David Skorton

NYRA Budget Projects $2.1 Million Surplus

• By Tom Precious
• December 3, 2014
• Thoroughbred Racing, Northeast Region

The board of the New York Racing Association Dec. 3 approved the racing corporation's 2015 budget, but not before a spirited debate by some board members over equine drug issues.

NYRA Chairman Skorton Stepping Down

• By Tom Precious
• December 3, 2014
• Thoroughbred Racing, Northeast Region

New York Racing Association chairman Dr. David Skorton announced Dec. 3 he is stepping down from the post to spend more time getting ready for his new job as head of the Smithsonian Institution.

NYRA Plan Won't Recommend Changes at Aqueduct

• By Teresa Genaro
• November 12, 2014
• Thoroughbred Racing, Northeast Region

The agenda for the Nov. 12 meeting of the board of the New York Racing Association was short and sweet: to discuss a re-privatization plan for the organization due next spring to the office of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Kay Outlines Recent Successes to NYRA Board

• By Teresa Genaro
• September 29, 2014
• Northeast Region

With an eye on the future, New York Racing Association president and chief executive officer Chris Kay extolled the successes of the present and the recent past at a meeting of NYRA's board of directors on Sept. 29.

NYRA Board Gets Optimistic Report From Kay

• By Teresa Genaro
• May 28, 2014
• Northeast Region

Optimism was evident May 28 as the board of directors of the New York Racing Association heard Chris Kay, president and CEO, detail several improvements customers can expect on what could be an historic Belmont Stakes day.

NYRA May Lose Skorton as Chairman

• By Tom Precious
• March 10, 2014
• Northeast Region

The New York Racing Association is at some unknown date losing its board chairman as it looks in the next year or so to move from a state-run entity back to a privately held corporation.

Aqueduct Dominates NYRA Board Discussion

• By Teresa Genaro
• March 5, 2014
• Thoroughbred Racing, Northeast Region

While Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course were topics at the meeting, conversations about nearly every major issue facing NYRA will be affected by what happens to Aqueduct Racetrack.

NYRA Budget Passes, But Not Without Debate

• December 4, 2013
• Northeast Region

The board of the New York Racing Association met for the first time a year ago, but it wasn't until its eighth meeting Dec. 4 that its members offered significant disagreement to a proposal made by chair David Skorton.

NYRA Confirms Hiring of Panza to Head Racing

• By BloodHorse Staff
• October 20, 2013
• Thoroughbred Racing, Northeast Region

The New York Racing Association Oct. 20 confirmed the widely reported hiring of Martin Panza as senior vice president of racing operations.

Kay Named President and CEO of NYRA

• By BloodHorse Staff
• June 18, 2013
• Northeast Region

Christopher Kay was named president and CEO of the New York Racing Association following unanimous approval by its board of directors at a meeting June 18. The appointment is effective July 1.

NYRA Board Meets; Still No Action on CEO

• June 10, 2013
• Northeast Region

The New York Racing Association board of directors met June 10, partly in closed session, but said afterward no decision had been made on selecting a chief executive officer to lead the organization.

NYRA Names 3-Person Interim Management Team

• April 29, 2013
• Northeast Region

The New York Racing Association board of directors, at a meeting late in the afternoon of April 29, appointed an interim management team to run the corporation's racetracks until a new chief executive officer is hired.

NYRA Not Close to Naming McClain's Successor

• April 11, 2013
• Northeast Region

Six weeks after the official start of the search for a chief executive officer for the New York Racing Association, chairman David Skorton indicated that the board is not close to naming Ellen McClain's successor.

NYRA to Consider Synthetic for Aqueduct

• By BloodHorse Staff
• January 17, 2013
• Thoroughbred Racing, Northeast Region

Installing a synthetic surface for the inner track at Aqueduct Racetrack for the 2013-14 winter season is among the changes to NYRA policies and operations that will be considered by the board at its Jan. 25 meeting.

NYRA Reorganization Board Holds First Meeting

• By Tom Precious
• December 12, 2012
• Northeast Region

A new state-controlled board of directors at the New York Racing Association held its first meeting Dec. 12, bringing the long-embattled racetrack operator to a new and uncertain place in its history that dates back to 1955.

New NYRA Board to Address Ethics

• By Tom Precious
• December 11, 2012
• Thoroughbred Racing, Northeast Region

The board is expected to adopt a new code of ethics for board members and employees and put in place legal requirements regarding disclosure of outside business activities by board members.

NYRA Board Meetings to be Open to Public

• By Tom Precious
• November 7, 2012
• Thoroughbred Racing, Northeast Region

Long accustomed to holding board meetings in secret, the New York Racing Association will cease the closed-door practice and follow the state's open meetings law by making the gatherings open to the public.

State Now Controls NYRA; New Board Appointed

• By Tom Precious
• October 18, 2012
• Thoroughbred Racing, Northeast Region

The New York Racing Association is now the nation's largest state-controlled racing entity, paving a new and highly uncertain future for the not-for-profit corporation that has seen its highs and lows.