NYRA claiming surcharge to benefit aftercare

Beginning with the Saratoga meet, which opens July 11, the New York Racing Association will charge a 1.5 percent fee on all claims, with that money going to Thoroughbred aftercare.

In addition, the existing owner’s contribution to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) of $5 per starter at a NYRA track will increase to $10.

These initiatives, a joint effort by NYRA and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, are designed to generate more than $450,000 in additional revenue as NYRA and NYTHA hope to achieve a goal of $1 million being generated for aftercare in New York. In 2018, claims in New York totaled nearly $25 million, meaning approximately $375,000 would have been collected if this program was in place last year.

The funds raised will go not only to the TAA but to New York’s Take The Lead Thoroughbred retirement program. Since its inception in 2013, Take The Lead has retired more than 475 horses from NYRA tracks to TAA-accredited facilities, Rick Schosberg, a New York trainer and NYTHA Aftercare Committee chairman said in a press release.

While trainers of claiming horses said they are happy to continue their support of Thoroughbred aftercare, some were perplexed on why the additional funds comes only from the claiming part of the game.

“Don’t pick out one part of the business and it’s the broke part of the business,” trainer Gary Gullo said. “It’s about everybody doing it.”

Gullo said one solution would have been to raise the per starter fee to an amount that would have cover the necessary funds needed.

Owners who buy horses at auction have the option of contributing 0.5 percent of the purchase price of the horse to the TAA.

Trainer Linda Rice, who is active at both the claim box and in the auction ring, agreed with Gullo’s idea to raise the per-starter fee so everybody pays their fair share.

Noting that horsemen in New York are already dealing with high rates for workers’ compensation insurance, investigations by the Department of Labor into business practices, and the high cost of living and doing business in New York, this additional surcharge is “just another added hurdle for the claiming game,” Rice said.

Many horsemen learned of this additional charge only by reading the Saratoga condition book, which came online late Thursday afternoon.