Gerrity, of Saratoga Raceway, dies

Joe Gerrity Jr., the owner of Saratoga Gaming and Raceway and a breeder of both Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds, died Monday after a long illness. He was 89. Gerrity's death was announced by the Harness Horse Breeders of New York, of which Gerrity was a director.

Although Gerrity's first love was Standardbreds, he bred and raced several stakes-winning Thoroughbreds in New York, including Vodka, Ora, and John Harvard. This year, his homebred Dave won the $113,000 West Point Handicap at Saratoga just four days after winning an allowance race.

Gerrity owned Little Farm in Kinderhook, N.Y., and was inducted into the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame on June 5.