New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. February 2011 New York Breeder Leading sire Posse New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. NEW YORK THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS INC. President: Barry R. Ostrager Vice President: Thomas J. Gallo III New York Breeder Secretary-Treasurer: Vivien Malloy Directors: February 2011 Jerry Bilinski, D.V.M. Chester Broman CONTENTS Lois Engel John Thomas McMahon Joanne Nielsen Executive Director’s letter..............................4 Suzie O’Cain News .............................................................8 Shirl Penney Dr. Chris Purdy NYRA acts quickly to stem losses brought about by the closing of Directors Emeritus: New York City Off-Track Betting; a committee will soon submit a John Nerud report about the future of off-track betting to new Gov. Andrew Paul A. Schosberg Cuomo; the New York Thoroughbred Breeders board of directors Staff: has voted to re-elect its current slate of officers Executive Director: Jeffrey A. Cannizzo Posse rounds up a championship .................12 Executive Assistant: Paula Hayes Communications Manager: Sarah Mace Vinery New York newcomer Posse in 2010 reigns as champion general, juvenile sire 57 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Pedigree Profile: Rightly So..........................18 Telephone: (518) 587-0777 • Fax: (518) 587-1551 E-mail: [email protected] Rightly So blossoms in New York Website: www.nytbreeders.org Racing Roundup ..........................................22 Final Mesa collects her first graded stakes victory in Gulfstream’s Old Hat THOROUGHBRED TIMES CO. INC. Chairman: Norman Ridker New York-bred stakes winners.....................26 President and Editor: Mark Simon A look at New York-bred runners who won stakes in December Deputy Editor: Steve Bailey and January Contributing Editor: Don Clippinger Sires of winners ...........................................28 Copy Editors: Deanna Bowden Sires of New York-bred and -sired runners who won non-claiming Art and Production: Jeanette Vance (Art Director), races; plus sires of all juvenile winners Laura Lacy (Production Manager), Betty Gee, LaDonna Murphy, Tami Zigo Leading Fund winners .................................29 Advertising Sales: Hal Moss Leading owners and breeders award earners in 2010 Advertising Staff: Shelli Baker New York breeders by earnings....................30 Editorial, Advertising, Production, and Business Leading breeders of New York-breds by domestic and foreign Offices: purses in 2010 2008 Mercer Road, Lexington, KY 40511 Telephone: (859) 260-9800 • Fax: (859) 260-9812 Leading owners, trainers, jockeys ................31 E-mail: [email protected] Leading owners, trainers, and jockeys by domestic and foreign Website: www.thoroughbredtimes.com earnings of state-breds in 2010 General sire list............................................32 Statistics provided herein are compiled by Thoroughbred Times Co. Inc. from data supplied by Jockey Club Information Systems Inc., Daily Racing Form Inc., and Equi- Leading New York-based sires base Co. Data provided or compiled by Jockey Club Information Systems Inc. generally is accurate, but occasionally errors and omissions occur as a result of incorrect data re- ceived from others, mistakes in processing, and other causes. The Jockey Club Informa- Calendar of events .......................................34 tion Systems Inc. disclaims responsibility for the consequences, if any, of such errors but Upcoming stakes, sales, and events in New York would appreciate it being called to their attention. Information as to races, race results, earnings, and other statistical data for races run subsequent to December 31, 1990, was obtained from Equibase Co. and is utilized only with permission of the copyright owner. Such information for periods prior to January 1, 1991, was obtained from Daily Cover Image: Posse Racing Form Inc. Information pertaining to pedigree and production records contained Photo by: PhotosByZ.com herein is copyright the Jockey Club Information Systems Inc. 4 NEW YORK BREEDER February 2011 The year ahead by Jeffrey A. Cannizzo, Executive Director New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. Dear Breeders, being crunched, but it is clear that breeders will Little by little, the days are starting to get longer be receiving much more in 2010 holdback money here in wintry Saratoga Springs, nature’s expres- than anyone—including me—imagined possible sion of what I believe is going on with our industry after the vicissitudes of last year. The Fund and I here in New York: It will be a while until spring will provide full details very soon. and summer, but our darkest days are behind us. We already are hard at work on our 2011 leg- On the racing front, the New York Racing As- islative agenda and mapping out Lobby Days. We sociation is holding its own in the post-New York will be seeking whatever can be salvaged for the City Off-Track Betting Corp. era. A good number Fund from the bankruptcy of New York City OTB of New York City OTB patrons are going to Aque- and supporting any proposal to investigate the im- duct for live racing or to the upgraded Belmont pact on breeders of accepting out-of-state advance Café. deposit wagering in the state. Participation in the NYRA Rewards program and Another area of interest will be looking at poten- NYRA’s phone betting system both have increased tial agricultural tax benefits/relief for Thorough- dramatically. NYRA also is now streaming races JEFFREY A. CANNIZZO bred farm owners and breeders. As we did last live from Aqueduct. Numbers are fluid due to the year, we will be working to update and stream- winter break at Aqueduct between Christmas and New Year, line Fund statute. but NYRA officials are guardedly optimistic. You should remember Finally, as you already know, I am participating in discussions that the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development with the Fund and representatives from the racetracks about the Fund’s share of the on-track handle is proportionately greater future shape of racing in New York in the post-video lottery ter- than its share of what it received from New York City OTB minals era. I soon will be distributing a survey to solicit breeders’ handle. input on important issues involving the past and future structure Probably most important to you in the short term is great news of the award system. about the Fund’s payment of 2010 awards. The numbers are still Best wishes for the brighter days to come. 6 NEW YORK BREEDER Febuary 2011 New York News NYRA moves quickly to stem OTB losses After shutdown, quick action on NYRA Rewards, buses, Belmont Cafe, and television New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.’s shutdown at midnight on December 7 was not the result that the New York Racing As- sociation had sought or wanted. Indeed, NYRA had supported its reorganization plan as a member of the bankruptcy creditors’ committee and in the New York Assembly. But New York’s ingrained brinkmanship politics always is un- predictable, and NYRA’s management had a game plan in hand in case the shutdown occurred, which happened when the state Senate failed to approve the reorganization plan earlier on De- cember 7. NYRA’s game plan had several components, and within hours of the shutdown some pieces were already being put in place. The major components were: • Easy access to NYRA Rewards, the racing organization’s on- line wagering system; • Launching full-card simulcast wagering at Belmont Park’s Belmont Café; • Moving former New York City OTB patrons to the tracks Adam Coglianese/NYRA photo through charter bus services; and NYRA REWARDS • Restoring television access to NYRA races through the city’s The shutdown of New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. has cable system and live video streaming. more people joining NYRA Rewards or visiting simulcast The goal ultimately is to build a combination of convenience outlets at New York racetracks wagering and television signals to penetrate the five New York City boroughs and to reach beyond the immediate metropolitan Because NYRA received a relatively small slice of the OTB wa- area—the largest in the U.S.—and extend throughout the state. gering, roughly 2.5%, NYRA officials calculated that they needed The need to act quickly was compelling. New York City OTB to capture 35% of the OTB traffic to regain revenues from that channeled $243-million in wagers to NYRA each year, slightly share of the market. Bets on-track and through NYRA Rewards more than 10% of its $2.3-billion annual handle. provide approximately 10% each to purses and the track operation. The effort still is in its first 100 days, and it is too early to mea- sure its success. But track officials said more than 1,500 bettors have signed up for NYRA Rewards since the push began in early NYTB schedules December. The first steps taken by NYRA were to make NYRA Rewards online season auction more accessible through instant sign-ups, either at the track or New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. will conduct its online, and permitting immediate deposits into the accounts. Si- annual stallion-season auction February 3-7. multaneously, NYRA opened Belmont to full-card simulcasting The Thursday-through-Monday auction will be held online at the Café. using the Starquine bidding platform at www.starquine.com Those changes required action by the New York State Racing and will feature a rich mix of seasons to Kentucky, New York, and Wagering Board, which quickly moved to grant approvals. and other regional stallions. The Belmont Café opened on December 12, and the instant sign- The annual auction supports the New York Thoroughbred ups for NYRA Rewards started three days later. Breeders and its political action committee in promoting the To attract new NYRA Rewards members, double rebates were welfare of New York’s Thoroughbred industry and ensuring offered for the first three months of 2011 to new sign-ups, rang- that the state’s breeders are heard in discussions and debates ing from a minimum of 2.5% on monthly wagers exceeding affecting the breeding and racing industry.