The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's board of directors recently held its inaugural meeting and elected Charles Scheeler as chairperson of the board. This meeting marks a major step in the operational and organizational transition of the Authority from the nomination and selection process to the critical work of developing uniform safety and integrity rules for the horse racing industry.
“I'm honored to be selected by my fellow board members as the first chairperson of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. We have a monumental task ahead of us, and I want to thank the nominating committee for bringing together this outstanding group of individuals whose inherent integrity and combined expertise give me confidence in our ability to meet the challenge,” said Scheeler. “All eyes are on the Thoroughbred industry as we move into the third leg of the Triple Crown, and on behalf of the board and its standing committees, I'd like to express our unwavering commitment to our mission to protect the wellbeing of human and equine athletes and the integrity of the sport.”
Scheeler is a retired partner at DLA Piper. His extensive background includes serving as lead counsel to former Senator George Mitchell in connection with his independent investigation of performance-enhancing substance use in Major League Baseball (the Mitchell Report). He also served as the monitor of the Pennsylvania State University investigation relating to compliance with its obligations under the Athletics Integrity Agreement with the National Collegiate Athletics Association and Big Ten Conference. Additionally, Scheeler led an investigation by an independent commission examining health and safety practices within the University of Maryland football program. The resulting report recommended an array of best practices designed to place the university at the forefront of student-athlete health and safety.
“Charles Scheeler is the right choice as the Authority's first board chair and brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the role,” said Authority board member Leonard Coleman. “His deep background and exceedingly positive reputation on issues of critical importance in sports speak for themselves, making him a strong nominee for the board. I'm very pleased to see him take on this expanded role.” Coleman was also co-chair of the Authority's blue-ribbon nominating committee that identified the initial board of directors and standing committee members.
Prior to joining DLA Piper, Scheeler was a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland from 1984 to 1989. During his time in public service, he successfully prosecuted racketeering, narcotics, money laundering and fraud cases.
In addition to practicing law, Scheeler is an engaged member of the community. He serves as chair of the board of Rosedale Federal Savings and Loan Association. He also serves as chair of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and is a member of the boards of Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine and the CollegeBound Foundation. Scheeler graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard Law School.
“With the election of Charles Scheeler as the Authority's chair, the board of directors is moving ahead with the development of uniform safety and integrity rules and regulations for the industry,” said Nancy Cox, who will continue to serve as chair of the Authority's nominating committee. “Under his leadership, the Authority is well positioned to recommend and implement a new and effective regulatory framework to safeguard the future of horse racing.”
Under the oversight of the Federal Trade Commission, Authority board and standing committee members are responsible for developing, implementing and enforcing a series of uniform anti-doping, medication control, racetrack safety and operational rules to enhance equine safety and protect the integrity of the sport for participants, fans and bettors.
As part of the national governing framework that will be established for the sport, the 2020 Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) created a set of baseline standards and reforms from which the Authority will begin its work. The anti-doping and medication control standing committee, in partnership with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) will advise the Authority on permitted and prohibited substances, laboratory testing standards, in- and out-of-competition testing and programs related to research and education. The racetrack safety standing committee will advise the Authority on training and safety standards, veterinary exam protocols, racing surface quality and maintenance, centralized databases for injury and fatality tracking and analysis, uniform track safety standards, and research and education related to every facet of racetrack safety.
“The Authority is working with the Federal Trade Commission to implement a series of uniform safety standards to reform and govern one of our nation's most treasured pastimes by the July 2022 program effective date,” said Scheeler. “Our work to protect the integrity and safety of the sport for our equine and human athletes, participants and fans is the top priority for everyone involved with the Authority. We will deliver on our goals and fill the long-standing need for national oversight of this storied sport to ensure it can be enjoyed for generations to come.”
Additional information on HISA and the Authority can be found at hisaus.org.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's board of directors recently held its inaugural meeting and elected Charles Scheeler as chairperson of the board. This meeting marks a major step in the operational and organizational transition of the Authority from the nomination and selection process to the critical work of developing uniform safety and integrity rules for the horse racing industry.
“I'm honored to be selected by my fellow board members as the first chairperson of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. We have a monumental task ahead of us, and I want to thank the nominating committee for bringing together this outstanding group of individuals whose inherent integrity and combined expertise give me confidence in our ability to meet the challenge,” said Scheeler. “All eyes are on the thoroughbred industry as we move into the third leg of the Triple Crown, and on behalf of the board and its standing committees, I'd like to express our unwavering commitment to our mission to protect the wellbeing of human and equine athletes and the integrity of the sport.
Charles Scheeler is a retired partner at DLA Piper. His extensive background includes serving as lead counsel to former Senator George Mitchell in connection with his independent investigation of performance-enhancing substance use in Major League Baseball (the Mitchell Report). He also served as the monitor of the Pennsylvania State University investigation relating to compliance with its obligations under the Athletics Integrity Agreement with the National Collegiate Athletics Association and Big Ten Conference. Additionally, Scheeler led an investigation by an independent commission examining health and safety practices within the University of Maryland football program. The resulting report recommended an array of best practices designed to place the university at the forefront of student-athlete health and safety.
“Charles Scheeler is the right choice as the Authority's first board chair and brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the role,” said Authority board member Leonard Coleman. “His deep background and exceedingly positive reputation on issues of critical importance in sports speak for themselves, making him a strong nominee for the board. I'm very pleased to see him take on this expanded role.”
Coleman was also co-chair of the Authority's blue-ribbon nominating committee that identified the initial board of directors and standing committee members.
Prior to joining DLA Piper, Scheeler was a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland from 1984 to 1989. During his time in public service, he successfully prosecuted racketeering, narcotics, money laundering and fraud cases.
In addition to practicing law, Scheeler is an engaged member of the community. He serves as chair of the board of Rosedale Federal Savings and Loan Association. He also serves as chair of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and is a member of the boards of Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine and the CollegeBound Foundation. Scheeler graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard Law School.
“With the election of Charles Scheeler as the Authority's chair, the board of directors is moving ahead with the development of uniform safety and integrity rules and regulations for the industry,” said Nancy Cox, who will continue to serve as chair of the Authority's nominating committee. “Under his leadership, the Authority is well-positioned to recommend and implement a new and effective regulatory framework to safeguard the future of horse racing.”
Under the oversight of the Federal Trade Commission, Authority board and standing committee members are responsible for developing, implementing and enforcing a series of uniform anti-doping, medication control, racetrack safety and operational rules to enhance equine safety and protect the integrity of the sport for participants, fans and bettors.
As part of the national governing framework that will be established for the sport, the 2020 Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (“HISA”) created a set of baseline standards and reforms from which the Authority will begin its work. The anti-doping and medication control standing committee, in partnership with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) will advise the Authority on permitted and prohibited substances, laboratory testing standards, in- and out-of-competition testing and programs related to research and education. The racetrack safety standing committee will advise the Authority on training and safety standards, veterinary exam protocols, racing surface quality and maintenance, centralized databases for injury and fatality tracking and analysis, uniform track safety standards, and research and education related to every facet of racetrack safety.
“The Authority is working with the Federal Trade Commission to implement a series of uniform safety standards to reform and govern one of our nation's most treasured pastimes by the July 2022 program effective date,” said Scheeler. “Our work to protect the integrity and safety of the sport for our equine and human athletes, participants and fans is the top priority for everyone involved with the Authority. We will deliver on our goals and fill the long-standing need for national oversight of this storied sport to ensure it can be enjoyed for generations to come.”
Additional information on HISA and the Authority can be found at hisaus.org.
Biographical information Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Board of Directors
Steve Beshear is an independent director from Kentucky. He served two terms as the 61st governor of Kentucky. An attorney by trade, Beshear has an extensive background in public service in Kentucky, including terms as Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Adolpho Birch is an independent director from Tennessee who will chair the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Standing Committee of the Authority. Birch is senior vice president of business affairs and chief legal officer for the NFL's Tennessee Titans. Prior to joining the Titans, he spent 23 years at the National Football League's headquarters, with responsibilities that included administration and enforcement of the NFL's policies related to the integrity of the game, substance abuse, performance-enhancing drugs, gambling and criminal misconduct.
Leonard Coleman is an independent director from Florida. Coleman is the former president of the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs. He joined Major League Baseball in 1992 as the executive director of market development. Previously, Coleman was a municipal finance banker for Kidder, Peabody and Company and served as commissioner of both the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and Department of Energy. Coleman is also a former board member of Churchill Downs.
Ellen McClain is an independent director from New York. McClain serves as the chief financial officer for Year UP, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the opportunity divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experience and support that will empower them through careers and higher education. From 2009-2013, she served in various leadership roles with the New York Racing Association (NYRA), including as its president.
Charles Scheeler is an independent director from Maryland. Scheeler is a retired partner at DLA Piper. He has an extensive legal career in the private and public sector. Prior to joining DLA Piper, Scheeler was a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney's Office and served as lead counsel to former Senator George Mitchell in his investigation of performance-enhancing substance use in Major League Baseball. Scheeler also has extensive experience investigating and monitoring Division I athletics programs' compliance with the National College Athletics Association.
Joseph De Francis is an industry director from Maryland. De Francis is the managing partner of Gainesville Associates, LLC. Prior to this role, he was a senior executive for various Thoroughbred racing entities including the Maryland Jockey Club and Magna Entertainment Corporation. De Francis has served on several industry and charitable organization boards, including the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (“NTRA”) and the Johns Hopkins Heart Institute, among others.
Susan Stover is an industry director from California, and she will chair the Racetrack Safety Standing Committee of the Authority. Stover is a professor of surgical and radiological science and the University of California, Davis and an expert in clinical equine surgery and lameness. Her research investigates the prevalence, distribution and morphology of equine stress fractures, risk factors and injury prevention, as well as the impact of equine injuries on human welfare.
Bill Thomason is an industry director from Kentucky. Thomason is the immediate past president of Keeneland, a role he served in from 2012 to 2020. Throughout his career, Thomason has been engaged with several industry organizations, including the NTRA and American Horse Council, as well as several civic and corporate boards, including the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Foundation.
DG Van Clief is an industry director from Virginia. Van Clief retired in 2006 from serving as president of the Breeders' Cup since 1996. A long-time racing executive, Van Clief was chairman of the Fasig-Tipton Company and a trustee of the Jockey Club Foundation. For several generations, his family operated Nydrie Stud in Virginia, and his grandmother bred 1947 Kentucky Derby winner Jet Pilot.
Anti-Doping and Medication Control Standing Committee Members
Jeff Novitzky is an independent member from Nevada. Novitzky is Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) vice president of athlete health and performance. In this role, he partnered with the United States Anti-Doping Agency to implement UFC's anti-doping program. Prior to UFC, Novitzky was a federal agent for the Food and Drug Administration and an investigator for the Internal Revenue Service.
Kathleen Stroia is an independent member from Florida. Stroia is senior vice president of sport sciences and medicine and transitions for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the WTA's representative on the board of the Society for Tennis Medicine and Science. Stroia has served on various committees related to her sport, including the International Tennis Federation Medical Commission, the Tennis Anti-doping Committee and the U.S. Tennis Association Sport Science Committee, among others.
Jerry Yon is an independent member from Florida. Yon is a retired gastroenterologist and previous member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (“KHRC”), where he helped establish the Kentucky Equine Medical Director position, and is a past chair of the Equine Drug Research Council, which advises the KHRC on drug testing, regulations and penalties.
Jeff Blea is an industry member from California. Blea is equine medical director at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He is also a partner/owner in Von Bluecher, Blea, Hunkin, Inc., an equine veterinary medicine and surgery practice. Blea has served on and led several equine industry organizations including the American Association of Equine Practitioners (“AAEP”), Southern California Equine Foundation and the NTRA's Safety and Integrity Alliance.
Mary Scollay is an industry member from Kentucky. Scollay is the executive director and chief operating officer of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), one of the industry's foremost scientific authorities on performance enhancing drugs, therapeutic medications and laboratory testing. She has served as a racing regulator since 1987 and is an active member in several industry and professional practice organizations including the AAEP and the International Group of Specialist Racing Veterinarians.
Scott Stanley is an industry member from Kentucky. Stanley is a professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Kentucky's Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center and director of the Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory. A research scientist with more than 30 years of regulatory drug testing experience, his work focuses on developing new anti-doping approaches and the establishment of the Equine Biological Passport project.
Racetrack Safety Standing Committee Members
Lisa Fortier is an independent member from New York. Fortier is the James Law Professor of Surgery, Equine Park Faculty Director and associate chair for Graduate Education and Research at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Her primary clinical and translational research interests are in equine orthopedic surgery, tendonitis, arthritis and regenerative medicine.
Peter Hester is an independent member from Kentucky. Hester is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and previously worked for equine veterinary surgeon William Reed at Belmont Park. While in medical school, he was a night watchman at Ballindaggin Farm and has maintained a passion for the sport and rider safety.
Paul Lunn is an independent member from North Carolina. Lunn is dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. Previously he was a professor and administrator at Colorado State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lunn's scholarly interests are in equine immunology and infectious disease.
Carl Mattacola is an independent member from North Carolina. Mattacola is dean of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro School of Health and Human Sciences. Prior to this, he was associate dean of academic and faculty affairs for the College of Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky. Mattacola's research has focused on neuromuscular, postural and functional considerations in the treatment and rehabilitation of lower extremity injury.
Glen Kozak is an industry member from New York. Kozak is senior vice president of operations and capital projects for the New York Racing Association's (NYRA) facility and track operations, which include Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course, Aqueduct Racetrack and others. Prior to joining NYRA, Kozak worked for the Maryland Jockey Club as vice president of facilities and racing surfaces.
John Velazquez is an industry member from New York. Velazquez is one of the most accomplished and respected jockeys in the history of horse racing, having won almost 6,250 races. He is North America's all-time leading money-earning jockey and holds the record for most graded stakes wins. He is a board member of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys' Fund and co-chairman of the Jockeys' Guild. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2012.
Nominating Committee Members:
Len Coleman is the former president of the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs. He joined Major League Baseball in 1992 as the executive director of market development. Previously, Coleman was a municipal finance banker for Kidder, Peabody and Company and served as commissioner of both the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and Department of Energy. Coleman is also a former board member of Churchill Downs.
Nancy Cox is the vice president for Land-grant Engagement and the dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky. Prior to that, she served as associate dean for research and director of the Experiment Station at the University of Kentucky. Cox championed the formation of the UK Equine Initiative (now UK Ag Equine Programs), recognizing the importance of the horse industry and its significance to Kentucky.
Katrina Adams is the immediate past president of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), following two consecutive terms as the USTA's chairman and president. A successful professional tennis player, Adams was elected vice president of the International Tennis Federation in 2015 and was appointed as chairman of the Fed Cup Committee in 2016.
Jerry Black is a visiting professor at Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine and is an emeritus professor and Wagonhound Land and Livestock chair in Equine Sciences at Colorado State University. He is the former president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and former chair of the board of trustees of the American Horse Council.
Joseph Dunford is the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, and was the principal military advisor to the president, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council from Oct. 1, 2015, through Sept. 30, 2019. Prior to becoming chairman, General Dunford served as the 36th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Frank Keating is the former governor of Oklahoma. Prior to that role, his career in law enforcement and public service included time as a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, U.S. Attorney and state prosecutor, and Oklahoma House and Senate member. He served as assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury, associate U.S. attorney general, and general counsel for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Ken Schanzer served as president of NBC Sports from June 1998 until his retirement in September 2011. He also served as chief operating officer. During Schanzer's tenure, he secured the television rights to the Triple Crown races and Breeders' Cup for NBC. Before joining NBC Sports, he served as senior vice president of government relations for the National Association of Broadcasters.
In one corner of racing's integrity infrastructure, one trillionth of a gram – a picogram – is regulated.
In the other, jockeys and trainers go unquestioned about in-race decisions or tactics, state veterinarians are not required to report publicly about episodes of bleeding or lameness after races, provide detailed reasons for scratches and voided claims, thrown shoes, or other measures which are standard across the rest of the racing world.
The gap must be narrowed.
In the concluding installment of “Wagering Insecurity,” we offer four observations from the process of compiling this series.
PART 12 – PRAVDA
In this final installment of “Wagering Insecurity,” we make four observations which have become clear. These are the product of input from many individuals, both named and anonymous, whose support throughout this series and whose assistance made it possible. .
The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation supports the growth of the North American Thoroughbred racing industry. We want more horseplayers and more horse owners. That sort of future is impossible without beginning the process of adopting the recommendations offered previously and considering the observations below.
OBSERVATION #1
Medication use has dominated public discourse on North American racing integrity over the last three decades. The history is long and contentious.
For context, the 2021 Kentucky Derby was the first run since 1985 where the entire field ran without Lasix. Five years after that, the topic was front and center on Derby Day as exemplified in this video below, of the 1990 Kentucky Derby broadcast, where Al Michaels and Dave Johnson spoke of a Jockey Club study about the potential impact of Lasix use.
Michaels said it would be a story to follow throughout the summer. Regardless of the study's specifics, it took more than three decades for action.
Anti-doping control programs are a necessary component of a broader suite of integrity measures. But balance is needed; progress must be shown in other areas of the integrity arena, too.
There are many factors which have contributed to North American racing's issues with doping, including a weak regulatory structure, a laissez-faire culture about drugs and a general failure to be active overseers of the sport, protecting the betting public.
One area where racing has gotten it right is in constantly improving thresholds of testing. A wealth of well-educated experts has ensured that as science and testing improve, racing's approach to testing evolves as well.
But the contrast with other forms of racing's integrity infrastructure should not be lost.
In one corner, one-trillionth of a gram can be measured. Penalties may be assessed becaue of that microscopic finding. In another corner, jockeys and trainers go unquestioned about in-race decisions or tactics, state veterinarians are not required to report publicly any episodes of bleeding or lameness noticed after a race or provide reasons for scratches and voided claims, thrown shoes, or other measures which are standard across the rest of the racing world.
That gap needs to be closed.
OBSERVATION #2
North American stewards fall short of those in the rest of the developed racing world. The blame resides with the regulators and track operators (yes, sometimes stewards are hired directly by the tracks) who have allowed these roles to degrade over time.
They have less training, are paid less and have not been given responsibilities commensurate with the worldwide expectations for such positions. As many veterans of the stewards' stand and other officials have retired, their replacements are often even less prepared.
A positive development in this space came in August 2019 when the Jockey Club and Racing Officials Accreditation Program announced the launch of a global exchange program which would give North American stewards the opportunity to learn and practice in other countries. The pandemic delayed implementation, but the program should be embraced as the world reopens.
The Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority (HISA) presents a vehicle for uplifting these standards.
TIF founder Craig Bernick is hopeful HISA evolves to tackle these issues, and the opportunities raised in Part 11 of this series.
“This time, it actually feels different. HISA offers racing a unique opportunity because it has superseding power over existing industry organizations.
“Past efforts to reform our sport have failed because of two main reasons – either the groups or organizations involved were not empowered to effect change or those involved were too focused on their own bottom line or retaining some semblance of control.”
While many horse and racetrack owners may have enjoyed slot-supplemented revenues and purses over more than the last two decades, additional funding has not found its way to racing's integrity infrastructure and the neglect shows.
Several stewards and racing officials consulted during TIF's research for the “Wagering Insecurity” series, who all requested anonymity to speak forthrightly, shared examples of poor working conditions, obsolete technology and general concerns over their ability to do their job well at present.
Uplifting standards will not be cheap, but the cost of not improving will be far greater for everyone who makes their living in racing.
OBSERVATION #3
A troublesome factor which belies all of the detail shared in this series is the absence of a robust, independent racing media in North America.
While racing has several influential trade publications and broadcasts with some very talented, knowledgable staff which contribute significantly to the sport, mainstream, independent coverage is practically non-existent.
Steve Crist, former publisher of the Daily Racing Form, lamented the state of racing coverage in March 2021 remarks to TIF for this series.
“Anyone from the outside who has seen the evolution of coverage of the sport can say that the kind of journalism which existed, even 10 years ago, is just not being done.
“This is a huge issue. It's nearly impossible to hold anyone accountable for anything.”
Crist recalled a time when he was a young reporter for the New York Times in the early 1980s, covering the ongoing hearings and legal wranglings around race-fixing from the 1970s. The coverage was endless, Crist recalls.
“I was working for the Times and there were three other racing beat reporters from each of the tabloids doing the same. Everyone wanted to be first.”
His work included eye-popping ledes, like the following from a 1981 piece:
“A former New York-based trainer has identified Jacinto Vasquez, a leading rider who has twice won the Kentucky Derby, as the man who offered the jockey Mike Hole a $5,000 bribe to hold back a horse at Saratoga in 1974, according to a deposition given to the State Racing and Wagering Board.”
Adjusting for inflation, a $5,000 bribe in 1974 would be about $26,000 today, the equivalent jockey's cut for winning a race with a purse of more than $400,000.
Most public racing coverage is restrained because advertising dollars come from within the industry itself. Mainstream coverage, when it happens, is often fleeting.
Crist thinks this is dangerous for a sport whose foundation is grounded in wagering.
“A media outlet in racing should not be compared to a propaganda machine like Pravda from the old Soviet Union, but in at least one case, that's what we now have.”
The line between journalism and publicity has been increasingly blurred.
Industry publications are hard-pressed to hold tracks, tote companies, ADWs and other-related organizations accountable for the degradation of the sport's integrity infrastructure when those same entities are their primary source of income through advertising. Years ago when he was with the New York Times, Crist and his mainstream media colleagues were in those roles. Today, coverage is mostly limited to the trades.
Several racing writers and broadcasters questioned by TIF acknowledged these issues are ever-present in their daily work. They all asked to remain anonymous because of a fear of reprisal from their employers and contacts within the industry. Staffing within industry media has contracted substantially in recent years, reducing the opportunity for deep coverage. Those in place are doing the best they can with what they have, but it is a delicate balance. One said the situation has devolved to such a degree that they know instinctively what topics are off-limits.
Criticism about the industry's integrity failings and other myriad issues could come at significant cost to racing media.
Those with substantial investments in horses, farms, associated agribusiness and other economic drivers of the sport should recognize that racing media must be given the freedom to hold the business to a higher standard than at present.
In the long run, the truth benefits the greatest number of stakeholders.
OBSERVATION #4
The overall wagering space is changing rapidly. Fixed odds betting for racing in North America is a necessity for one key reason – all new betting customers expect to know what price they are getting on their bets. While pari-mutuel betting still has a future, particularly in exotic wagers, the tote monopoly which has existed for generations on U.S. racing is coming to an end, as it should.
The tote protocol in use now, relying on a decades-old approach known in the industry as ITSP, is likely on its way out. Global commingling is more important than ever and TIF has learned from several major players in the pari-mutuel wagering technology space that a much-revised modern system of bet processing and information sharing will be needed. Support for antiquated tote technology is fading fast.
Customers must still be protected in the interim, and whatever new systems are developed should have proper oversight measures at its core.
CONCLUSION
The “Wagering Insecurity” series is unlike anything we have researched and published at the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation. We hope lessons can be learned from it.
“TIF was created to improve the prospects of horse owners and horseplayers, whose participation fuels racing's sustainability,” said Bernick.
“We have focused on issues related to pricing, transparency, technology and access to data. Racing has huge obligations too – now more than ever: aftercare, backstretch programs, jockey health and equine research. The best way to meet these obligations and sustain the business is to grow revenue through wagering. Doing so will be impossible without the greater industry accepting the serious issues raised and recommendations provided by this series.”
Ensuring integrity in horse racing takes a team effort. It's hard work. And it requires drive and support from horse owners, breeders, racing fans and most especially, the customers who need the most significant protection – the horseplayers.
It will take significant capital from the greater industry, investing in the appropriate resources to build an acceptable standard of integrity oversight. That does not go unnoticed. Under no circumstances should the costs for such programs come from increasing takeout – the cost of betting. There would be no more counterproductive effort than that.
The long-term costs to racing and its stakeholders' investments, if we do not upgrade racing's integrity infrastructure, will be far more substantial than the short-term costs of filling those needs.
We must restore and build confidence in existing horseplayers and horse owners, which will help us attract future customers. Little that racing in North America is doing now will accomplish that, particularly given our general embrace of opaque practices.
Racing must be operated more sustainably than it is now and we need to adopt the measures recommended here, and others, to bring the industry forward.
The path to better securing racing's wagering business is challenging and getting there will require exposing some long-standing failings.
For sports and racing integrity expert Jack Anderson, there is no choice.
“In the immediate, U.S. racing needs to look within. It needs to consult and review its own stakeholders and undertake a clear-eyed, hard-headed analysis of the state of the sport.
“That process may be a painful one. It may shock the racing public. It may, in the short term, undermine the reputation of the sport even amongst the most sympathetic of its supporters in the wider American sporting public.”
These improvements are needed to make North American racing better, to sustain the interest of bettors and secure the substantial investments of owners and breeders, as well as the reach of racing's economic impact.
The role of the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority offers a tremendous opportunity for ALL parties in the sport going forward and should be leveraged in every capacity to yield much-needed, uniform control over the integrity of U.S. racing. As previously outlined, HISA is required to report to the Federal Trade Commission.
Outside the FTC's Washington D.C. headquarters are a pair of sculptures created by Michael Lantz in 1942 entitled “Man Controlling Trade.” Each sculpture depicts a man holding a horse.
Our collective opportunity for improvement is real. There are countless examples for North American racing to follow.
Miss a previous installment? Click on the links to read more.
I have been in racing for almost 50 years. I have been involved with horses my whole life, growing up on a dairy farm with various ponies and horses, fox hunting, three-day eventing, show hunters, etc. From the beginning, my only reason for riding has been my love for horses. I've always loved being around them at every level. My first memory of a race horse was looking at pictures of Swaps in the Blood-Horse magazine and thinking he was the most beautiful horse in the world.
As children we went to the Timonium Fair to watch the races, and dreamed of either owning, training, or riding a race horse. Little did I know all three of those dreams would come true! But, always, my first thoughts were of the beauty, grace, and generosity of the horse himself, and I felt it was my responsibility to treat him with the greatest respect and give him the best possible care. I came into racing at about age 21 as an exercise rider and then a trainer. I thank racing for the best moments of my life, from starting a horse in the Preakness (1980, second woman ever to do so), to having the honor of training for a few of the greatest names in American Racing (Calumet Farm, Greentree Stable, John Franks, etc).
In racing I found my husband and some of my closest friends. Racing has a camaraderie which is impossible to explain to the layman. In a business where we spend most of the day, every day, no matter the weather, our health, or any possible extenuating circumstances, with the horses, it isn't hard to understand the closeness of its people. So, a sport which has given so much to me, and to which I have given almost my entire life, is breaking my heart with what it has become. I know that, in any business, when money is involved, things can become very complicated. Racing is no different. People have enormous amounts of money invested, and, understandably, would like to see some return on investment.
Unfortunately, when dealing with a living, breathing animal things don't always go according to plan. I think that many of the owners and trainer have forgotten what the game was intended to be about. Which is, first and foremost, the love and respect for the horse himself, and, secondly, the love of the sport itself. Love for the horse and love for the sport could easily go hand in hand, but it would mean putting the welfare of the horse first and understanding that the result might not always be the intended one. I have always advised prospective owners to invest only as much money as they can afford to lose. Look at it as a game, not as a business.
It seems to me that trainers, succumbing to pressure from owners who are looking for return on investment, often follow practices that they know are wrong in hopes of a better outcome. From a lifetime of experience I can say for certain, it just doesn't work that way.
When I first came around, we would call a veterinarian for a horse who was either hurt or sick. Period. Trainers cared for their horses through their training routines, feeding programs, and lots of hard work on their legs. There was no Lasix, no Bute, and very few other drugs permitted to run on. We relied on our ability to read the horse, figure out what he needed, and enter in the “right spot.” The rest was between the rider and the horse. In today's world of super trainers with hundreds of horses, most of whom they never even see, relying on assistants to tell them what's what, owners spending millions of dollars looking for that fifteen minutes of fame, and bettors becoming increasingly distrustful of the whole business, it is no wonder we are in so much trouble!
Sadly, there are still so many of us who really care for our horses. Sad because we are getting squeezed out by the ones who may truly love the sport, but have entirely forgotten the horse. In conclusion, with the whole world breathing down our necks, it is up to us to clean up our act. I would beg the authorities in all racing jurisdictions to hold the feet of every trainer, owner, jockey, groom and hot walker to the fire. No matter the prestige of the race or the winning connections, everyone must be treated equally. No one is outside the law.
The extraordinary efforts of the Water Hay Oats Alliance, the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity, the Humane Society of the United States, Animal Wellness Action and Representatives Paul Tonko and Andy Barr are paying dividends a full year ahead of the establishment of a Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) office. I see it in the bold rulings (temporary or permanent) by the New York Racing Association, Churchill Downs and the Kentucky and New York racing commissions. It's not too late to get on the right side of history before dealing with an investigative organization that will operate under the aegis of the federal government. An oversight body will finally have nationwide clout and every bad actor in our game – no matter how big, as we've seen this week – should be terrified.
If you're waiting for this to go away, it won't. It's as if 2021 is a last chance to start fresh. Cheaters, think twice. It's clear to me that just the existence of HISA will make horse racing safer for horses and fairer to the people who bet on them.
– Allen Gutterman, Member, HSUS Horseracing Integrity Act Council
The May 14 news article, “Horseplayers Sue Baffert, Zedan Racing Over Medina Spirit Drug Test,” illustrates how the horse racing industry has failed to clean up its act even after Congress passed the historic Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) in December to curb the rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has finally apologized for initially denying (vehemently) that the corticosteroid betamethasone was administered to Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit – the fifth time one of his horses failed a drug test since May 2, 2020. Meanwhile, HISA is facing legal challenges by racing business interests and the states of Oklahoma and West Virginia; all oppose stricter drug-monitoring standards. Yet performance-enhancing drugs push thousand-pound animals to compete past their physical limits while masking pain, inflammation and other warning signs that precede catastrophic breakdowns. Indeed, the number of race horse deaths in the United States far exceeds that of other racing jurisdictions around the world.
The public must demand more transparency and accountability from the racing industry.
– Joanna Grossman, Ph.D., equine program manager and senior advisor for the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C.
I am writing as a lifelong fan of horse racing. I fell in love with the sport when I was six years old when I saw my first Kentucky Derby on TV. Even on our old black and white set in 1969, Majestic Prince was a magnificent creature. I was in first grade and just learning to read, but I begged my dad to buy me Turf and Sport Digest every month because of the wonderful color photos on each month's cover.
Love affairs with champions like Secretariat, Ruffian, Forego, Slew o' Gold, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Easy Goer, Personal Ensign, My Flag, and Elate have intensified my love of the horses and the history of this lovely sport.
I then began writing on a freelance basis–in The Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times, SPUR, the Thoroughbred Heritage website, and chapters for the book Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006).
This love for these wonderful creatures has made me livid at the antics of Bob Baffert. In my opinion, he should not be called the “face of Thoroughbred racing” as some racing pundits call him, but he should be called the “blight on Thoroughbred racing.”
When racing went through such scrutiny because of the tragic fatalities at Santa Anita, the disqualification of Maximum Security in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, it did not need the litany of drug violations and outrageous excuses from the sport's highest-profile trainer.
Leaving aside Justify's scopolamine positive test debacle, the fact remains this man has had nearly 30 reported medication violations in his career. It is outrageous, and the fact Baffert has had only slaps on the wrist, is disgusting.
Let's take the excuses. Gamine and Charlatan were being handled by an assistant using a pain patch and the horses were “contaminated” that way. Merneith tested positive for dextromethorphan and his excuse was beyond belief. He had workers who had had COVID and were taking cough medicine and she had to have been contaminated from that.
And now this? We go from we never gave Medina Spirit any medication to self-pitying why is this happening to me, to it's part of the “cancel culture” movement, to “I'm a Hall of Fame trainer and people are jealous and resentful of me,” to, oh yeah, we gave the horse the medicine for a skin rash and we were not aware what was in it.
If I were an owner and had a horse I had paid a million dollars for, it and had it in his care, I would want to know what medication that horse was being given and why. I would be very leery of a man who gives meds without supposedly knowing what is in it. I would be leery of a man who supposedly has a groom so disgusting as to pee on hay and feed it to the horses. I would be leery of a man who promised to do better on national TV and then failed to follow through.
And I would be leery of a man who does not have the character to admit that the buck stops with him and that everything that goes on in his stable is his responsibility and his alone.
In short, I would remove my horse from that man's care, which I hope owners do, as Spendthrift Farm has done.
Baffert thinks he is so famous that he is above the rules and regulations of the sport, and sadly, the powers that be have reinforced that by only giving him minor penalties. Churchill Downs may have banned him – for now – but it is a given he will be back at the Derby next year.
We need the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act implemented immediately. Baffert can complain all he wants about what he feels is the absurd testing of picograms of medications. But these rules were put in place for the safety of the horses and the integrity of the sport. If Bob Baffert thinks this is ridiculous, then he has no respect for the integrity of the sport and he should find another line of work – perhaps used car salesman.
Racing is not just about wins and losses and betting. It's about people like me who love the animal and the beauty of them and the history of the great ones of the past and present. Racing is a glorious sport and does not deserve to be sullied by people who care only about winning at all costs and not the equine athletes in their charge.
