Relates to eligibility requirements for horses participating in the three racing levels of the New York Sire Stakes program, the official text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  9234--B
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             November 7, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Racing and Wagering  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,
   ordered  reprinted  as  amended  and  recommitted to said committee --
   recommitted to the Committee on Racing and Wagering in accordance with
   Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and  breeding  law,  in
   relation  to  eligibility requirements for horses participating in the
   three racing levels of the New York Sire Stakes program
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 and subdivisions 2,
 3 and 4 of section 334 of the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and  breeding
 law, the opening paragraph of subdivision 1 and subdivision 2 as amended
 by  chapter  39 of the laws of 2024, subdivision 3 as amended by chapter
 170 of the laws of 2014, and subdivision 4 as amended by chapter 445  of
 the laws of 1997, are amended to read as follows:
   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 [dropped from
 a  mare  bred in this state and] 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, provided, however, that such mare, stallion,
 and foal shall be microchipped with such microchip information which the
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14012-03-6
 A. 9234--B                          2
 
 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 nomination:
   2.  The fund is further authorized and directed in each year, in coop-
 eration 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 stallion 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 PROGRAM" and to contribute to the purses,
 stakes  or  prizes to be awarded in such "New York sire stakes PROGRAM",
 such sums as the fund shall deem advisable. [The fund  may  establish  a
 system that distinguishes between (a) foals sired by a stallion standing
 in  this state and bred within this state, (b) foals sired by a stallion
 standing in this state and with a mare bred outside this state, and  (c)
 foals sired by a stallion standing in this state and dropped from a mare
 who was bred, and resided, in this state for at least one hundred eighty
 days in the year of conception. The fund shall provide bonus payments to
 those  foals  bred within the state that meet other conditions] THE FUND
 SHALL PROVIDE BONUS PAYMENTS TO THOSE FOALS CONCEIVED WITHIN  THE  STATE
 AND  DROPPED  FROM  MARES  THAT  RESIDE  IN  THE STATE FOR A TIME PERIOD
 DEFINED AND imposed by the fund. The fund may prescribe a  starting  fee
 for  [such  "New  York-bred  harness horse stakes"] ALL RACES WITHIN THE
 "NEW YORK SIRE STAKES PROGRAM" SET FORTH IN THIS SUBDIVISION, 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.
   3. [Subsequent to the year two thousand fourteen a] A  foal  shall  be
 eligible  for  ALL  RACES  WITHIN the "New York sire stakes PROGRAM" SET
 FORTH IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION, AND ALL  STAKE  AND  OVERNIGHT
 EVENTS  CONDUCTED AT THE NEW YORK STATE EXPOSITION SET FORTH IN SUBDIVI-
 SION ONE OF THIS SECTION if [conceived from a mare  bred  in  the  state
 and]  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
 standing  for  service  within  the  state  at  the  time  of the foal's
 conception.
   4. The fund shall have the power to prescribe rules and regulations to
 determine the eligibility of entries in ["New  York-bred  harness  horse
 races"] ALL RACES WITHIN THE "NEW YORK SIRE STAKES PROGRAM" SET FORTH IN
 SUBDIVISION  TWO  OF  THIS  SECTION, AND ALL STAKE AND OVERNIGHT  EVENTS
 CONDUCTED AT THE NEW YORK STATE EXPOSITION SET FORTH IN  SUBDIVISION ONE
 OF THIS SECTION and to effectuate  the  purposes  and  requirements  set
 forth in this section.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.