New York-based horsemen have expressed their support for the two-part plan unveiled by the New York Racing Association to provide purse parity for New York-breds.

The programs will be offered starting in 2026 at Saratoga and Aqueduct as well as at the new Belmont Park, which will open in the fall of 2026.

In October 2023 NYRA announced that beginning Jan. 1, 2026, all New York-bred overnight races for 2-year-olds on the NYRA circuit will offer purse amounts matching their open-company counterparts.

On Dec. 30 NYRA further announced that effective Jan. 1, 2027, all New York-bred overnight races will be run for purse money equal to their open-company counterparts, allowing the New York-bred foal crop to benefit from the financial reward of purse parity throughout their racing careers.

“I think there’s a lot of optimism with the new Belmont Park and this just adds to it,” trainer David Donk said. “The state-breds are the backbone, especially with the winter program, and I think it leads into that winter of 2026. The New York-bred program has been very good to me and hopefully it continues to do so.”

“Anything that is good for the New York-bred program is good for me because I race in New York year-round,” trainer Linda Rice said. “I’m a big supporter of the New York-bred program and it’s been very good to me for the past 10-15 years, since I started racing in New York for the majority of the year. I’m happy to see that and what’s good for the program is good for my stable as well.”

New York has adopted rules that expand the reach of the New York-bred awards and benefits by clarifying a pathway for non-resident mares to gain residency status. Accordingly, a non-resident mare purchased in foal through public auction is deemed a resident mare provided the mare is purchased for at least $50,000 in the public auction, is present in the state of New York within 15 days after a sale in North America and 60 days at any public auction sale abroad, the foal is foaled in New York and the mare thereafter is continuously in residence in New York from within 120 days after her last cover in the year of conception of another foal and remains in residency until foaling.