Mile in December, is among the likely ones in Saturday's Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs. Photo by Joe Labozzetta, courtesy of New York Racing Association June 3 (UPI) -- Weekend racing is all about the doings on Epsom Downs southwest of London, where the Oaks on Friday and the Derby on Saturday…

Channel Cat, shown winning the Grade I Man o' War in May, is among the favorites for Saturday's Grade II Red Smith Stakes at Aqueduct. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Nov. 19 (UPI) -- High-class graded stakes racing is spread across North America this weekend, with a turf showdown in New York, a tough mile event for fillies and mares…

We the People is shown heading heads for victory in the Peter Pan Stakes in May and favorite status for Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Photo by Dom Napolitano, courtesy of New York Racing Association June 10 (UPI) -- We the People is favored to win the Belmont Stakes Saturday in Elmont, N.Y. The final leg of the Triple Crown also will feature long-shot…

Remote and mobile sports betting has thrived in the US since May 2018, when the US Supreme Court struck down the PAPSA legislation that had previously prohibited sports betting at a federal level. However, this has also enabled sports betting at brick-and-mortar establishments in more than 30 US states, including the popular Capital OTB at Wolf…

Nest (white bridle), shown winning the 2021 Demoiselle at Aqueduct, returns as a heavy favorite in Saturday's Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, a Kentucky Oaks prep. Photo by Joe Labozzetta, courtesy of New York Racing Association Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Potential Kentucky Derby candidates are in action from California to Florida and all the way to…

White Abarrio, seen winning the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park, is among the Kentucky Derby contenders returning to action in Saturday's Ohio Derby at Thistledown. Photo courtesy of Gulfstream Park June 24 (UPI) -- Derby contenders from Louisville and Epsom Downs return to action in weekend horse racing and "Win and You're In" spots for…

DraftKings has partnered with Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) to create and launch a horse racing betting app. CDI announced the news of the multi-year partnership on Tuesday. The TwinSpires CDI subsidiary will provide its advance deposit wagering (ADW) technology to the US-focused gambling operator. TwinSpires is currently the leader in the…

DraftKings and Churchill Downs Incorporated announced a multi-year agreement on Tuesday that is expected to bring a parimutuel horse betting platform to DraftKings ahead of next May's Kentucky Derby. Under the agreement, Churchill Downs' subsidiary, TwinSpires, will provide advance deposit wagering (ADW) technology to DraftKings, the companies said…

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Victor Espinoza was curious as he gave American Pharoah his head and let the colt slingshot around the far turn at Monmouth Park, a charming racetrack on the Jersey Shore. Espinoza peeked beneath one shoulder, glanced over the other, then narrowed his eyes between his colt's ears and stared down the stretch. The ears of American…

To the average horse bettor, there appeared to be nothing unusual about the first race at South Florida's Gulfstream Park on Friday, Nov. 11. The even-money favorite, a low-stakes maiden claimer named Glass Star, prevailed, while the second choice on the morning line, Too Much Vino, finished as runner-up. On its face, that's about as boring as it…

Imagine for a moment being loaded with money. So loaded there was plenty to unload on any of the three sure-fire ways to blow an investment. As some financial wizard told Tony Kornheiser, they are a private plane, a restaurant and a racehorse. Forget about the plane and the restaurant. How about being someone like Jack Wolf? He and his wife Laurie…

There's a reason we're the #1 trusted source for premium racing picks & info. Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots has announced that 65 stakes worth a combined $8.5 million, up more than $700000 from last season, will be offered during the 80-day, 2022-23 Thoroughbred meet. In each of the 13 unrestricted, non-graded stakes, purses have been increased…

Just Cindy wins the Schuylerville Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Thursday's opening day at Saratoga. Photo by Chelsea Durand, Cognianese Photos, courtesy of New York Racing Association July 15 (UPI) -- Saratoga is back into action this weekend, with trainer Chad Brown ready to make a statement on the turf course and the usual top-self competition…

Yibir, shown winning the 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf, preps for another American invasion with a start Friday at Newmarket in England. Photo by Carolyn Simancik/Eclipsesportswire, courtesy of Breeders' Cup April 29 (UPI) -- With a week to go before the Kentucky Derby, there's plenty of racing action to keep fan interest alive with Breeders' Cup runners…

We Are NY Horse Racing, a coalition of small businesses, labor unions, nonprofits, trade associations, and other groups that support the sport of horse racing in New York, has announced that the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has secured a commitment to bring the Breeders' Cup World Championship back to New York if Belmont Park on Long…

The first Friday of December marked not only the beginning of the championship meeting at Gulfstream Park but also a new era of late autumn racing as Oaklawn Park conducts dates for the first time in generations to help usher in the busiest period of early December racing in years. How much that change in schedule has to do with changes in bettor…

My Old Kentucky Home felt a lot like New York, New York on Saturday - before an upset of monumental scope rewrote the tune at the 148th Kentucky Derby. Rich Strike, a 80-1 long-shot who wasn't even scheduled to run at Churchill Downs until Friday, captured the Derby crown in shocking fashion, just ahead of Epicenter, Zandon, Simplification and Mo…