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Veronica Gallardo and Nick Garafola (pre-pandemic)
Longtime New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) employees Nick Garafola and Veronica Gallardo have worked valiantly for the racing community amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the dormitories located on the Belmont Park backstretch.
Garafola and Gallardo have a combined 37 years of experience at NYRA. On Belmont s vast backstretch, they re responsible for the housing and well-being of a small city: anywhere from 450 to 600 backstretch workers living in approximately 500 rooms among 69 cottages.
On March 19, 2020, NYRA voluntarily suspended live racing at Aqueduct Racetrack due to changing circumstances in the racing community relative to COVID-19 pandemic. Although racing was stopped, the essential work of caring for the more than 1,300 horses stabled at Belmont continued.
Racetrack chaplains aid Saratoga workers during winter months
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Chaplain Humberto Chavez helps backstretch workers in all of New York s racetracks including Saratoga Springs in summer and in winter.Skip DicksteinShow MoreShow Less
2of5The most popular horse on the Saratoga grounds, Tiz the Law, takes a water break at trainer Barclay Tagg s barn Friday morning on the backstretch. That s Tiz s best friend, groom Juan Barajas, leading the horse to water on the overcast morning. Tiz the Law, set to run in the Grade I Travers at the Spa on Aug. 8, is coming off a win in the Belmont Stakes. He is owned by Saratoga Springs Jack Knowlton s Sackatoga Stable. (Tim Wilkin / Times Union) Show MoreShow Less