NY Race Track Chaplaincy Brunch Aug. 12 in Saratoga

Donna Barton Brothers, who recently concluded a stellar career as a horse racing reporter for NBC Sports, will return as master of ceremonies and Joe Bianca of the Rail Talk Podcast will serve as the auctioneer when the New York Race Track Chaplaincy hosts its 19th annual brunch in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. As previously announced, the chaplaincy will honor Sheree and Marc Holliday with the John Hendrickson and Marylou Whitney Award for their ongoing dedication and longstanding support of the New York backstretch community at the event. Marc Holliday has served as chairman of the New York Racing Association Board of Directors since December 16, 2021. The brunch will once again be held at the Saratoga National Golf Club. Tickets and sponsorships can be obtained online by visiting www.rtcany.org. Brothers won more than 1,000 races as a jockey and played a key on-camera role in NBC Sports' Eclipse Award-winning horse racing coverage from 2000 until this May. She also serves on numerous Thoroughbred industry boards and in 2011, she wrote Inside Track: An Insider's Guide to Horse Racing. Bianca is an ownership advisor with West Point Thoroughbreds. The Rail Talk podcasts have exceeded 4,000,000 total views and can be seen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Audible. In January 2021, he received an Eclipse Award in the Multimedia category for "To Hell and Back: Belmont Marks a Deserved Triumph for New York City." "The brunch is really our signature event of the year and we are always extremely grateful to the sponsors, attendees, and everyone from inside or outside the racing industry who supports it in any way," said Board President Michelle Borisenok. "The proceeds enable us to help countless members of the backstretch community and their families throughout the year." Borisenok also strongly encouraged prospective attendees to purchase tickets promptly due to space limitations at the brunch. Previous honorees have included: Leona and Johnny Velazquez, Len Green, Tracy and Todd Pletcher, Andy Serling, Anne Campbell, Edgar Prado, Michael Dubb, Fay and David Donk, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, Letty and Kiaran McLaughlin, Lisa and Kenny Troutt, Debbie and Terry Finley, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and Irad Ortiz Jr. The New York Race Track Chaplaincy serves the New York backstretch and farming community with children's enrichment, teen mentoring, women's enrichment, social service, recreational, and educational programming as well as non-denominational religious services. Additional information about the New York Race Track Chaplaincy is available at www.rtcany.org.