A coalition of business leaders and labor groups this week launched to promote New York's horse racing industry and the sport's impact on the state's economy.
The coalition, We Are NY Horse Racing, pointed to the $3 billion economic impact the sport has, along with its 19,000 jobs and the role it plays as the second-largest agribusiness.
But the coalition is also forming as protests by animal-rights advocates have been held at race tracks this summer, including Saratoga Springs, over the treatment of horses.