Monthly Archives: June 2015

By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence Most traditions in thoroughbred racing are like the traditions in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” When explaining how a certain religious tradition began, Tevye the Milkman, the principal character in “Fiddler on … Continue reading →

By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence One of the most traditional sayings in horse racing is that “a good horse can come from anywhere.” In New York State, even before World War II, even before the inception of the … Continue reading →

By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence Eleven years ago, Abigail Nitka and I co-authored a law journal article, entitled “Legislative Intent and the NYRA Racing Properties,” for the Government, Law and Policy Journal.[1] The article was designed to show … Continue reading →

By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence Instead of dealing with allegorical sayings about Saratoga racing, the purpose of this posting is to recite what some of the major sportswriters of the 20th Century actually wrote about Saratoga. I have included … Continue reading →

By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence The great sportswriter Red Smith (1905-1982) wrote frequently and eloquently about horse racing in his many decades of writing columns for the Philadelphia Record, the New York Herald Tribune and the New York … Continue reading →

By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence In the mid-1970’s, equine drug testing became somewhat more sophisticated. Lasix came into general usage. Laboratories were beginning to call positives for both bute and Lasix. Nobody knew what drugs should be permitted, … Continue reading →

By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence One of the most intriguing issues emerging from the 2013 New York State referendum on casinos was the fact that while the referendum passed easily, it was rejected by the traditional gambling City … Continue reading →

By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence After New York State voters changed the State Constitution to authorize pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing in 1939, it was reasonable to have assumed that the major issues involving betting on horse racing … Continue reading →