New Yorkers for Harness Racing, a harness racing education and advocacy organization, announced the launch of its website on Thursday, Dec. 4.

New Yorkers for Harness Racing is dedicated to protecting, promoting and advancing the sport of harness racing, which brings economic benefits to communities throughout the state and excitement to racing fans worldwide. New Yorkers for Harness Racing is supported by a consortium of horsemen’s associations and breeding farms located in New York State. The organization's new website is intended to be a valuable resource for New Yorkers to learn about the extraordinary benefits that the harness racing community brings to New York State.  

Citing the Empire State Harness Horse Alliance's 2024 Economic Impact Study and data from the Harness Horse Breeders of New York State, New Yorkers for Harness Racing stated that harness racing is an economic engine that supports thousands of jobs and a statewide network of more than 100 breeding farms, training centers and boarding facilities, which are important contributors to our local communities, particularly in rural New York. The harness racing industry generates more than $400 million USD in economic benefits for New York State annually, bringing benefits to the communities where the state’s seven harness racing tracks are located (Batavia, Buffalo, Monticello, Saratoga, Tioga, Vernon and Yonkers), as well as the surrounding areas.  

The advocacy group reported that New York’s harness racing industry also drives benefits well beyond the track, as funds flow into local communities and benefit the agriculture, farm equipment, construction, animal health services and tourism industries. The businesses that support the racing industry, many of which are family-owned and run, help to keep farmlands in service, preserve open space and create a powerful sense of community in New York. 

New Yorkers for Harness Racing stated that the renaissance of Standardbred racing in New York also attracts racing enterprises to come to New York to race and for annual yearling auctions, as well as to breed and train their Standardbred horses at the robust community of farms and boarding and training facilities in the state. The group noted that these operations are foundational to the communities in which they reside and generate capital investments, local jobs and state and local taxes.  

New Yorkers for Harness Racing is dedicated to supporting Standardbred horses’ health and well-being, before, during and after their racing careers. Each year, hundreds of foals are nurtured at one of New York’s award-winning breeding farms, receiving extraordinary care from dedicated caretakers as they become weanlings and yearlings and ultimately racehorses.   

In addition to the care that racing Standardbreds receive, New Yorkers for Harness Racing supports programs and partnerships across the state that promote retraining opportunities for retired racehorses in areas such as equestrian events and equine therapy. The advocacy group stated that these programs strengthen the community connections and expand the industry’s contributions to New York’s economy.  

New Yorkers for Harness Racing is also committed to setting accountability standards and supporting aftercare programs that protect and nurture retired harness racing horses, such as the Support Our Standardbreds Program, which has helped rescue approximately 225 Standardbreds from rescue agencies, and The Standardbred Transition Alliance, a program that accredits, inspects and awards grants to organizations that rehabilitate and re-home Standardbreds.  

To learn more about our organization, the harness racing community and the economic impact of the sport, visit newyorkersforharnessracing.com.

(With files from New Yorkers for Harness Racing)