April 14, 2021

Dear Horsemen,

Last evening, there was a barn fire at Belmont Park. The NYRA press release has the details and you can read them HERE.

We want to express condolences to trainer Wayne Potts and the owners of  American Sailor and Beastie D, the two horses that perished. Their loss is a tragedy.

We’d also like to express great admiration for the courage shown by our backstretch community. Faced with a situation where ordinary people would flee, our trainers and their staff, along with NYRA security, ran towards the fire. In the midst of smoke and flames, 58 horses were freed from stalls and quickly transferred to other barns throughout the facility. Great thanks are also due to the Elmont Fire Department for their rapid response.

NYTHA is here to assist the horsemen affected, but we should all be thinking about them and the community that we have in the backstretch.

Sincerely,

Joe