New York Thoroughbred racing will soon see added betting interests in some races after the New York State Gaming Commission adopted Aug. 25 a change to largely eliminate the use of coupled entries.
For many years, horses with common ownership or a common trainer have run as a coupled betting entry in races—think 1 and 1A—but in recent decades, many states have largely eliminated their use. New York will now join that contingent after the NYGSC unanimously approved relaxing rules that had required coupled entries in cases of common ownership or trainer except in stakes races with a purse of at least $50,000.
That provision that allowed such stakes races to be run without coupled entries was put in place in 2015. At Monday's NYGSC meeting, executive director Robert Williams noted that there have not been any significant problems since this exception to the rule on coupled entries was put in place 10 years ago.
The New York Racing Association (Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course) as well as Finger Lakes Racetrack both approved the change. Studies have shown that more betting interests are tied to additional pari-mutuel handle, which provides revenues for horsemen and tracks.
"NYRA has long advocated for the elimination of coupled entries in New York, and we thank the New York State Gaming Commission for modernizing its rules in alignment with major racing jurisdictions across the country," said NYRA vice president of communications Pat McKenna. "The newly adopted rule will benefit the wagering public by increasing field size while generating additional handle to support New York's horsemen and the broader racing community."
As for when this policy will go into effect at the tracks, McKenna said the timing is not fully known, as generally the change first has to be published in the state register.
Besides the support of the tracks, the change also was supported by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association as well as New York Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, who chairs the state's Committee on Racing and Wagering. The NYSGC noted that they appreciated her input on this issue.
While the rule change will largely eliminate coupled entries in New York, there are still a few situations where they could show up, for instance, if three horses are entered by the same trainer or if the state steward determines a reason horses should run as a coupled entry.
The relaxed rule on coupling also has the support of NYGSC staff, which noted that other states have already moved to relax coupling rules and they have been "implemented successfully," according to a document submitted to the board at its March meeting.
