Convicted Lloyd Neck trainer out of jail pending appeal

A Lloyd Neck thoroughbred trainer walked out of an upstate jail Thursday after a state appellate court judge granted his release on bail pending appeal.

Ernest Paragallo, 52, was convicted on 33 counts of animal cruelty in March for failing to provide proper sustenance and care for horses on his Center Brook Farm in Climax, about 20 miles south of Albany. He had served a little less than a month of his two-year sentence.

Paragallo's attorney, David Seth Michaels of Spencertown, said his client was "delighted to be out of jail. We got him out in time for Father's Day."

Michaels said Paragallo is free on $10,000 bond. He said he would not disclose grounds for the appeal until papers are filed, he said, which likely will be some time in the next four months.

Paragallo was convicted in March and also fined $33,000 at May sentencing in Greene County Court.

In April 2009, State Police and animal welfare investigators raided his farm and seized 177 horses. Authorities said the horses were malnourished and had not received proper veterinary care, shelter or food. Also, many of the thoroughbreds were infested with parasites, investigators said.

According to a story in The Daily Mail, a Greene County newspaper, Paragallo told State Police he was tending to his ailing father and living on Long Island in the winter of 2008-09 and did not visit the farm for months. He said farm manager Eddie Salazar, was caring for the horses.

Salazar did not testify during the trial. Paragallo said the manager returned to his home country of Guatemala to care for his ill mother.

Paragallo, a former owner of 1996 Kentucky Derby favorite and fifth-place finisher Unbridled's Song, has trained horses to run in more than 4,500 races. The state Racing and Wagering Board has suspended him from racing at New York tracks.

Paragallo could not be reached for comment Friday.