Contact: Dan Silver

NYRA STATEMENT – TUESDAY, MAY 15

ELMONT, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has forwarded the letter received today from New York State Racing and Wagering Board Chairman John Sabini and Franchise Oversight Board Chairman Robert Megna to its attorney, Brendan V. Sullivan, Jr. (Williams & Connelly) for review. NYRA will be responding to the letter after review.

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From the Jockey Club:

NYRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS TERMINATES THE EMPLOYMENT OF HAYWARD AND KEHOE

ELMONT, N.Y. – The Board of Directors of The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced today that it has decided to terminate the employment of NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward and NYRA Senior VP and General Counsel Patrick Kehoe, effective immediately. C.Steven Duncker, the Chairman of NYRA’s Board of Directors, stated that the Board’s decision was based on a determination that these executives failed to perform their duties at a level required by the Board. Mr. Duncker noted that there are ongoing governmental inquiries relating to the circumstances surrounding the takeout issue, that NYRA was cooperating with those inquiries, and that NYRA expects that those inquiries will thoroughly and fairly investigate the matter.

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Roger Attfield, Ghostzapper, John Velazquez and Robert Wheeler
elected to National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Ghostzapper, the 2004 Horse of the Year, jockey John Velazquez and trainers Roger Attfield and Robert Wheeler have been elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.

The class of 2012 will be inducted on Friday, Aug. 10, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

Ghostzapper, Velazquez, Attfield and Wheeler were elected in the contemporary category by the 183 members of the Hall of Fame voting panel.

Ghostzapper (Awesome Again-Baby Zip, by Relaunch) won 9 of 11 career starts and earned $3,446,120. He was named Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male in 2004 when he posted a 4-for-4 record. Trained by Hall of Fame member Bobby Frankel, Ghostzapper won the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic in stakes-record time, covering the 1¼-mile distance in 1:59.02. That year, he also won the Woodward Stakes, Tom Fool Handicap, and Iselin Handicap. At 3, Ghostzapper won the Vosburgh Stakes. He closed out his career with a victory in the Metropolitan Handicap at age 5. Ghostzapper raced for Frank Stronach and is currently a stallion at Stronach’s Adena Springs in Kentucky.

Velazquez has won 4,803 races, including 733 stakes, and has earned more than $263 million. He won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2004 and 2005 and led all North American riders in earnings during those years. He led all New York jockeys in wins from 2001 through 2004 and set a record with 65 wins at Saratoga in 2004. Velazquez has won 22 riding titles at New York Racing Association tracks and has nine Breeders’ Cup wins. He posted 50 Grade 1 wins from 2006 through 2011. Velazquez won the Kentucky Derby in 2011 with Animal Kingdom and the Belmont Stakes in 2007 with Rags to Riches. His other major victories include the Travers, Alabama, Champagne, Sanford, Personal Ensign, Whitney, King’s Bishop, Hollywood Derby, and Kentucky Oaks.

Attfield has saddled the winner of 1,731 races, including 369 stakes, and has purse earnings of more than $88 million. He has won the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Canadian Trainer a record eight times and trained three Canadian Triple Crown winners (Izvestia, With Approval, and Peteski). Attfield has won a record-tying eight runnings of the Queen’s Plate and seven editions of the Canadian Breeders’ Stakes. He won his first Breeders’ Cup race in 2011 when Perfect Shirl took the Filly and Mare Turf. Attfield is a member of the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame. The many other stakes races he has won in the United States include the Wood Memorial, Flower Bowl, Shadwell Turf Mile, Maker’s Mark Mile, Elkhorn, Yellow Ribbon, Orchid, and Carter Handicap.

Wheeler, whose career spanned from 1938 through 1992, won 1,336 races and trained for prominent owners such as C.V. Whitney, J. Rukin Jelks, Greentree Stable, and Nelson Bunker Hunt. He conditioned 56 stakes-winning horses, including 1982 Champion Older Female Track Robbery. The majority of his career predates the grading of races, but from 1976 on he won 18 of the 69 (26 percent) graded stakes his horses ran in and 44 of his 175 (25 percent) overall stakes attempts. In 1959 and 1960, Wheeler’s West Coast-based division included Tompion, winner of the Santa Anita Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, and Malibu, and the distaff pair of Bug Brush and Silver Spoon. Bug Brush won six stakes at 4 and set a world record the day she beat males Hillsdale and Terrang in the San Antonio Stakes. Silver Spoon, a member of the Hall of Fame, won 10 stakes in two years, including the trainer’s first of back-to-back wins in the Santa Anita Derby, in which she defeated Preakness winner Royal Orbit. He also sent out five winners of the Hollywood Juvenile Championship, which prior to the Breeders’ Cup era was one of the nation’s top races for 2-year-olds. From 1959 through 1969, Wheeler was on the leaders list of the top 30 North American trainers seven times in terms of earnings. His division accounted for more than 60 percent of the earnings of the C.V. Whitney stable when it led all owners in 1960.

Check out the NMRHOF site at www.racingmuseum.org

April Is National Greyhound Adoption Month
Author Speaks for Those Who Cannot

Tens of thousands of greyhounds are bred every year for the 27 racetracks in the United States, according to the U.S. Humane Society. They’re intentionally over-bred so there will be ample to replace old and underperforming greyhounds at the tracks. Each year, thousands of these retired dogs do not find a home; they are killed.

April is National Greyhound Adoption Month, a reminder for animal lovers that there is an industry that “throws away dogs like they are defective products,” says retired police officer Irvin Cannon, a dog lover whose new book, For the Love of Dog Tales (www.FortheLoveofDogTales.com), gives voice to man’s best friend.

“These dogs have feelings and intelligence, but they are treated like racing slaves so people can gamble,” Cannon says. “Who is the winner in this scenario?”

The Humane Society estimates thousands of retired racing dogs are put to death every year. Rabbits are another industry victim; thousands are maimed or killed in the race-training process.

Cannon says there are some things to remember for those considering adopting a greyhound:

• They typically don’t have issues associated with abuse: Greyhounds may not get a lot of love in the kennels, but are not oftenabused by track personnel. They tend to respond to fear and violence by either freezing in place or running. Since they are trained to chase rabbits, they may be inclined to pursue small running animals.

• Greyhounds tend to be intelligent, timid: These dogs are considered gentle and reserved, but stubborn. If they sense they can take control, they will, so owners should quickly establish authority.

• Not used to other breeds: Greyhounds are born and raised around people and other greyhounds only. They may become confused or frightened by other dogs, and may need to get accustomed to cats.

• No fat, little hair: No dog should be left outside in the cold or heat. Greyhounds are especially sensitive to extreme temperatures and rain.

• Sweet affection: They do not bite; they show affection by licking, leaning and rubbing, much like cats.

Although there is a well-known and dedicated effort to find homes for aged-out greyhounds, Cannon said there is only one way to fix the racing industry – it must be ended. There are several national and international groups trying to put a stop to greyhound racing and gambling, including the Humane Society, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Until then, Cannon hopes these gentle dogs find homes.

“When you adopt a needy canine, you won’t find a better companion,” he says, “whether you bring home a greyhound, a mystery mixed-breed or a purebred Labrador.”

CATASTROPHIC BREAKDOWN RATES: # of starts from April thru 10/22 = 8584 = 3.6/1000; # of starts from April thru 9/13 = 6836 = 2.8/1000; # of starts from 9/16 thru 10/22 = 1748 = 6.3/1000

* medical conditions
** deaths during racing that were not of a musculoskeletal nature
*** Favorite Colors ran on 5/30; Button Front ran on 8/1; Prizical and Home Biskit ran on 10/3; Kip’s Boy ran on 10/12; and Ruler of Time ran on 10/13 13. 10/13; Silver Sandy ran on 10/18.

New York Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety’s work underway The New York State Racing and Wagering Board today issued an emergency rule that voids claims in the event that a claimed horse dies during a race or is euthanized on the track following a race.

The rule is the first in a series of actions being undertaken by the Board as a result of its analysis of the 21 equine fatalities that occurred during Aqueduct’s inner-track meet between November 30, 2011 and March 18, 2012.

“This rule change emphasizes the fact that claiming races cannot be dumping grounds for unsound horses,” Racing and Wagering Board Chairman John D. Sabini said. “The tradition of authorizing claims even when a horse dies is no longer acceptable. The Racing and Wagering Board will continue to review the circumstances and data relating to these fatalities to determine if there should be additional actions to protect racehorses.”

The amendment to rule 4038.5, which will go into effect immediately, will read in part: “a claim shall be void for any horse that dies during a race or is euthanized on the track following a race.”

FULL TEXT OF RULE

(Deletions are bracketed and new text is underlined) 4038.5. Requirements for claim; determination by stewards.

(a) All claims shall be in writing, sealed in an envelope and deposited in a locked box provided for this purpose by the racing secretary or his designee, at least 10 minutes before post time. Claim slip forms must be completely filled out and must, in the judgment of the stewards, be sufficiently accurate to identify the claim, otherwise the claim will be void. No money shall accompany the claim. Each person desiring to make a claim, unless he shall have such amount to his credit with the association, must first deposit with the association the whole amount of the claim , in a manner approved by the racing secretary or designee for which a receipt will be given. All claims shall be passed upon by the stewards, and the person determined at the closing time for claiming to have the right of claim shall become the owner of the horse when the start is effected, whether it be [alive or dead,] sound or unsound or injured before or during the race or after it, except that: i. the claim is voidable at the discretion of the new owner pursuant to the conditions stated in section 4038.18 of this subchapter unless the age or sex of such horse has been misrepresented, and subject to the provisions of subdivision (b) of this section; and ii. a claim shall be void for any horse that dies during a race or is euthanized on the track following a race. In the event more than one person should enter a claim for the same horse, the disposition of the horse shall be decided by lot by the stewards. Any horse so claimed shall then be taken to the test barn for delivery to the claimant after the test sample is taken.