NTRA Votes to Support HISA

The Board of Directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has voted to support passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 (HISA). The action was taken Wednesday afternoon at a special meeting of the Board of the Directors.

The HISA will improve the integrity and safety of Thoroughbred racing by requiring uniform safety and performance standards, including an anti-doping and medication control program and a racetrack safety program to be developed and enforced by an independent Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

“We thank Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his willingness and unique ability to bring the industry to the table to craft this comprehensive legislation,” said Alex Waldrop, President and Chief Executive Officer of the NTRA. “We also applaud Congressmen Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Andy Barr (R-KY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) for their pioneering efforts in support of federal anti-doping and medication control standards in the form of the Horseracing Integrity Act, which served as the basis for this historic compromise. We are committed to working with Leader McConnell, Sen. Gillibrand, Rep. Tonko, Rep. Barr and other allies in Congress to pass this important legislation before the end of this year.”

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The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: A Breakthrough On Integrity And Safety?

The pre-race activities of Kentucky Derby week were superseded briefly on Monday by a press conference at the Keeneland sale pavilion in Lexington, Ky., featuring United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Congressman Andy Barr and representatives of Keeneland, Churchill Downs Inc., Breeders' Cup Ltd., and The Jockey Club.

The purpose of the gathering was the announcement that the various parties had reached agreement on federal legislation to create the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which would provide oversight – relying on the expertise of the United States Anti-Doping Agency – on medication policy and enforcement for the Thoroughbred industry through bi-partisan legislation.

In this week's edition of the Friday Show, publisher Ray Paulick and editor-in-chief Natalie Voss raise questions about the proposal – which came without specifics as to how much this national oversight office would cost, who would foot the bill and who would appoint the oversight board. They point out that the current system – with regulatory oversight completely controlled by various state racing commissions, many of them either conflicted or incompetent – is not working.

Watch the Friday Show below.

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THA Addresses Proposed Horseracing Integrity & Safety Act

The Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association issued a statement Tuesday regarding the proposed Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which was announced Monday and is expected to be introduced in the Senate this month.

THA Chairman Alan Foreman said: “For the past year, the THA has been actively involved with industry leaders in seeking solutions to our medication issues and in enacting rules, policies and protocols to enhance the health, safety and welfare of our horses.

It has been our widely-expressed view that the original Horseracing Integrity Act, as proposed, should encompass mandatory equine safety and welfare standards for all racetracks and horsemen, and the creation of an investigative and enforcement arm of the industry.

While we have yet to see the proposed legislation, it appears that in his Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, Senator McConnell has substantially incorporated our views. We intend to continue to be a constructive participant since the legislation, if enacted, will require substantial industry support and assistance.

Our Association has been a national leader in promoting equine health and safety protocols through the Mid-Atlantic Strategic Plan to Reduce Equine Fatalities and we expect to continue in that role.”

 

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HBPA ‘Never Consulted’ on New Version of Integrity Act

Six hours after an Aug. 31 press conference at which United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and other proponents of a federal bill announced newly achieved compromise among industry stakeholders in crafting new anti-doping oversight for horse racing, Eric Hamelback, the CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), told TDN that his organization is actually not on board with the plan.

Hamelback’s emailed clarification was in response to a request for comment from TDN that did not arrive in time to be included in the original version of this story.

Much of the context of Monday’s press conference at Keeneland to announce the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HSIA) bill that McConnell intends to file in September was based around the terms “compromise,” “consensus” and “bringing everybody together.” This was an especially salient point because two previous industry holdouts to the concept of federal legislation, Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) and the NHBPA, were being billed as having now lent their support to the new version of the bill.

About two minutes before the conclusion of the press conference, U.S. Representative Andy Barr (R-KY), who co-chairs the Congressional Horse Caucus and has co-sponsored three previous versions of the Horseracing Integrity Act (2015, 2017, 2019) thanked CDI (which did have a representative at the event affirming support) for “joining the cause.” Barr then specifically praised trainer Dale Romans for working with his coalition, and he saluted the NHBPA for sharing an “influential voice in support of this legislation.”

Hamelback’s statement to TDN took umbrage with that characterization. It reads, in full:

“Today, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his plans to introduce legislation that purports to set national standards to promote fairness, transparency, and increased safety in Thoroughbred racing.

“Senator McConnell claims to have found compromise within the industry, yet no representative horsemen’s groups, horseplayers or veterinary leadership organizations seem to have been consulted in the collaboration. The National HBPA represents close to 30,000 owners and trainers who want nothing more than increased safety and integrity to secure the strength of the business and our industry.

“The greatest concern of the National HBPA is protecting the health and safety of horses. If Senator McConnell is serious about hearing from tens of thousands of real Kentuckians, as well as horsemen across the country, we stand ready to meet with him. We certainly hope he will meet with us since those pushing this bill have mischaracterized the industry and our views in the past.

“As CEO, I can tell you we were never consulted on the recently announced Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. Contrary to an erroneous statement made by another elected official at today’s announcement, the HBPA was not made aware of any ‘compromise’ negotiations until a deal had already been reached, nor has the Board of the National HBPA even been asked for its support.

“Because the legislative text has not yet been released, the National HBPA will reserve final judgement, but we caution our elected leaders to not be misled by the wealthy few who continue to promote federal legislation in service to their own, private interests. Based on what we heard today, we are concerned these elite few continue to hold the reins.”

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