NYRA Welcomes Local Community Leaders on April 26 - Opening Day at Beautiful Belmont Park

NYRA Chief Financial Officer, Suzanne Stover, officiated at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the paddock, to welcome local community leaders as we officially opened Belmont Park for the 2013 spring meet.

Community leaders from Nassau County, the Town of Hempstead, Elmont, Floral Park and Garden City joined us for a beautiful afternoon of racing. In addition, Gateway Youth Outreach of Elmont joined us to thank NYRA officials and Kiaran McLaughlin Racing for hosting the Kiaran's Kids after school program. The group was delighted to be joined by Hall of Fame jockey, John Velasquez, and Eclipse Award winning jockey, Ramon Dominguez.

NYRA and our caterer, Centerplate, announced the creation of the Belmont Park Community Garden located near the Grandstand entrance. The garden will be maintained by the children of Gateway Youth Outreach and they will work NYRA staff and the chefs at Centerplate.

NYRA and the American Red Cross

NYRA hosted a Blood Drive at the Big A on Friday, April 5th in conjunction with the American Red Cross and we thank our employees and our patrons for their participation. All donors received special promotional tickets to sporting events and local restaurants. It was an exciting day to host this event a day before the Grade 1 Wood Memorial!

NYRA is proud to partner with the American Red Cross Long Island Chapter as we work together for the benefit or our neighbors and local communities.

NYRA is proud to host GO RED for WOMEN at the Big A

NYRA provided opportunites for our fans to donate to the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign at the Big A on Saturday, February 16th. NYRA employees wore red to bring awareness to this important cause and we thank our employees and our fans for their outreach and personal support. Each person received a special pin with a two dollar contribution.

NYRA Fans Sign a Card for Ramon Dominguez

NYRA fans showed their support for Ramon Dominguez by signing a card at the Big A on Saturday, February 16th. As Ramon continues to recover from his injuries, we thank our fans for showing their support and appreciation!

NYRA Sponsors Spirit of Giving Weekend at Aqueduct

NYRA sponsored its annual Spirit of Giving weekend at Aqueduct Race Track on December 8th and 9th.
NYRA was proud to welcome Major Chuck Kilbride, U.S. Marines (ret.) and other U.S. Marines who joined us for our annual Toys for Tots campaign. The U.S. Marines were joined by the Honorary Chair of the Toys for Tots Campaign, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano.They took a moment out of their busy day to visit the Jockeys Room.

NYRA also saluted Jamaica Hospital Medical Center as they were honored to be the recipients of the proceeds of the annual Stocking Stuffer Giveway.

NYRA formally welcomed and presented a check for $100,000 to the American Red Cross for local New York hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

NYRA was delighted that the following representatives from Community Board #10 joined us to present the trophy for the Queens County Handicap: Betty Braton, Chair; Karyn Peterson, Manager, and Donna Gilmartin, Aqueduct Liaison.

NYRA Supports RTCA Thanksgiving Boxes of Love

NYRA was proud to support the annual Thanksgiving Boxes of Love distribution to the backstretch. The Race Trace Chaplaincy coordinates this program every year to provide Thanksgiving meals to the families of the backstretch at Aqueduct Race Track and Belmont Park.

NYRA Announces Donation to the American Red Cross

NYRA President and COO, Ellen McClain, was proud to announce that NYRA will donate $100,000 to the American Red Cross to be designated to Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief in New York. Our neighbors near Aqueduct Race Track and Belmont Park were devastated by the storm and NYRA wants to provide much needed support.
NYRA reached out to the backstretch organizations to compile information which we have provided to the American Red Cross for the needs of the backstretch community.
NYRA embraces its responsibility as good corporate citizen and community leader during this difficult time for our neighbors, employees, and horsemen.