Cuomo: New York Tracks Approved to Open by June 1

Horse racing in New York took a major step May 16 toward resumption, when New York Gov. Andrew  Cuomo announced racetracks may begin to conduct spectatorless racing June 1.

In response to Cuomo's May 16 directive, which covers Thoroughbred and Standardbred tracks, the New York Racing Association did not immediately release an opening day date for Belmont Park. Instead, NYRA said it will announce in the "very near future" items such as a start-up date, stakes schedule, and condition book.

That announcement is expected to come early next week after NYRA receives the necessary approvals from the New York State Gaming Commission. Also anticipated is information on the Belmont Stakes (G1), which is currently scheduled for June 6 but could be run on a revised date and at a shorter distance than the traditional 1 1/2 miles. 

"We are more nuanced in our analysis, looking for economic activities that you can start without crowds and without gatherings," Cuomo said Saturday in his daily COVID-19 briefing. "Remember, the problem here are crowds and gatherings. So what can you do? Or what economic activity is willing to reopen without a crowd? They're talking about this in terms of sports. You can have baseball without a crowd, but it can still be televised. Great. You can have economic activity without a crowd, that's great.

"We can do that in this state with horse racing tracks, and we're going to do that. There will be guidelines for the actual participants, but no crowds, no fans. But for the industry itself, for the televised viewers, that can still work."

"NYRA and the New York racing community are thankful for Governor Cuomo's steady leadership throughout this public health crisis and we applaud his decision to authorize the resumption of horse racing, without fans, beginning on June 1," NYRA president and CEO Dave O'Rourke said in a statement. "This is a reasoned and responsible decision by Governor Cuomo that will enable horse racing to resume in a way that prioritizes health and safety while recognizing that NYRA is the cornerstone of an industry responsible for 19,000 jobs and $3 billion in annual economic impact."

O'Rourke said NYRA has enacted a safety plan with extensive protocols that have kept the racing community at Belmont Park as safe as possible while they have cared for and trained the horses stabled there during the pandemic.

"NYRA has developed a comprehensive safety plan that builds on our experience of operating training safely and responsibly during the pandemic, and includes extensive protocols to keep our community safe," O'Rourke said. "With this safety plan in place, NYRA will announce race dates and a corresponding stakes schedule for the 2020 spring/summer meet at Belmont Park in the very near future."

The news that racing can resume served as a lifeline for NYRA's wintertime owners and trainers whose horses have been unable to race for two months after racing was suspended following three days of races without fans March 13-15 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

New York City and Nassau County—where Aqueduct and Belmont Park are located—have been ravaged by COVID-19 with a combined total of more than 233,000 confirmed cases and 22,000 deaths. One of those was 63-year-old Martin Zapata, a Belmont Park backstretch worker for trainer Tom Morley who died April 7.

As of May 13 at Belmont Park, there were 18 backstretch workers in quarantine and 47 workers who have been released from quarantine, with no current hospitalizations.

"We really needed this, and we're all relieved," said Linda Rice, who was the top trainer at the shortened Aqueduct winter meet with 40 wins from 196 starters. "The timing also gives us enough time to get our horses ready for the first day of racing."

For New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association president Joe Appelbaum, who said the past few months have been "exhausting, harrowing, and filled with ups and down," the governor's announcement came after many long hours spent by NYTHA and NYRA officials establishing safety measures and lobbying for the resumption of the sport in an area that was an epicenter for COVID-19. 

"Our people are gratified. We've been working as hard as we can to keep things as safe as possible on the backstretch. We have some good plans in place. We've been working with the Governor and his staff and team behind the scenes and I'm glad it paid off," he said.

While an exact date for the return of racing was not released, Appelbaum said a June date will fit in nicely with all of the preparation needed to resume the sport.

"Even if they gave us a green light to resume racing today, we couldn't do it. Horses need to be prepped for races. NYRA needs to get a condition book out. The main track has only been open for about five days. There's work to be done to get the whole operation up and running, but at least now our trainers now have something to shoot for," he said. "They can talk to their owners about planning. One of the worst things about this crisis has been the open-ended nature of it. You didn't know when it would end or how bad it be will. There's still things we don't know, but giving us a date to start makes it better and lets us work on things."

The timing of the announcement will no doubt have some trainers scrambling to change plans. 

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart, who has 50 horses stabled in New York, said he inquired about obtaining 60 stalls at Delaware Park but is cancelling those plans.

He also expressed gratitude for the work of NYRA and NYTHA officials in bringing racing back.

"NYRA and NYTHA have done a remarkable job to get ready to get back to racing. I really applaud what David O'Rourke, (NYRA senior vice president for racing operations) Martin Panza and Joe Appelbaum have done. It was a phenomenal job. It was never a question of them trying to get the wheels in motion. They were exhausting every avenue to resume racing," said Englehart amidst what he called "a celebration " at his Saratoga home.

Englehart also campaigns a string of horses at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack in Farmington, N.Y. The backside there could open for training June 1, according to Finger Lakes HBPA president Chris Vaccaro, but a new date for the spring meet, originally slated to begin April 25, could be a while in coming due to the track's reliance upon revenue from video lottery terminals, or VLTs.

"We're working with Finger Lakes and (track owner) Delaware North on an agreement to start training June 1," Vaccaro said. "We actually were working on that a couple days ago and were going to present our plan to the state this week, but it's pretty much a formality after the governor's announcement.

"The predicament we're in is that we're heavily dependent on VLTs. We can train, but we won't be able to have live racing until the VLTs come on board. If everything goes to plan, that should be in July. I thank Governor Cuomo for allowing tracks to resume operation, that is much appreciated. Hopefully the VLTs can come online sooner rather than later so our horsemen and women can get back to earning a living."

"It will be good to start training there," Englehart said about Finger Lakes. "It will probably take a month and a half to resume racing and with their reliance on its casino for purses, hopefully all of that can be straightened out by then."

Englehart was also thankful for the patience and loyalty of his owners who had  horses in New York that could train but not race during the last two months.

"You also have to give owners a lot of credit for their patience. Any owner could have taken horses away from New York, but there are so many loyal owners. I am blessed to have the owners that I have and I know the hardships they have gone through," he said. "I figure it cost me $200-300,000 without racing. There will still be a struggle for everyone, but at least we're back and we can pick up the pieces and put out a good product so that we can put this behind us one day."

While that moving forward process during the first week in June is not expected to feature the excitement of the 152nd Belmont Stakes (G1), which had been scheduled for June 6, there could be a much more satisfying atmosphere around the historic racetrack.

"It might be a more meaningful week than ever," Appelbaum said. "It may be about survival and redemption and the resilience of New Yorkers."