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Longtime Horse Racing Executive Tony Chamblin Passes

Tony Chamblin, a longtime horse racing industry executive and ambassador for the industry passed away peacefully Sunday at his home in Lexington, Ky. He was 81.

Chamblin played an instrumental role in the passage of the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978 and the Pari-Mutual Licensing Simplification Act of 1988, and later became an early supporter of federal legislation intended to align U.S. equine medication policies with International standards

Chamblin served in a number of executive capacities during his nearly 50-year career in the horse racing industry while leaving a lasting legacy along the way.

As chief executive of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) from 1965-1983, Chamblin oversaw the only horsemen's organization of its kind in North America. While headquartered near Washington, D.C., Chamblin played an instrumental role in the passage of the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, a bill that has generated billions of dollars in purse money for owners and trainers and racetrack operators over the past 42 years.

From 1983-86 and at the urging of local horsemen, Chamblin took the helm at Finger Lakes Racetrack in New York. Changes quickly ensued. The western New York oval became one of the first racetracks in the nation to introduce whole card simulcasting. Chamblin also introduced twilight racing and Pick Six wagering to Finger Lakes.

From 1986-2001, Chamblin served as the chief executive of the Association of Racing Commissioners' International (ARCI). During his time with the ARCI, the association completed a decades-long effort to establish a national multi-jurisdictional racing license for owners. The association also completely overhauled its model rules of racing, administered accreditation programs for stewards and judges, developed uniform totalizator standards that cleared the way for massive national simulcasting growth, instituted an accreditation program for drug testing laboratories, funded numerous drug testing research projects, and classified over 750 drugs into five categories. In 1993, Chamblin was honored by the ARCI with the William H. May Award for meritorious service to racing.

Along the way, Chamblin traveled the world promoting U.S. horse racing interests. His work took him to more than 100 racetracks in the United States and Canada. As an ambassador for racing Chamblin was asked to speak on the industry in the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Mexico, France, the Middle East, Australia, South America, South Africa and Russia, among other countries.

Anthony (Tony) Chamblin was born May 15, 1939, in Flora, Illinois. Chamblin graduated from Milliken University in Decatur, Ill., where he majored in English and lettered in football and tennis. In 1961, after graduating college at age 23, Chamblin became the youngest sports editor in the country of a paper with over 100,000 in circulation (Evansville Courier & Press). During his early career as a sports writer and editor Chamblin won the U.S. Basketball Writers award, U.S. Football Writers award, and wrote for Sports Illustrated and Newsweek. Chamblin has written and edited four books, and also wrote the History of Thoroughbred Racing for World Book Encyclopedia.

While in retirement, Chamblin was proud to advocate for the Water Hay Oats Alliance (WHOA), a grassroots movement supporting federal legislation to eliminate race-day medication and dedicated to changing negative public perceptions of the sport.

Chamblin also publicly endorsed the Horse Racing Integrity Act (HIA) the forerunner to the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) currently making its way through Congress.

Chamblin, who died of congestive heart failure, is survived by his wife of 31 years, Debbie; two daughters, Margaret McClintock (Tampa) and Kaitlin Chamblin (Lexington); a son, Keith (Lexington) and six grandchildren. A celebration of Chamblin's life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm (www.oldfriendsequine.org).

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Racing Executive Tony Chamblin Dies

Tony Chamblin, a longtime horse racing industry executive and ambassador for the industry, passed away peacefully Sunday at his home in Lexington, Ky. He was 81.

As chief executive of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) from 1965-1983, Chamblin oversaw the only horsemen’s organization of its kind in North America. While headquartered near Washington, D.C., Chamblin played an instrumental role in the passage of the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, a bill that has generated billions of dollars in purse money for owners and trainers and racetrack operators over the past 42 years.

From 1983-86 and at the urging of local horsemen, Chamblin took the helm at Finger Lakes Racetrack in New York. During his tenure, Finger Lakes became one of the first racetracks in the nation to introduce whole card simulcasting. Chamblin also introduced twilight racing and Pick Six wagering to Finger Lakes.

From 1986-2001, Chamblin served as the chief executive of the Association of Racing Commissioners’ International (ARCI) and along the way, traveled the world promoting U.S. horse racing interests. His work took him to more than 100 racetracks in the United States and Canada. As an ambassador for racing, Chamblin was asked to speak on the industry in the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Mexico, France, the Middle East, Australia, South America, South Africa and Russia, among other countries.

Born May 15, 1939 in Flora, Illinois, Chamblin graduated from Milliken University in Decatur, Ill. before becoming the youngest sports editor in the country of a paper with over 100,000 in circulation (Evansville Courier & Press). During his early career as a sports writer and editor Chamblin won the U.S. Basketball Writers award, U.S. Football Writers award, and wrote for Sports Illustrated and Newsweek. He has written and edited four books, and also wrote the History of Thoroughbred Racing for World Book Encyclopedia.

Chamblin, who died of congestive heart failure, is survived by his wife of 31 years, Debbie; two daughters, Margaret McClintock (Tampa) and Kaitlin Chamblin (Lexington); a son, Keith (Lexington) and six grandchildren. A celebration of Chamblin’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm (www.oldfriendsequine.org).

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ARCI Preparing Analysis Of New Integrity Bill; Breeders To Pay For Anti-Doping, Medication Enforcement

The newly proposed legislation, the “Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,” by Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell will, for the first time, put the Thoroughbred breeding industry under racing regulation and require breeders help pay for the sport's anti-doping and medication enforcement programs.

An analysis is being prepared on behalf of the Association of Racing Commissioners International so the group can prepare for a “smooth transition” should the measure be enacted.

In December, 2017 the ARCI called for closing the “regulatory gap” to better protect horses by requiring oversight – publicly or privately – of those segments of the industry that do not fall under the authority of a state racing commission. Such expansion of regulatory authority at the state or federal level would require legislation and industry support, which did not materialize.

The McConnell bill falls short of what the ARCI had envisioned, but does require Breeders register with the newly formed NGO (non-governmental organization) and to be considered as “covered persons” eligible for assessments to help pay for the proposed Authority and its Enforcement Agency. Costs associated with this program have yet to be disclosed but are expected to be in excess of the total funds now being paid by all the state agency programs currently in existence. Costs assessed by the new Authority may depend on the extent to which the existing state based enforcement infrastructure is used.

The bill also requires the disclosure of horses that have been treated with bisphosphonate drugs.

In July, 2019, the ARCI formally requested The Jockey Club institute a private program of equine welfare regulation using their existing authority and special status in all state racing rulebooks. No federal or state legislation would be required for such a program.

The ARCI advocated for horses not yet under the jurisdiction of a racing commission to require submission of all veterinary records and perform suitability reviews that could be used to better identify horses in need of increased monitoring as a safeguard. “The brutal reality is that some horses needs to be monitored more aggressively and this can only be done by an entity with existing authority to do so or with one specifically empowered by statute,” Martin said, noting that RCI continues to assess whether the McConnell bill will accomplish this.

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UofL Equine Industry Program Launching ARCI Racing Investigator Certificate Program

The University of Louisville Equine Industry Program will formally launch the ARCI Racing Investigator Certificate Program online October 5-6, 2020. Registration is now open at https://louisville.edu/business/payments/equine. There is an $80 fee to defray university costs associated with offering the program.

The program, an initiative of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI), is the first of its kind and has applicability to all existing and aspiring horse racing investigators.

“The job of a racing investigator is a specialty involving knowledge not only of police procedures concerning interrogation and evidence gathering but also of horseracing, the backstretch, and the horses themselves,” said RCI Chair Tom Sage of Nebraska, a former longtime law enforcement officer and racing investigator and past-Chair of the Organization of Racing Investigators.

The initial program will last two days and be conducted online by the UofL Equine Industry Program. Additional programs may be conducted in person and the ARCI is committed to working with both the University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program and the University of Arizona's Racetrack Industry Program.

Those participating in the program will be deemed certified after passing an examination. The RCI encourages commissions and racetracks to phase in a requirement for a current Racing Investigator Certificate as a requirement for employment.

RCI President, Ed Martin, who formerly served as the New York regulator responsible for some of racing's most notable investigations – Breeders' Cup Pick 6 Wagering Scandal, the NYRA Mutuel Department fraud conspiracy, OTB mismanagement, Yonkers Raceway drug search lockdown – noted that “proactive investigators will develop intelligence networks and not be hesitant to dig deep into any situation where things do not seem as they should.”

“There is a tremendous amount of expertise and experience that is required to do this job properly,” he said, noting the work of the NY Gaming Commission in its effective records audit investigation and prosecution of a horse trainer who was circumventing the drug rules and testing lab and the work of the Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Nebraska commissions initiating a successful federal prosecution of illegal drug compounding used to facilitate horse doping.

The curricula for the program will focus on basic horsemanship skills, safety procedures in the barn or paddock areas, racing terminology, overview of officials and their duties, creating the condition book and drawing for the race as well as what is involved in preparing a horse for a racing career. Equine care and medications, vet records, investigatory tools and techniques, interactions with other enforcement entities, evidence gathering, and ways cheaters attempt to avoid detection will also be addressed.

“The University of Louisville is excited for its collaborative work with the ARCI to bring this certification program to fruition, said Sean Beirne, Director of the UofL Equine Industry Program. “It is an important aspect of our mission to educate the professionals in the horse racing industry, to build on their knowledge, and provide resources to enhance and develop the methodology to create standards for the execution of their duties,” Beirne added.

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