Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund's last Public Listening Session is Thursday, March 30th at Saratoga Casino Hotel from 11AM-2PM. The Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund's public listening session is to solicit feedback regarding the continued success of standardbred racing in New York. Governor Kathy Hochul directed the Fund “to review the program and provide … any recommended changes.” The Fund is inviting standardbred industry stakeholders and interested members of the public to attend the session and provide input that will help guide decisions for the overall success of the program. The session is free and open to the public. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP within 24 hours of a session by emailing info@nysirestakes.com. Those looking to submit material for discussion should also contact the above email address as soon as possible.
Last year, the Governor vetoed a bill that would have expanded participation in NYS Sire Stakes to be consistent with other states by permitting only the mare by physically located in NYS for breeding purposes, citing a need to review NY's Sire Stakes and breeding programs more comprehensively.
We believe the Governor is now also looking for a review of purse structures and industry participants' revenue, whether the VLT program has worked and is still working, as well as the "real" economic impacts from racing and the effects of attendance and on-track handle.
Purse payment to the racing industry could disappear, therefore it is essential that anyone that earns a living in our industry makes their voice heard!