from the USTA Communications Department

Yonkers, NY — The annual membership meeting of the USTA District 8A (New York City) was held on the afternoon of Saturday (Jan. 21) in the Good Time Room at Yonkers Raceway.

Yonkers photo

Jordan Stratton, Bob Galterio, Joe Faraldo, Mike Tanner, and Mike Kimelman at the annual membership meeting of the USTA District 8A.

District chairman Joe Faraldo directed the proceedings, and was joined by fellow directors Bob Galterio, Mike Kimelman, and Jordan Stratton, as well as USTA Executive Vice President Mike Tanner, and approximately 30 members.

Those in attendance reviewed, considered, and debated 31 rule change proposals in all, voting to accept 11 of them. Click here to see the rule change proposals in question.

Drawing particular attention and discussion was Proposal No. 17, which would allow horse names of 20 characters (the current rule limits that number to 18) and disallow the reuse of any previously used name or prohibit any name that has been used by a horse that previously reproduced. District members overwhelmingly approved the increase in words and spaces, but voted to reject the additional provisions, feeling that they were too restrictive.

Also generating much conversation was Proposal No. 30, which, among other things, would reconfigure the distribution of the 20 track-elected directors on the USTA board, granting three districts additional seats while reducing those slots in three other USTA regions. Yonkers Raceway, which currently sits two track directors on the board, would lose one such position. The proposal was soundly voted down by the district, which argued that Yonkers’ high average daily purse structure and large number of race days were factors that could justify maintaining the present structure.

A full recap of the voting is as follows:

1. (Dead Heat language) – Accepted
2. (Driver insurance by racetrack) – Rejected
3. (Outrider) – Rejected
4. (Mile rate in program) – Accepted
5. (Symbol for second tier starter) – Accepted
6. (15-year-olds in amateur races) – Accepted
7. (Purse distribution) – Accepted
8. (Percent of trainer/driver percentage to retired horses) – Rejected
9. (Qualifiers from 60 days to 30 days) – Rejected
10. (Omitted horse drawn, others out one post position) – Accepted
11. (Breaker must go outside or inside) – Accepted
12. (Specific pylon violation standards) – Rejected
13. (Appeal/objection relationship) – Rejected
14. (Registration without owner’s signature) – Accepted
15. (Delete “spayed” or “neutered”) – Accepted
16. (Register foal online) — Withdrawn/moot with passage of No. 14
17. a. (Letters/spaces in names from 18 to 20) – Accepted
17. b. (Disallowing former names) – Rejected
18. (Definition of “outstanding”) – Rejected
19.-28. (RUS rules) – Tabled
29. (Movement after allowing tuck) – Rejected
30. (Track Directors) – Rejected
31. (Term lengths for Directors) – Rejected
32. (Language housekeeping) – Accepted