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Welcome to On The Lead, the monthly newsletter of The New York Racing Association. We will keep you tuned in to all of the ongoing excitement at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course.
In each issue, we will update you on important news and look ahead to the featured promotions, events, and stakes races for the coming month. You will read fun and enlightening interviews with our trainers and jockeys and receive the latest information about our NYRA Rewards program. And as an added bonus, you can download eye-popping wallpaper and watch thrilling race replays!
On The Lead is your one-stop communication to catch up on the action at the NYRA tracks. We hope you enjoy this issue!
Sincerely,
Gavin Landry
Senior VP - Sales & Market Development |
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 Belmont Park hosts a Kentucky Derby Simulcast on Saturday, May 3, featuring a T-Shirt Giveaway! Enjoy a great day of live racing, including the Nassau County (GIII), then watch and wager on the fabled first jewel of the Triple Crown. To celebrate the 134th running of the Derby, every paid admission receives a free Belmont Park T-Shirt, while supplies last.
Test your handicapping acumen in the Belmont Spring SHOWdown contest! The goal of this online competition is to select one horse during each race day to finish first, second, or third. If successful on the first day, you will move on to the second day, and so on. Entry fee is $10, and the last ten players remaining will win great cash prizes! The deadline to sign up is Wednesday, May 7 at 12:30 p.m.
 Family Fun Days are back! Starting May 4, every Sunday at Belmont Park will feature a festival for the entire family, including a petting zoo, miniature golf, comedy troupes, magicians, pony rides, face painters, balloon clusters, and much more. Everything is free except for a $1.00 donation per pony ride to benefit the Backstretch Employees Service Team (B.E.S.T.). Please note that there will not be a Family Fun Day on Sunday, June 8.
 Cap-off your Memorial Day weekend on Monday, May 26, with exciting racing and a Belmont Park Baseball Hat free with paid admission, while supplies last. This day features the most famous mile in New York racing, the prestigious Metropolitan Handicap (GI).
Come out to Belmont Park for Customer Appreciation Week, from Thursday, May 29 through Sunday, June 1. Fans will be treated to free general parking, free general admission, food specials, and half-price Post Parade programs! Lots of entertainment is on tap as well, including daily live music and a host of other surprises. Stay tuned to NYRA.com for developments on this fantastic week.
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 Opening month at Belmont Park features tremendous stakes action! The highlight is undoubtedly the $600,000 Metropolitan Handicap (GI) on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26 for 3-year-olds & up going a mile on the dirt. Also known as the Met Mile, this race will be run for the 114th time and is considered one of the top tests at the distance in the world. Past winners include thoroughbred superstars such as Corinthian, Silver Train, Ghostzapper, and Holy Bull.
The 3-year-olds take center stage on Saturday, May 10, in the Peter Pan (GII), to be run at 1-1/8 mile on the dirt. There have been a bevy of late-developing, very talented colts that have won this race, including Sunriver, Purge, and super-sire A.P. Indy. Also on the card that day is the Bold Ruler Handicap (GIII), a six furlong event for older sprinters on the dirt.
Don’t forget about the fillies, as there are a number of exciting contests for them in May. First up is the Nassau County (GIII) on Saturday, May 3, for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs on the dirt. The older fillies and mares get their turn on Saturday, May 17 in the Shuvee Handicap (GII), to be contested at a mile over the main track. Also on their race menu is the Vagrancy Handicap (GII) on Sunday, May 25.
Turf stakes action also heats up in May! The storied Sheepshead Bay Handicap (GII) will be run Saturday, May 24. This race is a true test of stamina with a distance of 1-3/8 miles. The great mare Honey Ryder won the last two renditions, but with her retirement, a new winner will emerge. 3-year-old fillies get their chance to shine on the grass in the Sands Point (GII) on Saturday, May 31.
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 Dime Savings Bank is now an official partner of The New York Racing Association. For customer convenience, Dime ATM machines are now located onsite at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course. In business since 1864, Dime has 23 branches throughout Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and the Bronx. “Beyond the seven-figure investment, the partnership between Dime and NYRA is an excellent example of two organizations cross-leveraging assets to the mutual benefit of their constituent and customer base," said Gavin Landry, NYRA Senior Vice President of Sales & Market Development. "We are delighted to have Dime as a strategic partner and look forward to a long and successful relationship."
 The Max Kellerman Show on 1050 ESPN Radio, the "Sports Talk of New York," will be broadcast live from Belmont Park on opening day, Wednesday, April 30. Join Max's Army in the Belmont Backyard from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for the live broadcast! Max and Brian Kenny will help kick off Belmont's spring meet with great sports talk and entertainment.
 The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales are coming to Belmont Park! These equine icons will be on display for fans to see and interact with from Wednesday, May 7 through Sunday, May 11. During their stay on Long Island, the Clydesdales will also be taking part in Floral Park’s 75th Anniversary Parade on Saturday, May 10.
 Exercise for a cause! Join the Walk for St. Mary’s Kids, scheduled for Sunday, May 18 at Belmont Park. The event features a non-competitive half-mile or three mile walk to benefit programs and services for the children of St. Mary’s Healthcare System. Registration opens 7:30 a.m. at the Marquee and the actual walk will commence at 9:00 a.m. More information about this great charity function is available here. As is the case on every Sunday at Belmont Park, there will also be Family Fun Day events for the kids to enjoy, including games, face-painting, crafts, and more!
 The Rags to Riches Belmont Bash, hosted by The New York Racing Association and The Jockey Club, will be held Thursday, June 5, at The Clubhouse at Meadowbrook Pointe in Westbury, N.Y. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the Belmont Child Care Association. Tickets are $250. The Bash, named after 2007 Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches, will feature a charity casino, dinner, and musical entertainment by the Faze 4 Orchestra. Live and silent auctions will be held and will feature, among many other items: an all-inclusive trip to Las Vegas, a VIP trip to the 25th anniversary of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park in October, and Rags to Riches’ halter with a framed photograph of the 2007 Belmont Stakes winner signed by trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez. Online registration and donations for the Bash are available at the Belmont Child Care Association website.
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 Each month we’ll take a trip to the backstretch and visit with a different jockey or trainer. This month we had a chance to sit down with trainer Gary Contessa. He dominated Aqueduct’s inner track meet with a record-setting 82 wins (breaking his own mark), 30 more than his closest competitor. In addition, Contessa’s horses earned more than $3.4 million in purse money for the meet.
Gary Contessa makes his residence in Petersburg, NY with his wife Jennifer. They have three sons, Vincent, Joseph, and Raymond and two daughters, Elizabeth and Caroline.
Q: Do you remember your first win as a trainer?
I sure do, and it is an interesting story. John Campo became a very close friend of mine, and on the day that I went on my own he sent me eight horses to train. His advice was, “When you go on your own, you make sure that the first horse that you run wins.” Well I took that to heart, and the first horse I ran was one he had given me named Legendary Wealth. He won first time out, and sure enough everybody noticed me. When that meet was over I had 40 horses.
Q: What was it like when Do It With Style became your first GI winner at Keeneland in 1991?
It was awesome because that filly had run against Meadow Star in the Comely at Aqueduct. I told Julie Krone that she did not like the whip. Well, Do It With Style was winning by five lengths at the top of the stretch, but Julie brought out the whip and she ended up losing. In the Ashland I decided that I would run her with no whip, and she won by the narrowest of margins under Shane Sellers. She became the first filly to ever win a graded race without a whip. It was especially meaningful because I had the courage to stand by my convictions and make the right decision. Sometimes you have to take chances to achieve greatness.
Q: What are your major goals in horse racing? Aside from the obvious Triple Crown Races and the Breeders Cup, are there any specific races that would mean a lot for you to win?
My major goal is to just stay on the map. The greatest fear I have is that I will fade into the margins and go out as a struggling trainer. When I leave this sport, I want to be on top of my game. If I can keep this success going and keep my owners happy, that is really all I want. Winning Move Stable is a very important part of my success right now.
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 Get ready to enjoy a new look NYRA Rewards Internet Wagering! Changes have begun to enhance your wagering experience; just log in and see the difference yourself. Notice the new saddlecloth colors and integrated odds in the program page. Take a shot at a Pick 3 and see morning line odds for all future races in a single wagering page. Continue to browse around and find even more enhancements, but this is not the end, so stay tuned!
No minimum balance & earn cash back, just two of the best things NYRA Rewards offer to you! Add in no transaction fees and wagering seven days a week...what more can a horseplayer want? Well, how about last year’s Breeders’ Cup Party at Aqueduct, an exclusive invitational event. However, we need current contact info to get you future promotional details. Visit here for an account update form and reply today.
To apply for a NYRA Rewards account, visit here. Online wagering is currently available to residents of New York State only.
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 Tale of Ekati is the featured attraction for this month’s computer wallpaper and race replay. Trained by Barclay Tagg, this 3-year-old colt rated behind a blistering pace and eventually wore down 2-year-old champion War Pass to win the Wood Memorial (GI) at Aqueduct Racetrack on April 5. He gets his chance for glory in the upcoming Kentucky Derby on May 3. Click on the picture of this star colt to access the goodies
 This month we are proud to bring you a special podcast with Hal Handel, NYRA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. We sat down to chat with him about future plans for The New York Racing Association, including the new renovations to Belmont Park. Click on the icon in this section to hear the podcast.
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