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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!
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 Don't miss out on the 2009 NYRA Calendar promotion on Thursday, January 1 at Aqueduct. Our calendar sets the standard with fantastic racing images of the world's most exciting horses, including Curlin, Commentator, Vineyard Haven, and many more! The calendar will be FREE with the purchase of a Post Parade or Pocket Program, or it is available with the purchase of a $1 coupon. There will be a limit of five coupons per customer. And if you can't make it out to the track on New Year's Day, the Calendar is available for purchase here at the NYRA Store.
 Please note that there will be live racing at Aqueduct on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 19. Celebrate the holiday with a great day of racing at the track. The card features the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes for 3-year-olds going 6 furlongs on the inner dirt track. Aqueduct will then be dark (but open for simulcasting) on Tuesday, January 20 and Wednesday, January 21.
 It's a FREE for all for the entirety of the Aqueduct meet! When fans arive at Aqueduct, they will find several pricing changes in effect. Aqueduct clubhouse admission is free, a savings of $1.00. The free policy extends to the popular Skyline Club level, which formerly cost an additional $1.00 or a total of $2.00 to enter. General parking is also free, while the $5.00 fee for both clubhouse parking and valet parking represents no net change over last season.
 Aqueduct Racetrack offers dark day simulcasts on Mondays and Tuesdays. Fans will be able to bet at Aqueduct’s second-floor simulcast center, and mutuel clerks, self-service terminals and concession stand service will be available. There is no charge for admission or general parking at Aqueduct for either live racing days (Wednesdays through Sundays) or simulcast-only days. Parking and admission gates will open at 11:30 a.m., with the final simulcast race going off at approximately 6:30 p.m. NYRA Rewards members can also wager seven days a week by phone, online and now through mobile devices such as BlackBerry's, iPhones, and Windows- and Java-based applications.
 Your Event...Our Venue...Imagine the Possibilities! The NYRA Group Sales team has a dedicated website, located at www.nyragroupsales.com. The site features cutting edge graphics and has all the information you need to make your next group or corporate outing a tremendous success. Visit the site right now to get great information on bringing a group of any size to Aqueduct, Belmont Park, or Saratoga.
 The New York Racing Association is proud to be part of the new Global Shoes exhibit at the Long Island Children's Museum. The exhibit explores the everyday world of shoes to introduce children and families to people and places around the world. The bilingual exhibit also features a local component, Neighborhood Soles, displaying shoes associated with Long Island people and professions. Included among those are a horseshoe worn by 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, and Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado's riding boots. Global Shoes will run through January 4, 2009. For additional information, contact 516-224-5800 or visit www.licm.org. |
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 Ring in the New Year with nine exciting stakes races at Aqueduct during the month of January, all on the inner dirt track. The action starts on New Year’s Day as fillies and mares will show off their speed in the Interborough going six furlongs. This race has a stellar honor roll of winners including Oprah Winney in 2007 and of course the brilliant Xtra Heat in 2002.
 The first weekend in January will offer a glimpse at potential Triple Crown contenders with the Count Fleet on Saturday, January 3. The race, for 3-year-olds going 1 mile and 70 yards, was won last year by multiple stakes winner Giant Moon. A victory in the Count Fleet has propelled many colts to success in the Triple Crown races, including Smarty Jones, who fell a length short of sweeping the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont in 2004.
And don’t forget about the 3-year-old fillies! They will get their chance to shine in the Ruthless on Sunday, January 4, going six furlongs, and the Busanda on Saturday, January 10, at the 1 mile 70 yard distance. Both races will feature some of the fastest up-and-coming fillies around, and are not to be missed.
 On Saturday, January 17, Aqueduct will host the first ever running of the Evening Attire, for 3-year-olds & up going 1-1/16 mile. The race was named for the recently retired gray gelding that delighted New York racing fans for more than eight years. He ran at NYRA tracks a total of 58 times (25 at Aqueduct, 21 at Belmont, and 12 at Saratoga) including 14 victories. Evening Attire’s most prestigious win came in the 2002 Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) at Belmont Park.
 The Affectionately on Sunday, January 18 will focus on fillies and mares going 1-1/16 mile. It’s your only chance during the month to see battle-tested older mares go a route of ground in stakes competition. Aqueduct will be open for live racing on Monday, January 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), including the Jimmy Winkfield for 3-year-olds at the six furlong distance. Last year’s running was won by Go Go Shoot.
 The month’s final two stakes races promise to be filled with flashy speed and close competition! The Paumonok, for 3-year-olds & up, is scheduled for Saturday, January 24, while the Correction, for fillies and mares, will be on Saturday, January 31. Both races are six furlongs. Bishop Court Hill went double-dipping with Paumonok victories in 2006 and 2007, while Magnolia Jackson won the 2006 and 2007 versions of the Correction.
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 On Saturday, December 13, the Anna House child-care center at Belmont Park was transformed into a one-of-a-kind mini-mall for the sons and daughters of the backstretch workers so they can do their holiday shopping – for free. For months leading up to the event, local community organizations, churches, youth groups and individuals, as well as the horse-racing community, donated brand-new items including hats, gloves, scarves, sweaters, gift cards and books, enabling hundreds of needy children to select gifts for their parents, siblings and grandparents at no cost to themselves.
 Get up close and personal with the NYRA Jockey Colony! NYRA.com now features Jockey Video Cards. Find out why Alan Garcia loves riding in New York, what Rajiv Maragh's favorite pastime is, what Johnny V's idea of a perfect vacation is, and much, much more. The Jockey Video Card Website will be constantly updated with new faces among the NYRA Jockey Colony.
 NYRA is now on Facebook and MySpace! The pages enable users of those two websites to interact with other NYRA fans, stay updated on NYRA events, view NYRA racing photos, and much more. With more than 60 million users, Facebook’s fastest-growing demographic is those 25 years and older, while MySpace remains the largest social networking site in North America with 110 million monthly users, 85 percent of whom are over the age of 18. Click here to access the NYRA Facebook page, and click here to access the NYRA MySpace page.
 Be sure to check out NYRA Video, the official Youtube channel of The New York Racing Association. This groundbreaking website will host a slew of informative and entertaining NYRA programming, including Trips & Traps, a weekly recap show hosted by Andy Serling and Eric Donovan. The show will highlight races from the prior week that feature interesting horses to watch out for in the coming months.Questions, comments, and suggestions about the show are encouraged, and can be emailed to trips&traps@nyrainc.com. NYRA's Youtube channel also hosts the innovative Jockey Video Cards.
 Help us create a new and enhanced NYRA.com by taking this short and straightforward customer survey! We want to know what are the most important components you would like to see in a new website, from an online search option, to archived news articles, to a cutting edge new look. Our fans are very important to us, and we want you to be part of this very exciting process!
 In order to offer an enhanced wagering menu, Rolling Daily Doubles and additional Superfecta opportunities are available during the Aqueduct Winter Meeting. Superfectas are offered on NYRA races without entries or fields that have at least eight betting interests carded, or seven if a late scratch occurs from paddock to post. |
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 Each month we’ll take a trip to the backstretch and visit with a different jockey or trainer. For this issue, the focus is on Maylan Studart, one of the fresh young female faces on the NYRA jockey scene. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this 19-year-old apprentice rider just recently arrived in the United States. She registered her first New York win in stylish fashion, bringing home Decorated Court at 51-1 on opening day during the 2008 Fall Aqueduct Meet, Wednesday, October 29.
Studart lives with her husband, Mauricio, in Franklin Square, NY.
Q: How did you first get involved with horses?
From a young age, I was involved with show jumping and was always around horses. But in 2005, my family went through some very difficult economic times, and I was forced to stop show jumping. Because I really wanted to still be around horses, I enrolled in the apprentice jockey school in Brazil. Within three months I decided that riding racehorses was what I wanted to do with my life. I sacrificed my social life for horse racing. And I love it.
Q: When did you come to the United States, and what factored into the decision?
I actually lived in California from the ages of 7 to 11. My mom moved there with my stepfather, and I really wanted to be with her. I adopted the American culture for four years. When I was 11, my stepfather became ill and we moved back to Brazil. After a month I wanted to go back to the United States, but my father said no. It took me three years to re-adapt to the way that people live in Brazil. Things in the States are much more correct. There isn’t the high level of corruption that exists in Brazil. In an online conversation, I ended up meeting John DaSilva, a racing columnist for the New York Post. After a year-and-a-half of speaking with him, he introduced me to a trainer in Brazil, JJ Graci, who signed my immigration petition. At that point I knew that I was ready to come back to the States.
Q: Your riding career in the United States began at Calder. What was that experience like?
It was great. I couldn’t believe I was getting paid to ride horses. You see, in Brazil I would ride 15 horses for free in the morning and then usually four in afternoon races. It wasn’t enough to make a decent wage. In that respect, I was thrilled to arrive at Calder. At the start I felt alone, since my husband hadn’t arrived yet, but [jockey] Manoel Cruz really helped me adapt to Calder and to Florida-living in general. He was a fantastic friend and made my Calder experience a comfortable one.
Q: Your first two wins both came at Calder on August 13, and your first stakes win came two weeks later on Got Clearance. How much of a thrill was that?
It’s funny, the first horse I rode at Calder was Got Clearance for Michael Jablow. I had been riding her in the mornings, and kept begging Michael to let me ride for her debut, but the owners were resistant. However, when the overnight came out, I was named as Got Clearance’s jockey! We finished fourth that day, but she won her next two starts, including the stakes races. I am really thankful that Michael let me ride her and for all of the things that he taught me.
Q: The jockey profession is predominantly male. Has it been hard for you to break into the sport?
In Brazil it was very difficult to get noticed as a female jockey. That’s actually why I started to do some modeling. The culture there is so driven by celebrities that modeling was a surefire way to get attention. I consider my time in Brazil as an investment for being able to ride now in the States.  | |  |
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 The new NYRA Rewards Players Club is off to a tremendous start! More than 100 members sampled the Club’s accommodations at the grand opening on Saturday, November 29, 2008. Located in the Sunny Jim Room at Aqueduct, Players Club members can watch the races on a wall of big-screen televisions or on their own individual betting terminals. Access to the Players Club is based on NYRA Rewards account wagering activity, with certain thresholds required to receive a membership card. Entry to the Players Club for members is on first-come, first-serve basis each day. Complimentary coffee service is provided on a regular basis. In the future, quarterly benefits will be rolled out to members based on wagering levels, which will include vouchers for track amenities such as food and beverage, Post Parades, Daily Racing Forms, valet parking, and guest passes.
 Mobile Wagering is the new way to bet the races with NYRA Rewards! With NYRA Rewards Mobile Wagering, you can access account wagering essentials anytime and from anywhere. You can get entries, live odds, race results, and wager on the entire NYRA Rewards simulcast menu. Access is free and available to users of BlackBerry, iPhone, and Windows and Java-based devices. Members must be registered for NYRA Rewards Internet Wagering before using the mobile application. Click here for more information and for instructions. NYRA Rewards Mobile Wagering is specially designed for horseracing fans and as is Powered by SONA! Sona Mobile, Inc. is the leading provider of secure software solutions for gaming and entertainment applications.
With no minimum balance, no wagering fees, express funding, and cash back rewards, now is the time to sign up and start enjoying racing’s finest wagering platform offering unparalleled privileges! To learn more about NYRA Rewards, click here for a brochure. |
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 To ring in the New Year, we caught up with Sammy Grossman, better known as Sammy The Bugler, for an exclusive podcast. Sammy has been the NYRA bugler for more than 15 years, and shared with us some of his favorite experiences at the racetrack, along with some unforgettable stories. Click here to listen to the podcast.
 Researcher is the featured attraction for this month’s computer wallpaper and race replay. The 4-year-old Virginia-bred gelding by Two Smart won the Queens County Handicap (GIII) on Saturday, December 13 at Aqueduct. Trained by Jeff Runco, Researcher shipped in from West Virginia and registered his fourth consecutive victory. Click here to go to the wallpaper and replay download page. | |  |
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