N.Y. statebred program grew under Nolan

Howard C. Nolan, the president of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc., will conclude his second two-year term with the organization on Dec. 31.

Nolan, 69, said this week he will not seek a third term with the NYTB, whose board of directors will elect a new president early in 2002.

"I've enjoyed it, but I don't plan on another term," said Nolan, a New York state senator from 1975 to 1995. "It has been time-consuming."

During Nolan's tenure, the New York breeding program, which got off the ground in 1973, has continued to strengthen and is widely considered one of the best statebred programs in the country.

In recent years, the program has seen increased purses for statebreds, record prices for New York-breds at the sales, the development of new farms, improvement in the quality of stallions and broodmares residing in New York, and a slew of statebreds who have proven extremely competitive in open company.

Nolan said one of his accomplishments during the last four years that he is most proud of is creating unity among the NYTB; the New York Thoroughbred State Breeding and Development Fund, which distributed more than $9 million in breeder, owner, and stallion awards last year; the New York Racing Association; and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

"I think we really have made great strides in the New York breeding program by bringing the industry together," Nolan said. "We have support from NYRA, the fund, and the horsemen. That cooperation has put us on the same page as a group. That may have been lacking in the past."

Nolan reported that he leaves the NYTB on "good financial footing. We have been operating in the black for four years."

Nolan also said he is pleased with the expanded gambling bill, which was supported by the NYTB and was passed last week in the New York State legislature.

The gambling measure, which could be challenged on the grounds it violates the state constitution, would bring significant revenue to the New York racing industry, including the breeding sector.

"It should be a mega-boost to the whole industry and obviously the New York breeding program," Nolan said. "It would give a lot of people a substantial incentive to buy a New York-bred. It seems to me any businessman would take a hard look at New York-breds."

Nolan, who keeps 15 broodmares at his Blue Sky Farm in Nassau, N.Y., said he will take advantage of his free time after stepping down as NYTB president, by spending six months a year at his Florida home.

David at Dutchess Views Farm

This week, owner and breeder Barry Schwartz announced that multiple stakes winner David has been moved from Dunhill Stud in Ocala, Fla., to Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains, N.Y.

David, a winner of $403,920, will stand for $3,000, live foal, the price he stood for in Florida. David, a son of Mt. Livermore, is out of the Turkoman mare Fateful Beauty, whose dam, Poster Beauty, is a half-sister to Eclipse Award champion Gold Beauty.

Schwartz said David, who entered stud last March, a month into the breeding season, only covered 13 mares.

"It was nothing to write home about," Schwartz said. "I wasn't thrilled with his book; they said he was a tough sell because of his pedigree, but I thought that was a selling point."

Schwartz said he's in the process of selecting 15 mares from his broodmare band for David's 2002 book.

Schwartz said he believes it's essential to keep the broodmare quality high when supporting a young sire.

"It makes no sense not to," Schwartz said. "That's the name of the game or the stallion will have no chance."