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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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 Celebrate Independence Day Weekend at Belmont Park with a great giveaway item, a mouth-watering barbeque, and world-class thoroughbred racing! On Friday, July 4th, all fans will receive a free Cooler Bag with paid admission, while supplies last. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, fans are welcome to create their own barbeque in the Belmont backyard. And of course, the graded stakes will sizzle! There are four of them - the First Flight Handicap (GII) and the Tom Fool (GII) on Friday, the Prioress (GI) on Saturday and the Dwyer (GII) on Sunday.
 Be sure to check out the Saratoga Race Course website for all of the new promotions, restaurant offerings, wagering menus, and much, much more that will be featured during the upcoming meet. One of the exciting new aspects of this year's Saratoga experience is that NYRA will offer Saratoga Restaurant Row, which highlights some of Saratoga Springs’ favorite restaurants right on track! Located in the courtyard near the Executive Offices, fans will be able to take a break from the day’s betting fun by feasting on special house items, ranging in price from $4.00 - $7.00.  Join the Saratoga Preferred Access (S.P.A.) program and enjoy VIP service and hospitality for the duration of the 2008 Saratoga Meet. The S.P.A. program offers guests an ultra-exclusive opportunity to obtain unparalleled access to Saratoga Race Course. Situated at the finish line, the S.P.A. hospitality area offers a coveted, air-conditioned location for the entire meet. Guests will enjoy a direct view of the finish line and the winner's circle while enjoying the finest cuisine on the racetrack. Click here to see all of the great benefits that S.P.A. members will enjoy!
 The Open House, Saratoga Race Course’s signature summer preview party, is scheduled for Sunday, July 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This free event is the ultimate family festival, featuring a full day of games, activities, live music, great food, pony rides, behind-the-scene tours, mascots, handicapping seminars, and non-wagering horse racing. Don’t miss out on this sensational day of fun and entertainment!
 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Day, on Saturday, July 26, features more than $2 million in purses, marking the richest day of the meet. Breeders’ Cup Challenge races on Saturday are comprised of the Whitney Handicap (GI), the Diana (GI), the Go For Wand Handicap (GI), and the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (GII). All of these star-studded races will serve as automatic qualifying races for the corresponding Breeders’ Cup divisional championship races to be run at Santa Anita in October.
 We’ll help you “cap” off July with the Saratoga Baseball Cap Giveaway on Sunday, July 27! These sharp-looking lids will be free with paid admission, while supplies last. Speaking of hats, the “crowning” achievement of opening weekend, the 17th Annual Hat Contest, will also be held on July 27. The region’s most creative, fashionable, and spirited fans can don their most decorative headpieces for a competition with prizes worth hundreds of dollars. For contest information, call (518) 584-6200.
 Belmont Park is the place to be for the Party at the Park on Friday afternoons and evenings from June 13 – July 18! A lively atmosphere is highlighted by drink specials from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. and a live concert series from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. The gates open at 11:00 a.m. for simulcasting, there is no admission charged before 1:00 p.m., and the special sunset racing post time is at 3:00 p.m. The Party continues at Saratoga Race Course on Friday, July 25 and Friday, August 29.
 Every Sunday at Belmont Park is a Family Fun Day! The Belmont backyard is transformed into a magical wonderland for kids, featuring a petting zoo, miniature golf, comedy troupes, magicians, pony rides, face painters, balloon clusters, and much more. All the events are free except for a $1.00 donation per pony ride to benefit the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.).
 Play the fastest Pick 6 in racing! It's the new Sixty Minute 6, and it runs every Saturday through August 30. The wager consists of 6 races during a 60-minute span from four different racetracks: Belmont Park or Saratoga Race Course, Delaware Park, Monmouth Park, and Philadelphia Park. Weekly details can be found on the Sixty Minute 6 website. |
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 The racing action is scorching hot in July, both at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course! The Saratoga racing meet starts on Wednesday, July 23 and features graded races on 23 out of the 36 live race days. Opening day signals the start in earnest of the 2-year-old stakes season, with the Schuylerville (GIII), run at six furlongs on the dirt for juvenile fillies. The young colts get their chance on Thursday, July 24 with the Sanford (GIII), for 2-year-olds going six furlongs on the dirt.
 The month's marquee day is Saturday, July 26, featuring the $750,000 Whitney Handicap (GI). This prestigious race, contested by 3-year-olds & up going 1-1/8 mile on the dirt, always draws an elite field of top-class thoroughbreds. Lawyer Ron demolished the Whitney field in 2007, while Invasor used a victory in the 2006 rendition as a springboard to winning the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.
Saratoga’s stellar July 26 card also includes two premier races for fillies and mares. The turf stars take center stage in the $500,000 Diana (GI), run at a distance of 1-1/8 mile, while the dirt lovers go for glory in the Go For Wand Handicap (GI), also run at 1-1/8 mile. Not to be forgotten that day are the sprinters, who will battle it out in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (GII) at six furlongs on the dirt.
The action continues that weekend on Sunday, July 27 with the vaunted $500,000 Jim Dandy (GII) for 3-year-olds going 1-1/8 mile on the dirt. Always one of the top prep races for Saratoga’s crown jewel, the $1,000,000 Travers Stakes (GI), presented by Shadwell Farm, the Jim Dandy was won last year by Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense.
 Belmont Park serves up terrific Grade I racing on each of the first three Saturdays in July. The first on the calendar is the Prioress (GI) on Saturday, July 5. This premier event for 3yo filly dirt sprinters was won last year by the exceptionally fast Dream Rush. The long turf lovers will get their chance to shine on Saturday, July 19 in the $500,000 Man o’ War (GI), contested at 1-3/8 mile on the lush Belmont turf course. The final Grade I race of the Belmont Spring racing meet is the celebrated Coaching Club American Oaks (GI), held on Saturday, July 19 for 3-year-old fillies going a classic distance of 1-1/4 mile on the dirt.
Friday, July 4 features a great day of explosive graded action at Belmont Park to celebrate our nation’s independence! It’s a showcase for the sprinters, with the Tom Fool Handicap (GII) for 3-year-olds & up and the First Flight Handicap (GII) for fillies and mares. Both of these grueling tests are run at seven furlongs over the Belmont dirt track, and will feature the fastest horses the sport has to offer.
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 The New York Racing Association, the world’s premier thoroughbred racetrack owner and operator, recently announced sponsorship agreements with four elite companies: NetJets, UPS, Woodford Reserve, and glacéau vitaminwater.
 “These partnerships signal a new era for The New York Racing Association,” said Gavin Landry, NYRA Senior Vice President, Sales and Market Development. “We offer world-class thoroughbred racing, and it is only natural to align our interests with companies who share our dedication and commitment to providing similarly superior goods and services. The acquisition of premier sponsors enables us to reinvest dollars in the improvement of the already unmatched racing and fan experience put forward by The New York Racing Association.”
 NYRA’s partnership with NetJets Inc. gives the world’s leading private aviation company an extensive, multi-tiered presence at Saratoga Race Course for the 2008 racing season. The deal includes under-the-rail signage, hospitality, and race sponsorship of the August 23 NetJets King’s Bishop, the world’s premier Grade I dirt sprint for three-year-olds.
 The sponsorship agreement with UPS means that from start to finish, every race for the remainder of the Belmont Park Spring race meeting will be stamped with UPS’ globally-respected and instantly recognizable logo. The Belmont Park starting gate and stretch drive will be adorned with trademark UPS signage.
 NYRA’s two-year partnership with Woodford Reserve makes its superb spirit the official bourbon of the Belmont Stakes and of Belmont Park. The deal also includes hospitality elements and race sponsorship of the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap, the premier Belmont Stakes Day Grade I turf race.
 NYRA also served up a partnership with glacéau vitaminwater, including on-track signage at Belmont Park through the end of the Spring race meeting, which concludes on July 20. The leader of the enhanced water category, glacéau vitaminwater also became the race sponsor for the glacéau vitaminwater Acorn Stakes, the premier Belmont Stakes Day Grade I dirt race for 3-year-old fillies.
 On-track wagering on Belmont Stakes Day races totaled $13,233,071 for the 13-race presentation, a 49.6 percent increase over $8,843,720 in 2007. While this year’s total fell short of the record Belmont Stakes Day on-track handle of $14,461,402 in 2004 when Birdstone beat Smarty Jones to end his bid for the Triple Crown, it was the second highest on-track handle in the history of the Belmont Stakes.
 The 139th Travers Stakes (GI), presented by Shadwell Farm, scheduled for August 23, finds itself in a literary spotlight this summer, thanks to a new book by Vic Zast – the first book devoted entirely to the country’s oldest thoroughbred race. “The History and Art of 25 Travers” includes the author’s personal recollections of the Travers from 1986 to 2007 plus accounts of legendary Travers in 1930 (Jim Dandy), 1962 (Jaipur and Ridan) and 1978 (Alydar and Affirmed). The 144-page book is 9” x 12” in size and has 60,000 words of text, over 120 color photographs and all the Greg Montgomery Travers posters (26 in all) with artist’s notes and illustrations. Newly-elected Hall of Fame honoree Carl Nafzger, trainer of Street Sense – last year’s Travers winner, wrote the Foreword. Shipping and handling is FREE for On The Lead readers who order at the book's website. |
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 It was a long and arduous road that led trainer David Prine to the Belmont Park winner’s circle on Saturday, May 24. While working in 1999 as a chef in Louisville, KY., Prine was nearly killed during a kitchen gas explosion. He was left paralyzed on one side and unable to speak. After enduring years of physical therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, and several surgeries, he slowly learned how to walk again, and how to talk again.
As a teenager, Prine had worked as a hot walker at his local racetrack, and three years after the accident he decided to try and become a trainer. After incredible perseverance, he received his official trainer’s license this past March. The first horse he sent to the races was Halation, a 4-year-old New York-bred gelding, on May 24. Despite being sent off as a prohibitive long shot at 72/1, Halation beat the odds, just like his trainer, and emerged victorious. It was literally the stuff that dreams are made from.
Q: How did you first become involved with horses?
As a kid, I was always involved with animals in some way or another. Whenever I came across an injured animal in the wild, be it a squirrel, raccoon, or whatever, I would bring it home to help it recover. Horses have always amazed me. Even while I was studying to become a chef, I had it in the back of my mind that I might want to get involved with them eventually. That’s why I took a job at a restaurant in Kentucky. I figured it was a great place to make a living and also have more interaction and involvement with thoroughbreds. After I got hurt, I told myself that if I ever recovered, I was going to get involved with horses. The accident was a heck of a way to wake up to that realization, but that’s what happened.
Q: Why do you love being around the horses so much?
I love being around horses because of their bravery, their character, and their honesty in living. They are a profile in courage. It sounds weird, but when I am around them, it makes me a better being. The elements that we are missing as people, horses have always had, and have never lost. In general I believe that animals were put on this planet to remind us of how we should be. I don’t know any human being that doesn’t feel better when they are around their pets, and that’s how I feel about my horses.
Q: What do you remember about the accident in 1999?
I remember walls of flame and I thought I was standing on the Sun, or on Mars. It was almost as if I was dreaming the entire thing. It was a complete nightmare. But then I felt the heat and realized it’s not a dream, I’m on fire. I was literally inside a ball of flames. There was nothing but red, orange, yellow, and then my system just fading out. I really couldn’t tell you if I was fading out or if I was melting. It was horrifying.
Q: As a chef, do you feed your horses any special recipes?
I do have some special recipes that my horses really enjoy. They get the best available nutrients, electrolytes, and vitamins. Let’s just say that my feed bills aren’t cheap! They eat mainly the same stuff over the course of the week, but I routinely make slight menu adjustments. I can tell you this, my horses are excited about getting fed and are always looking forward to it. The feed tubs are spotless when they’re done with them. My horses are living the life as far as their menus are concerned. I actually enjoy cooking for the horses more than I did for people in the restaurant. 
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 July is a great month to be in the NYRA Rewards program, with the arrival of Express Funding! It is the new way to instantly fund your wagering account, up to $500 per day. The inconvenience of carrying cash and the days of paying credit card transaction fees are over. With Express Funding, members that make electronic check deposits receive immediate credits to their wagering account. No more waiting for checks to clear! You can request electronic check deposits using our telephone system at 1-800-THE-NYRA. Express Funding enrollment is free! Daily and weekly limits apply.
 Reward yourself with additional cash back in the Earn a Cool $500 promotion! It's as simple as signing up for a NYRA Rewards account and earning 20,000 points during the specified month period. This phenomenal bonus is in addition to any normal cash back earned according to the NYRA Rewards schedule. Only new NYRA Rewards members are eligible. Click here for details.
Do you have a NYRA Rewards account? Open seven days a week, with no minimum balance, no wagering fees, and CASH BACK rewards, now is the time to sign up and start enjoying racing’s finest wagering platform offering unparalleled privileges. Wager more, and earn more cash back. It’s that simple!
Click here for the NYRA Rewards schedule. To apply for a NYRA Rewards account, visit here. Internet wagering is currently available to residents of New York State only.
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