Students from SUNY Cobleskill go behind-the-scenes at Saratoga Race Course

By Tom Law

The alarms rang, beeped and buzzed early last Saturday for a group of students on the campus of the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill. The group, upper class students in the Animal Science program, were off early and into the East Avenue gate on the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course by 7:30 a.m. for a glimpse at the world of Thoroughbred racing.

For the fourth consecutive year, the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) and the SUNY Cobleskill partnered to offer a Thoroughbred Industry Course exposing upper-class students in the Animal Science program to various segments of the Thoroughbred Industry.

The program launched Saturday with students observing morning training on the Oklahoma with NYTB board member Tom Gallo followed by a tour of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame with legendary racetrack announcer Tom Durkin and watching afternoon races. The day at the races included judging the “Best Turned Out” contest offered by the Backstretch Employee Service Team.

The course, which runs from late August through early December, was developed to expose students interested in Animal Science more detail and insight into the Thoroughbred industry through exposure to breeding and racing.

“The students that join us every year are engaged, interested and ask really great questions,” Gallo said. “They all have different aspirations about how they would like to have careers in contact with either horses in general, Thoroughbred horses or in the Thoroughbred industry. After listening to me for a good hour about the history of Saratoga and what goes on in the morning during training hours, we moved down the Oklahoma stretch to the barn area.”

The students spent 2 1/2 hours in the stable area and visited with trainers Adrianne DeVaux and Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

The visit with DeVaux afforded the opportunity to go into a stall with a horse and check out the horses up close and personal, learning about their dispositions, different personalities and confirmation. The students were given a quick tutorial on what a groom looks for in their horses on a daily basis to make sure the horse is in 100 percent shape for training and racing. A visit to the tack room included a lesson on all the equipment and the morning feeding.

The stop at Mott’s barn included a visit with Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes winner Sovereignty, jockey Junior Alvarado, the legendary Erma Scott and Mott himself, who talked to the students about how he became involved in the horse business and how he brings young horses along and develops them into racehorses.

“Talk about a full day,” Gallo said. “Later that afternoon, sitting in Section E watching the races, they were still full of questions and suggestions on how to make the program better. They learned from me and I learned from them. It was a very successful morning. Something to build on in the future. The kids even had suggestions on how to do that. There’s nothing like the great energy that you get from young people.”

The students will continue in the program with planned visits this week to Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga and GMP Farm in Schuylerville, along with additional trips down to the road to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Saratoga Springs, observing the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale in October and attending the NYTB Educations Seminar. The course also includes virtual lectures and discussions.

“It has always been a priority for our organization to identify, support, and mentor the next generation of individuals who will contribute to and become stakeholders in the Thoroughbred industry,” said Najja Thompson, Executive Director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. Since launching this course in 2022, in partnership with SUNY Cobleskill and Professor Ray Whelihan, we have remained committed to providing students with hands-on exposure to every aspect of breeding and racing. The enthusiasm we see from students during each visit is inspiring, and we hope this experience will encourage more of them to pursue careers in the industry, strengthening our future workforce.”

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/09/03/students-from-suny-cobleskill-go-behind-the-scenes-at-saratoga-race-course/

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