New York removes rule requiring coupled entries for married jockeys

The New York Gaming Commission on Monday voted to remove a requirement that married jockeys be coupled in a race for wagering purposes, addressing a rarely invoked rule that created headlines a year ago.

The decision came a year after a bill that would have removed the requirement passed in the state legislature. However, that bill was vetoed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who asked the commission to explore the issue as part of its rule-making authority.

The issue arose in New York in 2021 when the riders Trevor McCarthy and Katie Davis began riding in the state shortly after being married late in 2020. At the time, stewards in the state required the horses ridden by the jockeys in the same race to be coupled, drawing attention to a rule that had rarely been enforced.

The gaming commission held a hearing on the rule in early January. That hearing also included testimony from New York racing industry constituents urging the commission to also consider additional adjustments to the coupling rules that would relax the existing requirements. The commission did not advance any other rules at the hearing that would have amended the other requirements.

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Robert Williams, executive director of the commission, noted during discussion of the rule change that New York did not prohibit bettors in the state from wagering on out-of-state races that did not have the same requirement for married jockeys.

The commission also approved new language that will give stewards the discretion to require a jockey to serve a suspension at the meet at which the violation occurred. According to the commission, the language was put in place “to discourage gamesmanship in the agency hearing process that has the effect of delaying a suspension until after the Saratoga meet.”

In addition, the commission adopted new rules that will give racetracks in the state the option to designate pick five and pick four pools for carryovers. The current rules for the wagers require tracks to pay out 100 percent of the pool to the bettors who select the most winners in the event that no ticket has all of the winners in the wagering sequence. The new rules will allow tracks to pay out 25 percent of the pool for consolations and reserve 75 percent for carryovers.

Most major racing jurisdictions allow for consolation payouts and carryovers in pick four and pick five pools. Peter J. Moschetti, a commissioner who acted as chairman of the meeting Monday, said that the commission’s decision to change the pick four and pick five rules was based in large part on its desire to put in place rules that were consistent across U.S. racing jurisdictions.