NYTHA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the NYTHA Staff
- Membership Services
Abigail Klima joined NYTHA in April 2023 to handle Membership Services. She will assist owners, trainers, and their staff with information and guidance on all areas related to participation in New York racing, including licensing, registration, and credentialing. Additional responsibilities will include administering and supporting the New York Trainers Health Insurance Program (NYTHIP), the New York Jockey Injury Compensation Fund (NYJICF), Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), and developing a new owners program.
A lifelong Virginian, Klima previously served as the Veterinary Manager for the Virginia Racing Commission. She is currently pursuing a Pre-Law and Policy degree from Liberty University.
Alan M. Foreman is considered one of the leading racing law attorneys in the United States.
In addition to his law practice, Mr. Foreman is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Thoroughbred Horsemen's Associations, Inc., based in Columbia Maryland, which represents more than 20,000 owners and trainers throughout the United States. He is a founding director of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and currently serves on its Board of Directors and Audit and Compensation Committee. He is counsel to many horsemen's and racing industry organizations. He has served as National General Counsel to the Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association. He is also general counsel to the National Steeplechase Association and the Drugs and Medications Program of the United States Equestrian Federation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Maryland Million Ltd. and is Vice-Chairman of the National Drug Testing and Research Consortium. His law practice involves all areas of equine and horse racing law representing horse owners, breeders, farms, jockeys, stables, trainers and horsemen's organizations. He is widely credited with creating the Maryland Jockey Injury Compensation Fund, Inc. in 1984, the nation's first workers compensation program for jockeys.
Mr. Foreman graduated with honors from American University in 1972 and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1975. In 1979, he was appointed an Assistant Attorney General of the State of Maryland and served as counsel to the Maryland Racing Commission as well as other State Boards and Commissions. He established the Law Offices of Alan M. Foreman in Columbia, Maryland in 1991.
Mr. Foreman has authored numerous articles and has lectured at the University of Kentucky's National Equine Law Seminar, Albany Law School Racing Law Institute, American Horse Council Tax Workshop, Harness Racing Congress, the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing, the International Congress of Horse Racing Authorities and the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program, where he is a Joe Hirsh Fellow. He has been recognized by the Thoroughbred Times as one of American racing's most influential figures.
Mr. Foreman and his wife, Randi, have three sons and live in Pikesville, Maryland.
Job Titles:
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Owner / ( Alternate ) Director
- Owner / Director ( Alternate )
Andy Aaron, with his wife Jackie, has been an active owner at NYRA, Finger Lakes and the Mid-Atlantic racetracks since 2001. Led by multiple stakes winner Hoosick Falls and dual Claiming Crown prep winner Mia Bella Rossa, Aaron Racing Stables runners have made more than 400 starts with a win percentage of 20%. Andy has bred horses in New York and Pennsylvania. A retired attorney who also had his own attorney placement service, the Long Island native devotes his time to several charities and spends as much time as possible with his grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Foreman
- Member of the NYTHA Staff
A native of Massachusetts, Belfiore grew up riding show horses. She started her career in racing on the backstretch at Belmont Park, working as a hotwalker, groom and exercise rider, before joining the Rick Violette stable as assistant trainer. After six years as Violette's assistant, she moved to the frontside at the track, and spent five years in the communications and marketing departments at NYRA.
Belfiore left NYRA in 1993 to take the post as editor in chief at the Thoroughbred Daily News. During her tenure, the TDN grew from a four-page publication with just a few hundred subscribers to a leader in the Thoroughbred industry. Named Director of Communications for NYTHA in December, 2011, and Executive Director in September, 2015, she was instrumental in the creation of the TAKE2 and TAKE THE LEAD Programs. She returns to New York after serving as Executive Director of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association for two years.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Audit / Finance
- Chairman of Audit / Finance Committee
- Executive Vice President of Streit 's Matzos
Aron Yagoda is native New Yorker and has been attending the races at the NYRA tracks since he was a baby. "I actually attended my first Saratoga meet before I was born, and haven't missed a summer since," Yagoda said. "My grandfather and father both had horses on the New York circuit; I recently entered my 30th year of owning horses."
Yagoda is the Executive Vice President of Streit's Matzos, which has been in his family since it was established in 1925.
Yagoda participates in the Thoroughbred industry as an owner, breeder and pinhooker. He currently has 20 horses, from yearlings to racing age. "I am very hands-on and can be found at NYRA tracks throughout the year," he said. "There is no better day for me than one that starts on the backside before the sun rises, and ends after a full afternoon of racing. I spend time at numerous horse sales. Horse racing isn't just a business or a hobby for me, it's my passion."
Yagoda was elected as an alternate on the NYTHA Board in 2017, and was named to replace long-time Board member Michael Shanley when he retired in January of 2019.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Co - Founding Partner of Gegorek & Company
Mr. Gegorek is a co-founding partner of Gegorek & Company, P.A. an independent certified public accounting and business consulting firm. Craig is a graduate of Towson State University and has over 25 years experience working with owners of closely-held businesses and non-profit associations. Craig also heads-up the firm's pari-mutuel consulting practice which represents horsemen's associations in New York, Maryland, Delaware, Illinois, Florida and Oklahoma. This representation includes liaising with track management and the analysis of handle distribution, VLT/slot projections, wagering and simulcasting patterns, etc.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Foreman
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Owner
- Communications
My love for horse racing began nearly 50 years ago. In 1971 I was a summer intern at The Saratogian newspaper, and the sports editor called in sick one morning. Suddenly I was thrust into covering the races and I was hooked. I spent two summers as the Pink Sheet editor and went on to a successful career in newspapers, government relations and Fortune 500 corporate communications.
Job Titles:
- 2nd Vice President
- Chairman
- Director
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Trainer
Born and raised near Finger Lakes Racetrack, David grew up across the street from a Thoroughbred farm where his family boarded horses. He worked at Finger Lakes as a teenager on weekends and during the summers. He was introduced to racing by his father who had owned racehorses since 1968.
Donk worked for the late Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens in Florida during the winter of 1984-85 and continued his apprenticeship with Stephens until 1990. He helped train Forty Niner at the Aiken Training Track. Forty Niner was the 1987 Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Male and elected to the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame on March 18, 1988.
He also trained Awad winner of the 1993 Secretariat Stakes [G1] and the 1995 Arlington Million [G1] and had careers earnings of $3,270,131. Awad was bred and owned by Ryehill Farm who also owned Aiken-trained Smart Angle, the 1979 Eclipse Award Champion Two Year Old Filly and Heavenly Cause, the 1980 Eclipse Award Champion Two Year Old Filly.
David started his own stable in late 1990. Henryk de Kwiatkowski was one of his first clients and together they won three stakes during the first year of their partnership. Since then, David has won many New York and Grade 1 stakes races and is considered one of New York's top trainers.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Trainer
Born and raised in Tipperary, Ireland, David Duggan rode as a professional jockey in Ireland, Germany, Australia and India. He moved to California in 1993 to work for Neil Drysdale, spending eighteen months there before moving to New York as an assistant to John Kimmel for five years. In 2000, he headed west again to Santa Anita as an assistant Eoin Harty and Godolphin. Duggan spent seasons in Santa Anita, Arlington Park and Dubai, working with elite runners such as Street Cry, E Dubai, Tempera, Imperial Gesture and Zosima.
Duggan established his own stable in 2005 in New York. He has had success with stakes winners like Porte Bonheur and Stud Muffin, but is perhaps best known for the popular sprinter Drafted.
Job Titles:
- Business Manager
- Member of the NYTHA Staff
Dionne Johnson is the business manager for the NYTHA. She is an invaluable asset for NYTHA and the New York horsemen. She started working part-time in 1983 and became a full-time employee in 1985.
She has significant institutional knowledge of the organization and her job description doesn't begin to do justice to all she does for the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and its members.
Dionne is a resident of Valley Stream.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Owner
- Physician at Saratoga Hospital
Having grown up a Secretariat fan in Colonie, NY, Dr. Jennifer White spent summer Sundays going to Saratoga with her family. She graduated from Siena College before pursuing a medical degree at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She met her husband Mark in Philadelphia, and the couple returned to the Empire State after she completed her residency in 2007.
A hospitalist physician at Saratoga Hospital, White purchased her first share in a Thoroughbred in 2017, and now owns interests in 11 horses. To expand on her knowledge of the racing industry, she completed the University of South Carolina's Legal Aspects of Horse Ownership course and is now studying Equine Massage Therapy.
In the mornings, she can be found watching the horses work and breeze on the backstretch. When she is not with the horses at the racetrack, she can be found at home or at the lake snuggling her two miniature dachshunds, Rosebud and Ripple.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Director
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Trainer
Originally from Arizona, third-generation horseman Jimmy Ferraro learned the ropes working for Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens, and has been stabled year-round in New York since 1977. His top stakes horses have included Board Eligible, Double Dee's, India Halo and Lorccan. Ferraro has been involved with the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association as a member of the Benevolence and Scholarship Committees for more than 20 years, and served as a Board alternate from 2011-2014. He was elected to his first term on the NYTHA Board in 2014, and is also on the Backstretch/Safety Committee. Ferraro has also been a member of the Trainers' Committee for the New York Backstretch Pension Fund Trust since 2005.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Trainer
Jena Antonucci grew up riding show horses starting quite young at 3 years old. Focused on hunters, jumpers, and equitation, she spent a lot of time retraining green retired thoroughbreds having no idea where it would lead to later in life. This exposure led to the curiosity to ask the question of how thoroughbreds are trained and developed.
With this hunger to learn, Jena was honored to work under the D. Wayne Lukas breaking and training program at Padua Stables, starting young Thoroughbreds. With the full intention of returning to show horse land with this new perspective and growth, the thoroughbred industry won out, and the rest is history!
Jena then worked as an equine veterinary assistant for several years. This opportunity gave her another perspective on horses and their health and has proved to be invaluable.
Jena opened Bella Inizio Farm in 2010, initially focusing on reproductive work, young horses, and rehabilitating racehorses. Her 1st win was on March 7, 2010, at Tampa Bay Downs. Jena continues her winning racing program today by being the 1st female thoroughbred trainer to win the Belmont Stakes and, in doing so, also became the first female to win a Triple Crown Race on June 10, 2023.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Trainer
John Terranova took out his trainer's license in 1992 and conditioned his first winner in April of the following year. A native and resident of Syosset, Terranova was introduced to racing by his father, who owned Thoroughbreds.
He got his big break in 2000 when becoming the trainer of Gatsas Thoroughbreds' Gander, who went on to be a multiple New York-bred champion and earned nearly $2 million. Additionally, he has conditioned Grade 1 winners Negligee, Franny Freud, Laragh, and Lilacs and Lace.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Government Relations Team at Featherstonhaugh
Jonathan S. McCardle is an attorney and member of the Government Relations team at Featherstonhaugh, Wiley, & Clyne, LLP. A lifelong racing enthusiast, Jonathan began working with NYTHA in 2014. As a registered lobbyist, McCardle actively represents clients in the areas of racing and gaming, financial services and the insurance industries. He has successfully developed strong relationships within the New York State legislative and executive branches of government and become a tireless advocate for New York horsemen. In January of 2016, McCardle was recognized by the Albany Times Union as a prominent member of the next generation of lobbyists under the age of 35.
McCardle also serves on the Advisory Committee for the Saratoga Institute on Equine, Racing and Gaming laws at Albany Law School, the country's first full-time racing and gaming law program completely dedicated to all aspects of racing and gaming.
Job Titles:
- Foreman
- Member of the NYTHA Staff
- Operations Coordinator
Kristen Mason joined the NYTHA team as Staff Intern in the fall of 2020 and is now our Operations Coordinator.
Kristen earned her Bachelors of Science in Equine Industry and Management from the University of New Hampshire in 2018. Directly afterwards she was selected for the Kentucky Equine Management Internship (KEMI). She moved to Kentucky, lived and worked on a Thoroughbred farm to sales prep yearlings and care for horses on layup from the track. She loves keeping up to date on the horses from her time in Kentucky.
Most of her life Kristen has worked in a barn. She transitioned to office life when working for NYRA Horse ID during the Saratoga 2020 meet. From there she was drawn to NYTHA for its Thoroughbred aftercare programs and joined our staff in September of 2020. She provides assistance to NYTHA with whatever is needed. Kristen also helps out with Take the Lead and Take2 programs. She enjoys meeting new people and continuing to learn more about the industry. In her spare time Kristen enjoys riding, being creative with her art, and trying new restaurants with her family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Scholarship
- Trainer / ( Alternate ) Director
- Trainer / Director ( Alternate )
A native of Wisconsin, Linda Rice is a third generation horse trainer who grew up in the business. She attended Penn State University while still being actively involved in the breaking, training and development of young horses. Through the end of 2016, Linda has won over 15o0 races with purse earnings exceeding $58,000,000 securing her position as one of New York's leading trainers.
Linda was the first woman to win a training title on the New York circuit at Saratoga in 2009. She has since won multiple training titles both at Aqueduct, and Belmont. Linda's accomplishments include sweeping the graded stakes races for two-year-old males at the prestigious Saratoga meet with City Zip. The New York Turf Writers presented Linda with the Fourstardave Award for her outstanding record with City Zip, who marked his fourth consecutive stakes victory when completing the sweep in the Grade I Hopeful at Saratoga.
From 2009-2015 Linda was honored by the NY Breeders Association five times as Trainer of the Year for her outstanding performance in victories and purse earnings. She has built her racing team into one of the strongest in the country by purchasing and developing weanlings, yearlings and two-year-olds into racing prospects. Her best known trainee is La Verdad, who she managed throughout her career, culminating in an Eclipse Award as 2015's Champion Female Sprinter. Linda has also ventured into the claiming game with much success. In 2012, she claimed Palace as a three-year-old for $20,000. The sprinter remained with Linda through the completion of his six-year-old season, retiring with a pair of Grade 1 victories and over $1.5 million in earnings.
Off the track, Linda has been an active member of the NYTHA Board since 2002. Her main objectives on the Board are to address issues of increased purse monies from VLTs in conjunction with securing live race dates for New York horsemen, protecting the integrity of racing with uniform medication rules, minimizing the workmen's compensation issues that have plagued racing, and marketing horse racing aggressively as a national sport. In addition, her position as chairperson of the Scholarship Committee has allowed her to help backstretch employees who seek to further their education and promote self-improvement. Linda's goal is to represent all horsemen in her efforts to improve the future of New York racing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the NYTHA Staff
- Backstretch Coordinator
A lifelong presence on the backstretch, Cristina has shifted her focus to benevolence in recent years. She now works from the NYTHA Cottage by the Belmont pony track.
Job Titles:
- Communications Manager
- Member of the NYTHA Staff
Job Titles:
- Foreman
- Member of the NYTHA Staff
- Backstretch Recreational Programs
- Director of the PAL Special Needs Unit
Nick Caras was named Programs Director of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA-NY) in April 2006.
Prior to joining RTCA-NY, Nick served as the Welfare/Recreation Director of the New York Racing Association (NYRA). In that capacity he was a recipient of the prestigious Dogwood Dominion Award in 1997, an industry honor for the year's most noteworthy "unsung hero."
He also received the 1997 Red Smith award from the New York Turf Writers for Community Service in the backstretch.
Mr. Caras also serves as the Director of the PAL Special Needs Unit in New Hyde Park and during his spare time coaches a boys' High School basketball team for the town of New Hyde Park, NY.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Owner
Job Titles:
- 1st Vice President
- Co - Chair
- Executive
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- President
- Member of Audit / Finance Committee
Tina grew up in the Finger Lakes area. She married H. James Bond and has two sons, Kevin and Ryan, who are assistant trainers for their father. Jim, Kevin and Ryan share training duties at Belmont Park during the winter. They are all together at Saratoga during the late spring, summer and fall.
Tina is a graduate of Bryant & Stratton Business Institute. She worked for Xerox, Eastman Kodak, and ESL Federal Credit Union before she began working full time in the
Thoroughbred industry. Tina has been breeding, raising, and racing Thoroughbred racehorses for 40 years.
Tina and Jim own, manage and reside at Song Hill Thoroughbreds LLC. Song Hill, a 100-
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the NYTHA Board
- Owner