Bond, NYRA Reach Settlement Over Social Media Post

The New York Racing Association and trainer Kevin Bond have reached a settlement in the administrative proceeding that followed a racist post to the trainer's Facebook account in December; a post the trainer attributed to his social media account being hacked. Under the settlement agreement, NYRA said in a release that Bond has agreed to step away from racing or training activities at NYRA tracks through Aug. 13. Bond has not started a horse since Naz finished off the board in a May 2 maiden special weight race at Aqueduct Racetrack. With the agreement in place, the administrative proceeding brought against Bond in February is discontinued. Bond's attorney could not immediately be reached June 23. In a Feb. 13 NYRA report outlining charges and the overall case, NYRA said the vulgar, antisemitic post on or around Dec. 16 to Bond's Facebook page was in response to an unsympathetic post about the murders of Rob and Michele Reiner. Shortly after attention was brought to the post, NYRA president and CEO David O'Rourke said, "NYRA condemns in the strongest possible terms the vile, antisemitic comments posted today on New York-based trainer Kevin Bond's Facebook account. NYRA has zero tolerance for this kind of hateful speech and will begin an investigation into the matter immediately." The NYRA report also outlined Bond's contention that his Facebook account was hacked and he did not post the comment. On the track, Bond has a 10-4-12 record and $454,954 in earnings from 86 starts since 2024 at tracks in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.