Gary Contessa is one of the most active trainers on the New York circuit. Two years ago, as patience among horsemen wore thin over delays in getting VLTs installed at Aqueduct, his outlook for the future of New York racing was bleak. Owners were fleeing to other states or getting out of the business. The number of horses and employees in Contessa’s’ stable had fallen precipitously.
Things have changed with the opening of the Aqueduct casino and a much-needed infusion of money into purses and New York’s breeding program. The Paulick Report caught up with Contessa to talk about the present and future of New York racing.
A little over two years ago, you told us some of your owners were leaving for other racing states. With the opening of the Aqueduct casino, have some of those owners come back to New York?
Owners that had been dead in the game for 10 years have come back. Everybody sees an opportunity to get back in racing. Owners from the 1990s that couldn’t make ends meet are coming back. There is a tremendous interest from people, and some of them have never previously been involved in horse ownership.
Finally, we have a situation where owners can make ends meet in this game. The deck was stacked against them for a long time. Lots of people are coming back.
What has it done to your horse and employee numbers?
Everything has gone up. I was down to about 50 horses. Now I’m at the 65 to 70 range. The problem now is the horse shortage. If I want to win a claiming race I’ve got to run that horse where it belongs. But then it’s almost guaranteed the horse is going to be claimed. If I try to claim a horse back there’s a 10-way shake for that horse, and chances are I lose.
I’ve been in 10-12 shakes and haven’t won one. The problem is replacing horses that are claimed away, but I suppose that’s a good problem to have. I literally have five or six guys looking to claim horses and haven’t won a shake. My numbers could easily be 90 right now except for the fact I’m having a hard time getting horses.
Have you been more active at Thoroughbred sales this year as a result of the higher purse structure?
Oh, yes. This year everybody wants to get back in. I went to the Maryland 2-year-old sale to buy two or three and ended up with nine.
A lot of people want instant gratification, so they get into the claiming business. I bought two at Saratoga last year and we went ahead and sold them as 2-year-olds. I’ll definitely be active at the yearling sales.
Are you looking for a different kind of horse today than you were before the purse increases?
I like to know if I’m looking for something to resell or something to race. I can forgive more things if I’m looking to race a horse rather than pinhook it as a 2-year-old.
What effect does the uncertainty over the NYRA board situation and the association’s VLT money have?
No one knows what is going to happen. But who sits on the NYRA board doesn’t affect trainers and owners. I would like to see it resolved for the good of the business, but I don’t think it affects us day to day. It looks like breeders and purse money from VLTs will be safe.
What is your overall outlook for the future of New York racing today?
It’s gone from very unhealthy to very healthy from an ownership standpoint. It’s very positive. But we really have to get leadership. We have to resolve the NYRA board, whatever the governor has to do he’s got to do.
Until the people who work for NYRA know their situation, no one feels secure, no one is thinking forwardly. We need to know where the leadership lies. Let’s clear the smoke, and once that happens, New York racing is going to be the best there is.