Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

Registry

Farms

Awards


Overview

What is the Fund’s function?
The Fund promotes the responsible breeding of quality Thoroughbred racehorses through oversight of breeding farms and the distribution of breeder, owner and stallion owner awards, in addition to providing purse incentives via the New York Racing Association and Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack Association.

How does the Fund obtain revenue?
The Fund derives revenue from a small percentage of every dollar bet on thoroughbred racing in New York State, both on- and off-track, and also from a percentage of the breakage. The Fund also obtains revenue from a small percentage of the Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) monies from Aqueduct and Finger Lakes Race Track.

Registry

What are the requirements for obtaining New York-bred status?
The rules are simple, and effectively create two categories of mares – resident and non-resident. To qualify for registration as a New York-bred, the mare must FOAL in New York State and meet the following domicile requirements. Please note that mare residency is determined on a foal-by-foal basis.

Resident Mares: Must be continuously in residence in New York State from within 120 days after last cover in the year of conception, and thereafter remain in residence until FOALING the following year, with no breed-back required. Mares that maintain their residency status can be covered each season by a stallion located anywhere in the world.

non-resident mare is a mare that does not qualify as a resident mare. However, under our new rules, a non-resident mare that is purchased in foal through public auction will be deemed to be a resident mare for all purposes if all of the following conditions are satisfied: (1) the mare is purchased for at least $50,000 in the public auction, (2) the mare is present in New York State within 15 days after the sale is concluded, (3) the foal from public auction mare is foaled in New York State and (4) the mare thereafter is continuously in residence in New York State from within 120 days after her last cover in the year of conception of another foal and remains in residency until foaling.

Non-Resident Mares: In order for her foal to be eligible to be registered as a NY-bred, a non-resident mare must FOAL in New York State, remain in the state for a continuous period of 90 days (including the time before and after foaling) AND be BRED BACK to a registered New York stallion before leaving the state. For further information, contact the Fund offices at (518) 388-0174.

Mares from Public Auction: Effective for public auction sales occurring on or after November 1, 2019, a non-resident mare that is purchased in foal through public auction will be deemed to be a resident mare for all purposes if each of the following conditions is satisfied:

(1) the mare is purchased for at least $50,000 (or such other amount as the fund may determine annually and prominently disclose on the fund’s website on or before July 1 of each year) in the public auction;

(2) the mare is present in New York State within 15 days after the sale is concluded (or within 60 days in the case of a mare purchased at public auction abroad);

(3) the foal from public auction mare is foaled in New York State; and

(4) thereafter, the mare is continuously in residence in New York State from within 120 days after last cover in the year of conception of another New York foal and remains in residence until foaling (such mare shall not be subject to breed-back requirements). In the event that any of the foregoing conditions in this subdivision are not met, no breeder, owner or stallion awards attributable to the foal from public auction mare shall be due or owing to the individual or entity that purported to purchase the public auction mare in accordance with this subdivision, provided, however, that nothing in this subdivision shall affect the owner awards or stallion awards that may be due and owing to individuals or entitles that are not controlled by or affiliated with the individual or entity that purported to purchase the public auction mare in accordance with this subdivision.

How do I register my foal as a New York-bred?
A foal registration form can be completed on our website by clicking Registration -> Online Registration, and can be paid for using a credit card. Alternatively, a foal registration form can be downloaded by clicking Registration -> Mail-In Forms, and can be sent to the Fund with a check. To complete the process for registration of a foal, we require two out of three signatures from the breeder, farm manager and attending veterinarian. The signature sheet will be e-mailed to you upon completion of the online foal registration process. In addition, Jockey Club certification must be issued before a foal can be registered as a New York-bred.

How will I know when the New York-bred registration process is complete?
Beginning in 2019 for online clients, email notifications of newly registered NY-breds will be provided. Keep in mind that you can always use the Registration Status page of our website to confirm your horse’s status.

Can I submit an application for registration of a foal before I receive my foal’s Jockey Club papers?
Yes – the foal registration application can be submitted as soon as the Jockey Club is notified of the foal through the filing of a Live Foal Report. However, final processing for New York-bred status is predicated on the issuing of Jockey Club papers, which the Fund is made aware of through automatic notifications.

How much does it cost to register a foal?
The rate varies depending on the age of the foal. If applied for by December 31st in the year of the foal’s birth, the fee is $50. After the universal equine birthday of January 1st, the foal is considered a yearling and the fee is $300. The fee for registration of a two-year-old is $500, and the fee for registration of three-year-olds and up is $1,000.

What are the advantages of registering my horse if I do not plan to race it?
If you ultimately choose to sell a horse, it will be to your advantage to register it as a weanling for the nominal fee of $50. As a rule, a horse is more attractive to prospective buyers if it is a registered New York-bred.

As a breeder, if I sell my horse can it still be registered?
Yes – applications can be submitted at any time. However, as previously noted, the fee changes as the foal ages. To avoid extra expense and problems associated with tracking down veterinarians and farm managers for their signatures, it behooves you to act sooner rather than later.

Can I sign my spouse’s name on the registration form?
No – only the breeder of record may sign the form. It should also be noted that a husband/wife cannot be the farm manager of record if his/her wife/husband is the breeder of a foal. Two of the following three people must sign an application: the breeder, the farm manager and/or the attending veterinarian.

I purchased a horse privately or at an auction. How do I know if it is eligible to be a registered New York-bred?
First, you should go to the Registration Status page to verify whether the horse has already been registered. If the horse is registered it will be listed as a registered NY-bred; if it is not registered, additional information concerning the remaining requirements for registration will be provided. A horse is eligible to be registered as a NY-bred if it satisfies the residency requirements. If the dam was a resident mare that was covered out of state, she must have returned to New York within 90 days of her last cover to maintain her resident status. If the dam was a non-resident mare, she must have remained in New York for at least 90 days after foaling, and during that time must have been bred back to a registered NY stallion. If you have further questions, feel free to contact the Fund at (518) 388-0174 during regular business hours or by email at [email protected].

Do I have to call the Jockey Club?
We recommend that you contact the Jockey Club soon after any change in ownership. For further information, visit the Jockey Club’s website at www.jockeyclub.com or contact them at 1-800-444-8521.

What are movement cards and how do I receive them?
Movement cards are required for mares moving into or out of New York State in order to assist the inspection team and facilitate the foal registration process. Cards can be filled out in our Online Forms section or sent in by mail. To request a mare movement card, e-mail the Fund.

How do I nominate my NY-bred for the Futurity Series or the NY Stallion Stakes Series?
Weanlings can be nominated to the Finger Lakes Futurity Series through the Fund for an additional $25 fee when a foal registration application is submitted. Weanlings and yearlings can also be nominated to the Series through Michele Fish at Finger Lakes, who is in charge of the Futurity Series. Ms. Fish can be reached at (585) 747-4515 or by email at [email protected]. The Finger Lakes Futurity Series consists of three stakes races for NY-bred two-year-olds: the Aspirant for colts, the Lady Finger for fillies and the New York Breeders’ Futurity for horses of either sex. For further information on the additional payments required for the Futurity Series, click here.

For foals of 2015 and later, if the stallion is nominated to the Stallion Stakes Series for foals of that year, all of the stallion’s foals of that year are automatically eligible to be entered in Stallion Stakes Series races. For further information on the Stallion Stakes Series, contact the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. at (518) 587-0777.

How do I register a stallion in New York?
A stallion residing in New York State can be registered at a cost of $250 per year by filling out the necessary forms and completing the annual EVA requirements. To be eligible for registration, a stallion must be owned by or leased to a New York resident for a minimum of one year.  Applications are available in our Online Forms and Mail-In Forms sections, as is the EVA form, which can be downloaded and faxed or mailed to our Schenectady office. Our fax number is (518) 344-1235. For further information, e-mail us or call us at (518) 388-0174.

Do I have to register my stallion every year?
Yes – in order for an owner to qualify for stallion owner awards, the stallion must be registered each year. New York-breds sired by a registered New York-based stallion receive higher awards. See our Award Rates page for complete information on our award percentages.

Farms

How do I register my farm?
The Fund doesn’t directly register farms, but your notification should be sent to the Fund offices. Either e-mail us or contact our Schenectady office at (518) 388-0174. We will arrange for one of our field inspectors to visit your farm. Please provide us with your contact information in your e-mail. Another option is to fill out the Information Request Form.

Do I have to own a farm in order to participate?
No – there are many qualified farms in New York State that specialize in the boarding of broodmares. We suggest contacting the farms listed in the farm directory at www.nybreds.com.

I just purchased a mare – what do I need to do to participate in the Program?

If the mare is not in foal, complete the New Mare Form.  If the mare is in foal, fill out a Mare Arrival Form. We will then be aware of your mare’s location, and you will be contacted by a member of our field compliance team to schedule an inspection.

Awards

Who will receive awards?
Breeder awards are disbursed to the breeder of record for top three finishes in any race at any track in New York. Owner awards are disbursed to the owner of record for horses that finish in the top three in any open-company race (with a claiming price of at least $30,000 if a claiming price is involved) at any New York track. Stallion owner awards are disbursed for a top-three finish at any track in New York to the owner of record of the registered NY stallion in the year of conception. If we do not already have one on file, a W-9 form will be sent to award earners and must be signed and returned to the Fund office before any checks are mailed out.

When do I receive my award checks?
Award checks are issued six times per year – every two months. Awards earned in January and February races will be paid in early March, awards earned in March and April races will be paid in early May, etc.

Why don’t I receive owner awards for restricted races?
Owner awards are only earned in open-company races (those not restricted to New York-breds) with a minimum claiming price of $30,000 (if a claiming price is involved).

Why is 10% held back from my award checks?
The Fund’s revenues vary from year-to-year based on handle and VLT activity. In order to ensure that we have sufficient revenues to pay all awards, the Fund holds back 10% of all award payments until year-end. Holdback checks are sent out during the first quarter of the following year.