NYTB endorses NYRA proposal to restart racing operations

[1]New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) has endorsed the New York Racing Association’s proposal requesting permission to resume live racing at Belmont Park.

Reproduced below is NYTB Executive Director Jeff Cannizzo’s letter to the relevant State Agencies supporting NYRA’s roadmap for restarting limited operations with a broad array of mitigation strategies to keep employees and racing participants safe.

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB) applauds the Governor for his leadership throughout the COVID-19 crisis, for making difficult decisions, and for laying the groundwork to strategically un-pause certain sectors. Moreover, we whole heartedly support the New York Racing Association’s (NYRA) plans to resume thoroughbred racing at its premier racetracks.

NYRA backstretch workers, like others responsible for the care and feeding of livestock, are already exempt from the Governor’s Executive Order 206 from March 22 mandating that 100% of the workforce for “non-essential” services across the state stay home.

These essential workers have been hard at work throughout New York Pause caring for, feeding, grooming and exercising horses. Whether or not live racing is being conducted, the backstretch workers care for horses in the same way and under the same conditions every day and will continue to do so. At the same time NYRA’s Preparedness and Response Plan Committee, in place since early March, is ensuring that these workers understand and follow NYS DOH and U.S. CDC guidelines about hygiene and social distancing. While being responsive to the health and nutritional needs of the workers and their families, the Committee also has contingency plans for dealing with any fresh outbreaks of COVID-19 among backstretch workers. It is appropriate, and timely, to now restart racing at the NYRA tracks.

Thoroughbred breeding is one of the most important economic engines of the New York’s equine industry – New York’s second-largest agri-business. As was highlighted in the 2018 American Horse Council Foundation report, the New York equine industry has experienced a resurgence in recent years, having grown by $1.1 billion and adding approximately 10,000 jobs. The equine industry collectively has a $5.3 billion economic impact on New York’s economy, and benefits counties across the State by generating hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue. The breeding and racing industries are responsible for the majority of the equine industry’s 42,400 full-time jobs and aid in preserving 1.3 million acres of precious farmland. In addition to the 2,300 breeding, training and racing facilities across the state in all 62 counties, there are 23,000 family-owned farms and stables. NYTB is proud of its members’ commitment to the farming industry.

The New York-breeding industry has faced hardships before. As recently as 2010, New York-breeding was teetering on the brink of extinction. Video Lottery revenues helped reinvigorate the industry; farms started to reopen, new stakeholders brought business to the State, and the quality of stock improved. All of this has resulted in the best measure of breeder success: a boom market for New York-breds at thoroughbred auctions. In fact, over a 6 year period, the value of the average New York-bred yearling increased by more than 120%. We cannot allow COVID-19 to cause a reversal in this progress for the equine industry. With racing shuttered, there is no source of revenue for our industry to pay bills, continue employment, and support farm related services. The many small owners and breeders that make up our great sport are on the brink of bankruptcy. The only way we can keep them in business, fueling this agricultural economic engine, is opening racing at New York’s historic race tracks. To do so we need NYRA up and running as soon as possible with the proper safety and health protocols in place, consistent with the Governor’s un-pause strategy.

Respectfully,

Jeffrey A. Cannizzo, Executive Director

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/04/25/nytb-endorses-restart-racing/

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NYTHA, NTRA Post Webinars on COVID-19 Federal Stimulus Legislation

By Sarah Mace

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) would like to draw the attention of all members and stakeholders to a pair of webinars posted by the Horseman’s Association (NYTHA) and National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) focusing on the Federal stimulus legislation enacted to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NYTHA’s webinar, which took place Monday morning, April 6, covered the subject of the Paycheck Protection Loan (PPL, also known as either PPP or P3) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), specific to NY trainers.  The PPL/PPP/P3 and the EIDL are part of the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which is meant to keep businesses and individuals afloat during this unprecedented freeze.

Click here[1] for “NYTHA Update on Federal Disaster Relief Provisions for NY Trainers.”

NTRA partnered with its Washington, D.C., legislative team, The Alpine Group and Kentucky-based Dean Dorton, a leading expert on equine tax matters, to host a national teleconference on April 1 to review Federal stimulus bills. The main topics covered are:

• The Coronavirus Preparedness Response and Supplemental Appropriations Act ($1 billion in loan subsidies to be made available to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and non-profit organizations which have been impacted by financial losses as a result of the coronavirus).
• The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (protects public health workers and provides important benefits to children and families for those impacted by the coronavirus. Protections for the employers of affected workers also are included in the legislation in the form of tax credits to offset the costs of providing emergency sick leave).
• TheCoronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) (an economic stimulus package valued at $2 trillion. The bill provides direct payments to many Americans, including individuals and couples; $130 billion to hospitals that are seeing their resources stretched to the brink and beyond in their battle to combat the coronavirus; $500 billion for corporations; $367 billion for small businesses; $150 billion in aid for local and state governments; and billions of dollars in extended unemployment benefits for furloughed workers.

Click here[2] for “NTRA Equine Industry Update on COVID-19 Federal Stimulus Bills.”

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Reminder: NTRA Industry Information Page for COVID-19

In an effort to help educate the public and industry stakeholders on measures to help limit the spread of COVID-19, NTRA has also created an industry information page[3] on the NTRA website.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/04/08/nytha-ntra-webinars-on-covid-19/

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Tiz the Law crowned remotely as 2019 New York-bred HOY; NYTB microsite hosts divisional champions video program

By Sarah Mace

Taking inspiration from the showbusiness adage that “the show must go on,” on Monday, April 6, the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) remotely crowned Sackatoga Stable’s Tiz the Law as the 2019 New York-bred Horse of the Year. The organization also announced the 2019 New York-Bred divisional champions and named the New York Breeder, Jockey and Trainer of the Year. The 2019 New York-bred Horse of the Year and all divisional champions were chosen by a ballot of New York turf writers, handicappers, chart callers and racing analysts conducted by NYTB.

After it became clear in early March that the spread of COVID-19 would make it impossible for NYTB to host the organization’s annual Awards Banquet at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on April 6 as planned, NYTB forged ahead to try to make the best of a difficult situation along with backing of our sponsor, the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, and all our wonderful partners.

NYTB published the winners on the organization’s website  and social media channels on the original date of the event. At the same time, NYTB launched a microsite at nytbawards.com[2] to host a video presentation produced by PM Advertising featuring the top performances of all nominees and showcasing the winners. A Commemorative Awards Program, written and produced by ST Publishing (the team behind the Saratoga Special and Thisishorseracing.com), is in the mail to all NYTB members and currently available on the Thisishorseracing.com website. Program[3].

Sackatoga Stable’s Tiz the Law, the magnificent blaze-faced son of Constitution, was named the 2019 Horse of the Year on the strength of his juvenile campaign, which was highlighted by a victory in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes. Tiz the Law was also the unanimous choice of voters as the 2019 Champion Two-Year-Old Male. At three, Tiz the Law is already a perfect two-for-two, winning the Grade 3 Holy Bull and Grade 1 Florida Derby. He sits atop the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” leaderboard and, provided all goes smoothly in the interim, Tiz the Law will be in the starting gate for the rescheduled 2020 Run for the Roses on the first Saturday in September (September 5).

Chester and Mary Broman were named the state’s top breeders in 2019 for the fourth straight year and seventh time overall. The couple previously won the award as outstanding breeders in 2004, 2011, 2014, 2016-2018. In 2019 the Bromans, whose name is synonymous with New York breeding excellence, won 82 races, 13 stakes and earned $3,775,911. The couple is represented by no fewer than four divisional champions for 2019,led by dual winner Pauseforthecause, who took home the hardware for Champion Older Dirt Female and Champion Female Sprinter.

Linda Rice was the top trainer of New York-breds in 2019, an honor she received six times previously in the last decade (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017). Last year Rice won 76 races with New York-breds, collected seven New York-bred stakes wins and earned $4,234,018. She trains Newly Minted, the Broman-bred 2019 Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.

Jockey Manny Franco finished the year with the most New York-bred wins and earnings, breaking a six-year streak when one or the other of the Ortiz brothers took home the hardware (Jose in 2014-2015 and Irad, Jr. in 2013 and 2016-2018). Franco compiled 94 New York-bred wins, won seven stakes on Empire State-breds and earned $6,346,925. Franco is the regular rider of Tiz the Law, aboard for every start after the colt’s winning Saratoga debut.

New York’s 2019 honorees:

New York-Bred Horse of the Year & Champion Two-Year-Old Male:
Tiz the Law (Constitution – Tizfiz, by Tiznow)
Breeder: Twin Creeks Farm
Owner: Sackatoga Stable
Trainer: Barclay Tagg

Champion Two-Year-Old Filly
Critical Value (Bodemeister – See the Forest, by Forestry)
Breeder: Marshall K Gramm & Clay Sanders
Owner: Ten Strike Racing
Trainer: Jeremiah C. Englehart

Champion Three-Year-Old Male
Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown – Marilyn Monroan, by Tapit)
Breeder: Hot Pink Stables & Sand Dollar Stables
Owner: Skychai Racing LLC and Sand Dollar Stable LLC
Trainer: Mike Maker

Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
Newly Minted (Central Banker – Newbie, by Bernardini)
Breeder: Chester Broman & Mary R. Broman
Owner: Beach Haven Thoroughbreds LLC
Trainer: Linda Rice

Champion Older Dirt Male
Mr. Buff (Friend Or Foe – Speightful Affair, by Speightstown)
Breeder: Chester Broman & Mary R. Broman
Owner: Broman, Sr., Chester and Broman, Mary
Trainer: John C. Kimmel

Champion Older Dirt Female and Champion Female Sprinter
Pauseforthecause (Giant’s Causeway – Spritely, by Touch Gold)
Breeder: Chester Broman & Mary R. Broman
Owner: Broman, Sr., Chester and Broman, Mary
Trainer: Kiaran P. McLaughlin

Champion Turf Male
Gucci Factor (Gio Ponti – Shoo In, by Dynaformer)
Breeder: Highclere
Owner: Castleton Lyons
Trainer: Christophe Clement

Champion Turf Female
Fifty Five (Get Stormy – Soave, by Brahms)
Breeder: Empire Equines, LLC
Owner: Peter M. Brant
Trainer: Chad C. Brown

Champion Male Sprinter
Build to Suit (Dominus – Aspen Mountain, by Chief Seattle)
Breeder: Spendthrift Farm, LLC
Owner: Klaravich Stables, Inc. and Lawrence, William H.
Trainer: Chad C. Brown

Broodmare of the Year: Tizfiz (Tiznow – Gin Running, by Go For Gin), dam of Tiz the Law

New York-Bred Trainer of the Year: Linda Rice
New York-Bred Jockey of the Year: Manuel Franco
New York Breeder of the Year: Chester and Mary Broman

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/04/06/tiz-the-law-2019-hoy-nytb-microsite/

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