Report: NYRA fires steward Hawkins, gets replacement from Okla.

Brook Hawkins reportedly was fired after more than four years on the job as a New York Racing Association steward. He will be replaced by Oklahoma racing official Víctor Éscobar, according to a Thursday news release from NYRA.

The dismissal of Hawkins, 55, was reported by Daily Racing Form’s David Grening. No specific reason for his firing was given.

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A flashpoint for the recent work of NYRA stewards came Dec. 16, when Brick Ambush was controversially demoted from second to last place in the Great White Way division stakes at Aqueduct. However, as Grening pointed out, Hawkins was on vacation that day.

Éscobar, 31, will join NYRA on Feb. 16 after having served as an Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission state steward since 2021. A New Mexico native and son of retired jockey Víctor Éscobar Sr., he previously worked as steward in New Mexico and at Rillito Park in Arizona.

The NYRA board of stewards is comprised of three officials who collectively officiate races and adjudicate disputes at all NYRA tracks. The board includes the New York State Gaming Commission steward, The Jockey Club steward and the NYRA steward.

Last year Éscobar was selected by the Racing Officials Accreditation Program as the first American to participate in the International Stewards Education Program, a three-week immersion in the United Kingdom designed to facilitate international harmonization amongst stewards and judges.

As an Oklahoma steward, Éscobar played a central role in the implementation of certain rules at Remington Park and was responsible for public communication with the betting public immediately following steward’s decisions.

DRF pointed out Hawkins has worked in racing for more than three decades, most of them in Louisiana, where he was the state’s chief steward until his move to New York in 2019.