From a Racing Fan to a Future Career in the Horse Racing Industry

Ballston Spa graduate Bryce Tuohy continues his chase of a horse racing career after receiving one of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. scholarships

Bryce Tuohy is no stranger to the Winner’s Circle at Saratoga Race Course.

Something that started in collecting jockey autographs and getting an unforgettable fist-bump from a Hall of Fame trainer has evolved into helping to present trophy presentations while learning the horse racing industry.

The Ballston Spa graduate who is attending the University of Louisville’s Equine Industry program made another trip to the Winner’s Circle on Friday. This time, he was the recipient of the Debby Malloy Winkler Scholarship presented by the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

The scholarship, named after the late daughter of Thoroughbred breeder and owner Vivien Malloy, recognizes full-time students who are committed to the future of Thoroughbred racing based on their academic work and industry involvement.

For Tuohy, the award reflects more than a summer spent working for the New York Racing Association and gaining experience on the backstretch.

“It means so much,” he said. “I’m so involved because I work to get there. I’m going to an out-of-state school to study a program and pursue the career of my dreams. This scholarship gives me a chance to be able to attend there and not have as much of a financial burden.”

That career goal combines two lifelong interests: business and horse racing.

Tuohy’s interest in business stems from his family background with both his father and grandfather as accountants. Inspired by their career, he followed a similar path.

“A lot of people in my family studied business and worked on the numbers side of business,” he said. “They really planned out their lives in a way where everything made sense financially. Everything in life is a business, if you think about it. My dad told me that from a young age.”

With his focus on entrepreneurship and business, Tuohy participated in the New York State Pathways in Technology (P-TECH) program through the partnership between Ballston Spa High School and Hudson Valley Community College. Taking classes at the TEC-SMART campus in Malta, as well as his AP courses, Tuohy earned 54 college credits that transferred to Louisville.

“That was really a great program,” he said about P-TECH. “I thought the curriculum was interesting. I thought it was different from the high school or the group work setting.”

At Louisville, Tuohy wanted to build past his New York experiences and connections in the Equine Industry Program, the only undergraduate equine program worldwide to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. 

“I wanted to go to the University of Louisville because they have all the networking and connections [in Kentucky],” he said. “I thought it would be a great way to get a broad understanding of how the equine business works.”

While Louisville offered an opportunity to build connections, Tuohy’s passion for horse racing began much earlier. His grandfather often went to Roosevelt Raceway and other Long Island racetracks. Even some of Tuohy’s photos feature himself as a newborn at the racetrack.

“I come from a big family that loves horse racing,” Tuohy said. “They love going to the races, watching the horses run, and picking out the horses. Growing up around the races, I fell in love with the horses and the people.”

Like many 12-year-olds seeking jockey autographs, Tuohy got something extra on the final day of the 2022 Saratoga meet. After congratulating Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, whose Backyard Money won in the middle of the Closing Day card, he received a fist-bump, an invitation to the Winner’s Circle, and an open invitation to learn more about racing. That was a life-changing moment for Tuohy.

“That really inspired me,” Tuohy said. “That really helped change my life. I want to inspire people in the same way that he inspired me by getting involved racing and becoming a part of a group that can chase their dreams instead of an outsider.”

A couple of years after that moment, Tuohy chased his dream by learning from another trainer: Gary Contessa. Fascinated by Contessa’s YouTube videos about training horses, Tuohy wanted to learn more from him. Knowing it was going to be an initial challenge, Tuohy started helping him around his Saratoga barn while learning about being a trainer.

“I started at the bottom. He didn’t think I’d keep showing up around the rainy days and the cold mornings,” Tuohy said. “He really was an open book. He taught me a lot about training, all the paperwork, everything that had to go into his operation.”

During the afternoons, Tuohy worked as an usher at bottom of the stairs near the trophy case closet for NYRA. In helping bring the Alabama trophy to the Winner’s Circle two years ago, he was assigned to assist with the trophy presentations. He now also escorts the winning connections to the Carmen H. Barrera Horsemen’s Lounge for champagne and gifts.

As an intern shadowing NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Andrew Offerman, Tuohy has learned various aspects of the racetrack: the barn stall office, the racing stewards, the track veterinarians, the paddock judge, the placing judges and the racing office.

“I would go like a different place every day and I learned how the procedures worked in each different department,” he said.

This season, Tuohy also found time to assist around the backstretch. During the five-week stretch that started on the Fourth of July Racing Festival, he assisted H. James Bond and his team in setting up the feed and tack, getting horses out of the barn and track on time, and hotwalking the horses.

Tuohy’s experience has even extended off track with his work at Mill Creek Farm. When he was a junior at Ballston Spa, Tuohy spent his weekends and school breaks to help the 120-horse farm while learning about working with foals, those on a layoff, stallions, and others.

While Tuohy plans to spend the next four years at Louisville, he plans to come back to New York, especially since he considers Saratoga his summer home.

“I’ll be back,” Tuohy said. “I’m not 100% sure what my plan is, but I am going to have a career here. I love Saratoga, so this is the place to be in the summer. This is my home.”