MEDIA ADVISORY/DAYBOOK ITEM: Racing and thoroughbred officials to announce innovative second career program for retired racehorses

MEDIA ADVISORY/DAYBOOK ITEM

 

Racing and thoroughbred officials to announce innovative second career program for retired racehorses

 

WHAT:          The New York Racing Association, Inc., the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. will announce a new program aimed to develop second career opportunities for retired thoroughbreds.

 

WHEN:        Thursday, March 1

                        11 a.m.

                    

WHERE:       National Museum of Racing

                        191 Union Avenue

                        Saratoga Springs, New York

 

WHO:             -Charles Hayward, President and CEO, The New York Racing Association, Inc.

-Rick Violette, Jr., President, The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association

                        -Jeffrey Cannizzo, Executive Director, New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

                        -Adele Einhorn, Executive Director, Skidmore Saratoga Classic Horse Show

                        -Tom Fueston, President, Saratoga Springs Horse Show

-Richard Migliore, Television Analyst, The New York Racing Association, Inc.

 

DETAILS:     The New York Racing Association, Inc., the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. will announce the details of an innovative new program designed to promote second career opportunities for retired racehorses.

 

                        The initiative will simultaneously create new avenues for thoroughbreds after their racing days are over while expanding the demand for the breed in the horse show world.

 

                        A 2011 report by the New York State Task Force on Retired Racehorses estimates that more than 1,600 thoroughbreds will retire from racing each year; 73 percent of which will be between the ages of three to six years old with an average lifespan of 30 years.

 

New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association

For over half a century, the NY Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association has represented the interests of owners and trainers at NYRA tracks. NYTHA was founded with the objective of serving as a collective voice for the broad interests of Thoroughbred horsemen and to improve and increase the effectiveness of its constituents in the day-to-day activities of racing. Today, NYTHA serves as the New York State Racing and Wagering Board's recognized representative of owners and trainers, striving to protect the economic interests of all horsemen and to gain public recognition of horseracing as a vital form of entertainment, deserving of support, protection and preservation. More information is available at www.nytha.com. You can also follow NYTHA on Facebook and Twitter.

 

The New York Racing Association, Inc.

Founded in 1955, and franchised to run thoroughbred racing at New York’s three major tracks (Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course) through 2033, NYRA boasts a lineage that actually stretches back almost 150 years. NYRA tracks are the cornerstone of the state’s thoroughbred business which contributes more than $2 billion annually to New York State’s urban, suburban and rural economy. In 2011, more than 1.8 million people attended the live races at NYRA tracks. Factoring in nationwide off-track wagering, the average daily betting handle on NYRA races totals more than $8.1 million. NYRA has a vast network of websites, including www.nyra.com, www.belmontstakes.com, and www.nyragroupsales.com. You can also follow NYRA on social media platforms Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) is a membership organization founded in 1974 in order to provide those individuals involved in the New York breeding and racing industry with an organization dedicated to the advancement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing in New York State. As the official authorized representative of the Thoroughbred breeding industry in New York State, NYTB is the unified voice of Thoroughbred breeders in the State of New York for purposes of communicating the advantages and rewards of breeding Thoroughbreds in the State and for the purposes of conducting and coordinating activities with breeding and racing associations and agencies. More information is available at the NYTB website, or you can follow NYTB on Facebook.

 

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Mark Bardack or Caitlin Merrill
Ed Lewi Associates
6 Chelsea Place, Clifton Park, NY 12065
P: (518) 383-6183

C: M. Bardack (518) 867-7943 or C. Merrill (518) 867-2440
E: mbardack@edlewi.com or cmerrill@edlewi.com