It didn’t come without a lot of hard work and dozens of meetings, but the horsemen’s issues included in the New York Budget bill give us a lot to celebrate. We are thrilled to have our voting rights on the NYRA Board back, that’s as it should be. Even more important, the bill mandates a […]
Letter from the President: All Aboard!
ALL ABOARD! The National Uniform Medication Program (sadly nicknamed NUMP) is moving. We can all agree it should be moving faster, but at least it is heading around the far turn and into the stretch. In comparison, federal intervention has not even assembled behind the starting gate. What can we do to urge NUMP to […]
Letter from the President: Rising Cost of Workers’ Comp Insurance
The cost of doing business in New York State is skyrocketing. The premiums for Workers’ Compensation Insurance in New York have risen more than 100% since 2012; trainers will pay on average 25.32% of their total payroll for Workers’ Comp Insurance in 2017 – that’s up from 12.43% five years ago. The New York Thoroughbred […]
Letter from the President: Trainer Survey
TRAINER SURVEY Two issues were at the forefront of the conversation at a Trainers’ Meeting held June 18 at Belmont Park – the condition book and the cost of pellet bedding. NYTHA has created a poll in order to gather the information necessary to address the horsemen’s concerns on these issues. Please click the link […]
Letter from the President: Synthetic Track at Aqueduct
SYNTHETIC TRACK AT AQUEDUCT? During the May 3 meeting of the New York Racing Franchise Oversight Board, it was announced that the New York Racing Association has discussed the possibility of installing a synthetic surface at Aqueduct to replace the inner dirt track. Do you support this plan? The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association has created […]
Letter from the President: Statement on Equine Injury Database
THA and NYTHA President Rick Violette Jr. Statement on Equine Injury Database News: “The Equine Injury Database statistics released today, which revealed a 14% decrease in equine fatalities for 2015, was encouraging news. We applaud the work of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, which was formed in 2008 and, with the cooperation of the accredited racetracks, has […]
Letter from the President: NYJICF Plan for 2016
The Jockey Injury Compensation Fund has released its 2016 Workers’ Compensation Premium Assessment and Formula. Click here for the details of the JICF plan. Addressing the concerns of New York’s horsemen on the issue, NYTHA President Rick Violette Jr. said, “The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the Jockey Injury Compensation Fund are once again working together on […]
Letter from The President: Spring, 2015
The winter from Hell! Cold, wet, windy, snow, ice; colder, wetter, windier, more snow, more ice. And did I mention it was really cold? At Aqueduct, we had 16 full-card cancellations, and we lost part of another, all the result of the worst winter New York has experienced in more than 50 years. But the […]
Letter from The President: Fall, 2014
My father used to tell me stories when I was young—like lots of fathers do with lots of sons. Sometimes there was a message, other times he was trying to be a comedian. His attempts at humor were often so bad that they ended up being hysterically funny—just […]
Letter from The President: Spring, 2014
MAKING PROGRESS There have been a host of voices raised lately berating our industry for its lack of progress on medication reform. Those broadcasting that position simply are not telling it like it is. Here is the real story. We are not standing still. We are not sitting on our […]
Letter from the President: Workers’ Comp Refunds, Discounts and Credits
ATTENTION TRAINERS: YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO REFUNDS, DISCOUNTS OR CREDITS FROM YOUR WORKERS’ COMP INSURANCE CARRIER When was the last time you had your Workers’ Compensation Insurance policy reviewed? Navigating the details of class codes and mod rates can be difficult for even the best bookkeepers and accountants. You could be entitled to discounts […]
Letter from the President: The Workers’ Comp Crisis
WORKERS’ COMP CRISIS Starting Jan. 1, 2014, the Workers’ Compensation rates covering the employees of the racing industry in New York will increase by 50%. The Class Code, which is set by the New York Compen-sation Insurance Rating Board to classify the degree of workplace risk exposure for different jobs, has been raised from 13.2% […]
