BILL NUMBER: S2779

SPONSOR: ADDABBO
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law, in
relation to allowing New York sire stakes eligibility for foals sired by
New York state stallions

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF THE BILL:

THIS BILL WOULD ADDRESS THE DROP IN MARES BRED IN NY BY ALLOWING NY SIRE
STAKES PARTICIPATION BY FOALS SIRED BY A REGISTERED NEW YORK STALLION
WHICH RESIDES WITHIN THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REGARDLESS OF THE INSEMINA-
TION LOCATION OF THE MARE. THIS COMMON-SENSE CHANGE TO ADDRESS NEW
YORK'S CURRENT "CLOSED BORDER"/IN-STATE INSEMINATION POLICY WILL BRING
NEW YORK IN LINE WITH VIRTUALLY EVERY US STATE AND CANADIAN RACING
PROGRAMS WHICH CURRENTLY ALLOW FOR SHIPPED SEMEN.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Amendment 1: Article 1, paragraph 334 of the Racing, Parimutuel Wagering
              

and Breeding will be amended as follows: The phrase "dropped from a mare
bred in this state" and "that such mare" shall be removed.

The fund is further authorized and directed to conduct each year, at the
New York state exposition, with the approval of the director of the
exposition, or at any licensed pari-mutuel track in New York state, with
a preference given to any available licensed pari-mutuel track that is
five-eighths of a mile long or larger, colt, stake and overnight events
for standardbred horses to provide contests for two year old and three
year old colts and fillies at each gait of trotting and pacing. The
colt, stake and overnight events so conducted for two year old and three
year old colts and fillies at each gait of trotting and pacing hereunder
shall be conditioned to admit only those colts and fillies sired by a
stallion owned or leased and permanently standing for service at and
within this state at the time of the said foal's conception in breeding
years 2023 and after, provided, however, the stallion and foal shall be
microchipped with such microchip information which the commission may
request be provided and made available pursuant to section two hundred
twenty-five of this chapter. Such colt, stake and overnight events shall
be opened for nomination not earlier than the first day of January in
the year the event is to be held and only colts and fillies and horses
complying with the following standards shall be eligible for such nomi-
nation:

Amendment 2: Article 2, paragraph 334 of the Racing, Parimutuel Wagering
and Breeding will be amended as follows: The phrase "a mare bred in this
state" shall be removed. The fund is further authorized and directed in
each year, in cooperation with each licensee harness track in this
state, to provide for the running of stake events conditioned to admit
only two year old and three year old colts and fillies sired by a stal-
lion owned or leased and permanently standing for service at and within
this state at the time of the said foal's conception, at each gait of
trotting and pacing, to be known as "New York sire stakes" and to
contribute to the purses, stakes or prizes to be awarded in such "New
York sire stakes", such sums as the fund shall deem advisable. The fund
may prescribe a starting fee for such "New York-bred harness horse
stakes" but in no event shall such fee be less than two per centum of
the estimated purse for each entry.  The fee prescribed shall be added
to the purses awarded.

Amendment 3: Article 3, paragraph 334 of the Racing, Parimutuel Wagering
and Breeding will be amended as follows:

The phrase "dropped from a mare bred in this state" shall be removed.  A
new subsection 3A shall be added: "Subsequent to the year two thousand
twenty-two a foal shall be eligible for the New York Sire Stakes if
sired by a stallion owned by a resident of this state or leased to a
resident of this state for a period of no less than one year and stand-
ing for service within the state at the time of the foal's conception."

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This legislative change is necessary to help address the drop in mares
bred here, which went from 1,147 in 2020 down to 919 in 2021. One of the
key reasons is that we have not had a commercially syndicated high-end
stallion in New York in a number of years because our current "closed
border"/in-state insemination policy doesn't instill confidence that
they will be able to fill that stallion's "book" if they do come here.
Other states attract top class stallions - and subsequently, higher
quality mares - because they allow the less costly process of shipping
of semen to the mares versus the mare shipping to the stallion as is
necessary here (which again is both costly and dangerous to ship mares
with young foals by their sides).  Opening up the New York State border
for shipping semen out of state and allowing horses to still be New York
Sire Stakes eligible is a clear, achievable .olio chan e that would
bring us in line with virtually every other state in the country and
Canada. Please note that the United States Trotting Association, which
oversees the Standardbred Registry, has required every foal applying for
registration be microchipped since 2020 and section 225 of this chapter
requires all race horses to be microchipped to complete
 in races in the state.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2022: Passed the Senate

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNNENTS:

None noted.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate.