Vazquez, Potts Among Six Trainers Not Given NYRA Stalls

Six trainers, among them Wayne Potts and Juan Vazquez, have been denied stall space for horses for the upcoming spring meets at Aqueduct Racetrack and Belmont Park, according to the New York Racing Association.

The action does not prohibit the trainers from racing at Aqueduct Racetrack or Belmont Park, only takes away daily stabling. With each meet, at NYRA and elsewhere, racing departments decide which trainers can stable on their backstretches and the number of stalls they can fill with horses. Typically, trainers with the best horses and those with a high ratio of starts-per-stall are given the largest allotments.

Marvin Richards, John McAllen, Luis Miranda, and Michael Simmonds were the other trainers denied stalls.

Several of the trainers denied stalls have been suspended or are contesting suspensions in other racing jurisdictions, including Potts and Vazquez.

Pat McKenna, vice president of communications for NYRA, issued the following statement on behalf of organization:

"NYRA retains the exclusive right and discretion to grant, deny, revoke, or reduce stall space for licensed trainers at its properties. Following the completion of the stall application process for the 2022 spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack and 2022 spring/summer meet at Belmont Park, NYRA has denied stall allocations to trainers Wayne Potts, Juan Vazquez, Marvin Richards, John McAllen, Luis Miranda, and Michael Simmonds. The trainers were notified of this decision earlier this week and will be required to vacate their current stalls or transfer horses under their care by March 30. Bonnie Lucas, an assistant to Potts, submitted a stall application following the denial of stalls to Potts, and her application was rejected.

"These trainers are licensed to participate in Thoroughbred racing in New York and currently permitted to enter races at NYRA tracks.

"No matter the point of origin, all horses shipping in to race at NYRA tracks are subject to the same level of health and safety scrutiny as horses stabled on NYRA property. These protocols are effective in mitigating risk, enhancing equine safety, and protecting the integrity of the sport in New York."

Potts told Daily Racing Form, which first reported NYRA's stabling decision, that he has 47 horses currently at Belmont and plans to move them to a New Jersey training center. He indicated to the Form that "all of my (owners) are staying with me. I still plan to run here."

NYRA's stabling decisions stopped short of eliminating trainers from racing at NYRA, though trainers typically participate most at racetracks at which they base.

After excluding trainer Bob Baffert from participating at its tracks last summer and having it overturned in court after a judge questioned if NYRA had afforded him due process without a hearing, NYRA now has a system to evaluate whether to suspend or exclude trainers from racing. Such matters now go before a hearing officer before a determination on sanctions is made.

The Form reported that, as of Friday, none of the trainers had been issued a statement of charges that trainers Baffert and later Marcus Vitali were given by NYRA in disciplinary matters. Those charges could lead to them being suspended or no longer racing at NYRA tracks.