Lakow returning to NYRA as racing secretary at Aqueduct, Saratoga

ELMONT, N.Y. – Mike Lakow is coming home.

Lakow, the racing secretary at the New York Racing Association from 1995 to 2005, is returning to NYRA to be the racing secretary for Aqueduct and Saratoga.

This summer, Lakow will serve as the associate racing secretary at Saratoga as Martin Panza, the senior vice president of racing operations for NYRA, will write the condition books for the 40-day meet that begins July 20. Lakow will take over as racing secretary at Aqueduct when that meet begins Nov. 2.

It was announced last month that Pat Pope will serve as racing secretary for Belmont Park.

Lakow, who began working at NYRA in 1991, was the racing secretary for all three NYRA tracks from 1995 to 2005 before he was fired along with track veterinarian Celeste Kunz and steward David Hicks. Since then, Lakow has worked in many facets of the racing industry, most recently as the jockey agent for Javier Castellano. Lakow and Castellano parted ways in May after a 20-month working relationship.

Among the jobs Lakow held since leaving NYRA was a steward at Calder, general manager of Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm, racing director at Santa Anita, and president of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

“I love NYRA. I was sorry to leave, but the other things that I did really helped me understand every part of the industry,” Lakow, 61, said Thursday. “I think that’s important. I feel people here are my family. I’m very close to the trainers. I care about them. I’m even kind of close to the jocks; I like them, it’s a good group of riders. This gives me a great opportunity. I am very happy to be back.”

Lakow will be off during the Belmont fall and spring meets and will spend that time with his wife, Tracy, in their Florida home.

When Panza took over as senior director of racing operations in the fall of 2013, he brought Dan Eidson with him from Hollywood Park. Eidson was the racing secretary at Aqueduct, and Frank Gabriel was hired as racing secretary for Belmont and Saratoga. Gabriel left following the 2014 Saratoga meet, and basically Panza and Eidson split the racing-secretary duties. Eidson left to return to California at the end of 2017. Matt Salvato replaced Eidson, but Salvato was ruled off in January for allegedly providing certain horsemen with information they shouldn’t have been privy to prior to the close of entries.

Panza said the decision to bring Lakow back to New York was greeted enthusiastically by horsemen.

“He’s got 15-20 years of experience,” Panza said. “When you talk to the horsemen, they all say that’s a great hire, he’s a workaholic.

“Between Pat, him, and myself, that’s a lot of years of experience,” Panza added. “We got a young crew that we’re trying to teach, make them the future, so it works.”