At Aqueduct, an uncertain future ahead for many horsemen

As horsemen tried to go about their business as usual Friday morning at Belmont Park, many couldn’t help but worry about the uncertain future that lay ahead.

“It’s scary times right now for everybody,” trainer Gary Gullo said late Friday morning after training. “Just like everybody else in the country right now, it’s the fear of the unknown.”

For horsemen in the Northeast, it is unknown when racing will continue on the New York Racing Association circuit, Pennsylvania, or Laurel in Maryland – which had to shut down Friday by order of the governor. For many, it is unknown how long they can survive without generating income from racing.

NYRA announced on Thursday that racing will be shut down at Aqueduct indefinitely after a groom who works and lives on the backstretch of Belmont Park tested positive for the coronavirus. That person and his roommate are now in quarantine.

Further, horsemen here are unable to ship out of town and horses are not being allowed in from other jurisdictions.

There were six days remaining in Aqueduct’s winter meet, which was to end on March 29. There are 13 days scheduled at Aqueduct in April before racing is slated to shift to Belmont Park on April 24. Any speculation on when racing would resume is just that, speculation.

On Friday, NYRA announced that beginning March 29 training would be conducted six-days-a-week and no longer on Sundays. That is being done to limit exposure among backstretch workers – 550 workers live on the backstretch – as well as NYRA maintenance employees.

With no races to train for, reducing training by one day isn’t viewed as much of a hardship.

“I don’t think that’s going to affect anybody’s training schedule,” said trainer Rick Schosberg, a member of the board of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. “We all have to make compromises. I took a seriously comprehensive consensus on it this morning before a final decision was made and there was no pushback whatsoever to help making that decision along with NYRA.”

“There’s no reason to train the horses right now, but also we don’t want them to lose their condition,” said trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci. “Who knows how long it’s going to take [to run again]?

Kantarmaci and others have to consider cutting back on staff or at least trimming hours.

“If we don’t have income we can’t keep the help, the exercise riders, the grooms, and the hotwalkers.” Kantarmaci said. “I had to lay off a couple of people on Monday and I need to cut all the hours for everybody until we hear updates from the racetracks or government.”

Kantarmaci said that no matter how much staff he has to cut, his horses will be looked after.

“Until my last breath, I’m going to be with the horses. I’m never going to leave the horses alone,” Kantarmaci said. “I’ll make sure they’re getting fed and walked even if it’s just me and my brother.”

Gullo, who has 27 horses, said he is attempting to get his training done in an expedited manner.

“I’m getting my help there early and out of there,” he said. “If they’re there for two hours, then they’re gone.”

Drawing Away Stable, a syndicate, is the leading owner at the Aqueduct meet with 19 wins from 81 starters and purse earnings of $740,793. However, its trainers – six in New York – work on commission. When horses don’t run, trainers don’t earn.

“You work on a commission basis with them,” said trainer John Toscano Jr. “With them, you got to pay the bills.”

Ed Boden, the president of Drawing Away, said he and his partners are in discussion with trainers about possible financial assistance.

“We talked to a couple of trainers about it and with ourselves and we’ll try to work something out with the trainers,” Boden said. “Right now, we have nothing in place.”

Robert Falcone Jr., who has horses with Drawing Away and for other owners, and Gullo said a lot of trainers work for owners on deals. Those trainers, they said, could be in economic trouble if there is a prolonged shutdown of racing.

“When you get the opportunity you got to scale down with the deal horses,” Falcone said. “You can get lucky with some, but most of the time it’s going to end up hurting you more than helping you.”

Gullo said: “To be honest, I don’t have any horses on deals. Trainers that have horses on deals that they make that’s their business; these guys are going to be in trouble.”

◗ The New York Race Track Chaplaincy is looking to bolster its food pantry for backstretch workers and welcomes any financial contribution.

Donations can be made online at flipcause.come/secure/cause. For more information on how to ship a donation or for the address to drop-off food near the track, contact info@rtcany.org or text 516-428-5267.