About the Fund

The New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund has helped shape the state’s Thoroughbred industry since it was established by New York lawmakers in 1973. The program has grown and adapted over the years to become the benchmark of Thoroughbred programs around the world. The Fund is a public benefit corporation that oversees the registration process for foals and stallions, and distributes incentives in the form of awards.

At the heart of the program is the more than $15 million that the Fund pays out annually in breeder, owner and stallion owner awards, as well as in purse enrichment to the state’s tracks. Every action taken by the Fund’s Board of Directors is driven by the Fund’s mission statement: “To promote by monetary incentives the responsible breeding of quality Thoroughbred racehorses in keeping with the founding legislation to preserve New York’s irreplaceable farmland.”

The result is that the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industries are a vital force in New York State’s economy, utilizing its rich racing tradition, vast agricultural resources and thriving tourism industry.

The incentives provided by the Fund are financed from within the racing industry, using a small percentage of the total monies wagered through the pari-mutuel system on Thoroughbred racing in New York State. The Fund also obtains revenue from a small percentage of Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) monies from the Resorts World Casino NY at Aqueduct, and from VLTs at Finger Lakes Race Track.

The New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund is committed to maintaining the highest standards in the industry, with the goal of ensuring a steady supply of fresh, competitive horses for each of New York’s tracks. The Fund maintains registries of New York-breds and participating New York-based stallions, establishes the criteria for entry into those registries, and ensures that both state statutes and Fund rules regarding eligibility for the registration of foals and stallions standing in the state are followed.

Awards are available only to the breeders and owners of registered New York-breds or registered New York State-based stallions, and provide an excellent means of increasing the value and marketability of your Thoroughbred, as demonstrated by the increasingly strong results for NY-breds in the auction ring.