- Posts: 6
Letter To NYTHA Membership From Joe Appelbaum
4 years 1 week ago #1306
by Cathy
Letter To NYTHA Membership From Joe Appelbaum was created by Cathy
Contact: Joe Appelbaum April 26, 2020
NYTHA Board President
(516) 488-2337
info@nytha.com
Dear NYTHA Members,
For the last six weeks, New York has become the epicenter of a pandemic; yet our home, Belmont Park, has continued to operate, albeit without live racing. It’s a testament to our backstretch community that we have been able to maintain training in these circumstances. It has not been without struggle, loss and great hardship.
Will, myself and the staff have spoken with so many trainers and owners, seeking to understand the challenges that you face. In regular times, it was difficult enough to operate a stable in New York. With the big purse engine of live racing cut off, it has made it a struggle for all to keep horses fed and shod properly and staff employed. Our staff and Board have received many questions and inquiries. This is an opportunity to answer the most frequent and important for all to see.
How Is The Health On The Backstretch?
Since live racing was halted at Aqueduct, the health of the backside community has been our primary concern. When you compare it to the situation at similar living facilities such as nursing homes and cruise ships, we are guardedly optimistic about our results. Currently, we have 20 workers with active positives, 5 total hospitalizations, but 4 have been released and 30 workers who have been released from quarantine both on and off the Belmont campus. Tragically, we have had one death.
Some horsemen and fans have questioned why we needed to stop racing. Quite simply, keeping the damage to this level took an all-consuming effort from NYTHA, NYRA, BEST and the Chaplaincy, as well as so many of our trainers, assistants and workers. Without extreme mitigation measures, such as physical distancing, encouraging the sick to self-quarantine, enhanced cleaning and prodding workers to visit both the Belmont BEST Clinic and the Elmont Health Center we would have had hundreds of positives, many deaths and likely a discontinuation of training.
Despite our positive outlook, we remain ever vigilant. NYTHA continues to address the difficult logistic initiatives mentioned in our previous letter – acquiring PPE and enhanced screening for those entering the property. We are pursuing 1) an expansion in testing to all backstretch workers, not just the symptomatic; 2) required use of face coverings, we recently purchased and began distributing 30,000 masks and will acquire 75,000 more; and 3) the purchase of 100 no-touch thermometers which will be distributed to trainers next weekend. On this last point, we should all understand the science, though – less than 50% of Covid-19 positive patients present with a fever. It is a tool to lower risk, but not a foolproof one.
Furthermore, the Preparedness and Response Plan Committee has gained valuable experience managing the virus spread and operating at Belmont in a safe manner. Working with NYRA to stay in constant communication with the Department of Health and the Gaming Commission, we believe we have demonstrated proficiency of operation and accordingly we will be able to re-open for racing more quickly because decisive action was taken back in March.
Monitoring equine welfare is a priority. NYRA has teams of safety stewards walking the barns and we are proud to report that we have found no signs of horses underfed or in distress. We need to keep it this way! Trainers, deprived of income, have been using savings and every dollar available to keep their horses well fed and cared for. This has been an amazing testament to the trainers and their teams. Regardless of the financial arrangement that exists between the owner and trainer, ultimately, it is the legal and licensee responsibility of the horse’s owner to ensure the horse’s welfare.
When Will We Race Again?
We are all eager to see horses race again and the questions that need to be answered remain the same, since the suspension of live racing.
What are the conditions we need to re-open? The State government needs to relax provisions of New York PAUSE for many businesses to re-open. While animal care is deemed an essential business and has continued, racing itself must meet one of the categories that qualify for early re-opening.
From the Governor’s press conference today, it appears low-risk construction and manufacturing will be allowed to resume on May 15. Phase II will begin approximately two-weeks later, assuming the health conditions hold.
NYRA has put forward a detailed plan to re-open. NYTHA is in full support of this plan and will use every available organization resource to re-launch racing at the earliest possible moment.
Following is an outline of the arguments we have been making in Albany:
Economic Impact
Since the beginning of the New York PAUSE initiative, animal care has been deemed an essential activity. A long existing state-wide ecosystem supporting this animal care is heavily reliant on the revenue generated from live racing at NYRA tracks. Horses must be fed, shod, exercised and treated for illness regardless of the circumstance. With no access to purse earnings, horse trainers, owners, veterinarians, blacksmiths, feed companies as well as dozens of other small businesses have dipped into savings not only to pay their own expenses, but to keep their horses well cared for and the employees who care for them working.
Ours is an industry populated by small business-people struggling to get by. Despite our best efforts, the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) have been great disappointments to small-businesses. From a recent survey, only 11% of trainers who applied for the PPP were approved and none have received funding. Many of our members are at the breaking point financially and a timely return to racing will ensure continued horse care and employment for the hourly workers at Belmont Park.
Ability To Operate
NYTHA along with NYRA and in conjunction with the Backstretch Employee Service Team of NY (BEST) and the New York Race Track Chaplaincy (RTCA-NY) have operated collectively for the past six weeks implementing protocols following the most up to date guidance from the New York State Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
1,000 backstretch workers provide daily care to our horses with a large majority living in a high-density dormitory setting on the grounds at Belmont Park. Despite operating in a high-risk environment akin to a nursing home or correctional facility, we have largely succeeded in minimizing the rate of infection for our unique population.
Our conclusion is simple - The return to live racing is critical to the continued good welfare of our horses and the employment and health of our workers. NYRA’s approach is a phased return to a “new normal” only marginally increasing upon the daily activity of the horses that we are caring for and training every day.
How Will This Play Out?
Everything will be dependent on the health situation. At first, we should expect restrictions to be lifted on horses that can ship onto the grounds, then an opening of the tracks, first at Belmont, then at Saratoga. At some point, we will need to bring in additional backstretch workers to care for more horses. We should expect to operate under restrictive conditions for a while. That means protective equipment on all NYRA employees, vendors and backstretch personnel, along with on-track access restrictions.
Will Racing Be The Same?
No. We all need to be prepared for significant changes. I’d like to give you a list of those changes, but many are not even known at this point. At the very least, we know that racing will be conducted with a bare minimum of people - that means no fans or owners. As long as the Resorts World casino stays closed, purses and/or racing opportunities will surely need to be adjusted downward – VLT revenues account for about 38% of the purse revenue. Amazingly, this is one of the lowest percentages of alternate gaming in the county allowing NYRA to open and operate before the casino does – many racetracks will not have that luxury.
NYRA’s staff and racing committee (with a representative from NYTHA and the New York Breeders) are working together, calculating and evaluating models with the goal of minimizing impacts as possible to preserve the racing program that make us the industry leader.
What About Saratoga?
It is most likely we will race there this summer. Everyone understands Saratoga’s importance to our thoroughbred ecosystem, both here in New York as well as nationally. There is also an added expense for everyone (trainers, staff, owners, NYRA employees) to re-locate for the summer. This cost-benefit analysis is ongoing.
Will fans be permitted? Will owners? Let’s be honest with one another, no one knows and right now anything you hear is speculation - health conditions are changing rapidly, guidance from government and health professionals are updating weekly. Think of where we were 90 days ago. Are any of us prepared to predict what our sporting life will be like 90 days from now? Let’s focus on getting Belmont open for live racing first.
Is There Relief In Sight?
NYTHA has put forward a proposal to NYRA and the Gaming Commission to assist trainers in need. This program is designed to help trainers weather this storm by loaning money from the purse cushion. It would be modest relief but every bit helps in a crisis. There are many hoops to jump through to get this program operational – legal, administrative, business, including approvals from both NYRA and NYSGC. We await their feedback early this week.
The PPP relief program has been terribly disappointing to most small businesses, as banks have prioritized their larger customers who ask for bigger loans and are able to deliver their W-2 information more easily. Congress just authorized another $350 million this week and all we can suggest is taking another shot, contact your banker today!!! At worst, it's wasted time but the form is short and simple and the potential relief is significant.
We are going to attempt to send out an update every Sunday night. It will likely be briefer than this ramble, and you’ll forgive us if we may be a day late some weeks, but as we transition to a fuller schedule, we believe its important to keep you as up to date as possible.
Finally, I’d like to express great gratitude to all the horsemen, backstretch workers, NYRA security and maintenance staff, BEST and Chaplaincy teams as well as our NYTHA staff for their devotion to the backside, our workers our horses and the community in general. Only by working together are we in a position to resume racing.
Joe
NYTHA Board President
(516) 488-2337
info@nytha.com
Dear NYTHA Members,
For the last six weeks, New York has become the epicenter of a pandemic; yet our home, Belmont Park, has continued to operate, albeit without live racing. It’s a testament to our backstretch community that we have been able to maintain training in these circumstances. It has not been without struggle, loss and great hardship.
Will, myself and the staff have spoken with so many trainers and owners, seeking to understand the challenges that you face. In regular times, it was difficult enough to operate a stable in New York. With the big purse engine of live racing cut off, it has made it a struggle for all to keep horses fed and shod properly and staff employed. Our staff and Board have received many questions and inquiries. This is an opportunity to answer the most frequent and important for all to see.
How Is The Health On The Backstretch?
Since live racing was halted at Aqueduct, the health of the backside community has been our primary concern. When you compare it to the situation at similar living facilities such as nursing homes and cruise ships, we are guardedly optimistic about our results. Currently, we have 20 workers with active positives, 5 total hospitalizations, but 4 have been released and 30 workers who have been released from quarantine both on and off the Belmont campus. Tragically, we have had one death.
Some horsemen and fans have questioned why we needed to stop racing. Quite simply, keeping the damage to this level took an all-consuming effort from NYTHA, NYRA, BEST and the Chaplaincy, as well as so many of our trainers, assistants and workers. Without extreme mitigation measures, such as physical distancing, encouraging the sick to self-quarantine, enhanced cleaning and prodding workers to visit both the Belmont BEST Clinic and the Elmont Health Center we would have had hundreds of positives, many deaths and likely a discontinuation of training.
Despite our positive outlook, we remain ever vigilant. NYTHA continues to address the difficult logistic initiatives mentioned in our previous letter – acquiring PPE and enhanced screening for those entering the property. We are pursuing 1) an expansion in testing to all backstretch workers, not just the symptomatic; 2) required use of face coverings, we recently purchased and began distributing 30,000 masks and will acquire 75,000 more; and 3) the purchase of 100 no-touch thermometers which will be distributed to trainers next weekend. On this last point, we should all understand the science, though – less than 50% of Covid-19 positive patients present with a fever. It is a tool to lower risk, but not a foolproof one.
Furthermore, the Preparedness and Response Plan Committee has gained valuable experience managing the virus spread and operating at Belmont in a safe manner. Working with NYRA to stay in constant communication with the Department of Health and the Gaming Commission, we believe we have demonstrated proficiency of operation and accordingly we will be able to re-open for racing more quickly because decisive action was taken back in March.
Monitoring equine welfare is a priority. NYRA has teams of safety stewards walking the barns and we are proud to report that we have found no signs of horses underfed or in distress. We need to keep it this way! Trainers, deprived of income, have been using savings and every dollar available to keep their horses well fed and cared for. This has been an amazing testament to the trainers and their teams. Regardless of the financial arrangement that exists between the owner and trainer, ultimately, it is the legal and licensee responsibility of the horse’s owner to ensure the horse’s welfare.
When Will We Race Again?
We are all eager to see horses race again and the questions that need to be answered remain the same, since the suspension of live racing.
What are the conditions we need to re-open? The State government needs to relax provisions of New York PAUSE for many businesses to re-open. While animal care is deemed an essential business and has continued, racing itself must meet one of the categories that qualify for early re-opening.
From the Governor’s press conference today, it appears low-risk construction and manufacturing will be allowed to resume on May 15. Phase II will begin approximately two-weeks later, assuming the health conditions hold.
NYRA has put forward a detailed plan to re-open. NYTHA is in full support of this plan and will use every available organization resource to re-launch racing at the earliest possible moment.
Following is an outline of the arguments we have been making in Albany:
Economic Impact
Since the beginning of the New York PAUSE initiative, animal care has been deemed an essential activity. A long existing state-wide ecosystem supporting this animal care is heavily reliant on the revenue generated from live racing at NYRA tracks. Horses must be fed, shod, exercised and treated for illness regardless of the circumstance. With no access to purse earnings, horse trainers, owners, veterinarians, blacksmiths, feed companies as well as dozens of other small businesses have dipped into savings not only to pay their own expenses, but to keep their horses well cared for and the employees who care for them working.
Ours is an industry populated by small business-people struggling to get by. Despite our best efforts, the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) have been great disappointments to small-businesses. From a recent survey, only 11% of trainers who applied for the PPP were approved and none have received funding. Many of our members are at the breaking point financially and a timely return to racing will ensure continued horse care and employment for the hourly workers at Belmont Park.
Ability To Operate
NYTHA along with NYRA and in conjunction with the Backstretch Employee Service Team of NY (BEST) and the New York Race Track Chaplaincy (RTCA-NY) have operated collectively for the past six weeks implementing protocols following the most up to date guidance from the New York State Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
1,000 backstretch workers provide daily care to our horses with a large majority living in a high-density dormitory setting on the grounds at Belmont Park. Despite operating in a high-risk environment akin to a nursing home or correctional facility, we have largely succeeded in minimizing the rate of infection for our unique population.
Our conclusion is simple - The return to live racing is critical to the continued good welfare of our horses and the employment and health of our workers. NYRA’s approach is a phased return to a “new normal” only marginally increasing upon the daily activity of the horses that we are caring for and training every day.
How Will This Play Out?
Everything will be dependent on the health situation. At first, we should expect restrictions to be lifted on horses that can ship onto the grounds, then an opening of the tracks, first at Belmont, then at Saratoga. At some point, we will need to bring in additional backstretch workers to care for more horses. We should expect to operate under restrictive conditions for a while. That means protective equipment on all NYRA employees, vendors and backstretch personnel, along with on-track access restrictions.
Will Racing Be The Same?
No. We all need to be prepared for significant changes. I’d like to give you a list of those changes, but many are not even known at this point. At the very least, we know that racing will be conducted with a bare minimum of people - that means no fans or owners. As long as the Resorts World casino stays closed, purses and/or racing opportunities will surely need to be adjusted downward – VLT revenues account for about 38% of the purse revenue. Amazingly, this is one of the lowest percentages of alternate gaming in the county allowing NYRA to open and operate before the casino does – many racetracks will not have that luxury.
NYRA’s staff and racing committee (with a representative from NYTHA and the New York Breeders) are working together, calculating and evaluating models with the goal of minimizing impacts as possible to preserve the racing program that make us the industry leader.
What About Saratoga?
It is most likely we will race there this summer. Everyone understands Saratoga’s importance to our thoroughbred ecosystem, both here in New York as well as nationally. There is also an added expense for everyone (trainers, staff, owners, NYRA employees) to re-locate for the summer. This cost-benefit analysis is ongoing.
Will fans be permitted? Will owners? Let’s be honest with one another, no one knows and right now anything you hear is speculation - health conditions are changing rapidly, guidance from government and health professionals are updating weekly. Think of where we were 90 days ago. Are any of us prepared to predict what our sporting life will be like 90 days from now? Let’s focus on getting Belmont open for live racing first.
Is There Relief In Sight?
NYTHA has put forward a proposal to NYRA and the Gaming Commission to assist trainers in need. This program is designed to help trainers weather this storm by loaning money from the purse cushion. It would be modest relief but every bit helps in a crisis. There are many hoops to jump through to get this program operational – legal, administrative, business, including approvals from both NYRA and NYSGC. We await their feedback early this week.
The PPP relief program has been terribly disappointing to most small businesses, as banks have prioritized their larger customers who ask for bigger loans and are able to deliver their W-2 information more easily. Congress just authorized another $350 million this week and all we can suggest is taking another shot, contact your banker today!!! At worst, it's wasted time but the form is short and simple and the potential relief is significant.
We are going to attempt to send out an update every Sunday night. It will likely be briefer than this ramble, and you’ll forgive us if we may be a day late some weeks, but as we transition to a fuller schedule, we believe its important to keep you as up to date as possible.
Finally, I’d like to express great gratitude to all the horsemen, backstretch workers, NYRA security and maintenance staff, BEST and Chaplaincy teams as well as our NYTHA staff for their devotion to the backside, our workers our horses and the community in general. Only by working together are we in a position to resume racing.
Joe
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