On TDN Writers’ Room Podcast, HISA’s Lazarus Admits Mistakes Have Been Made

Because of a number of developments over the last few weeks that can be characterized as missteps, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lazarus has had a chance to reflect on what's gone right and what's gone wrong since the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program went into effect in May. Appearing as this week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland, Lazarus addressed the problems and made no attempt to sugarcoat them.

“If we look at the main thing that people are talking about, which is the rules covering intra-articular injections, workouts and races, we just got it wrong,” she said, referring to a rule that puts horses on a 30-day suspended list when they have had a workout within seven days of an injection or have raced with 14 days of the injection. HISA did not always enforce its own rules and several horses raced and/or worked while suspended.

She continued: “There's really nothing more I can say. But what I'm proud of is that we're a team and when we realize we get something wrong, we don't sort of sit on ego or stand on principle and say, we don't care. We're going to just power through. We try to fix it. So I realize that's going to always yield some criticism. And I accept that because, sure, ideally it will be better not to have gotten it wrong.”

Another issue was the initial rule which imposed a 60-day suspension on a trainer violating the intra-articular rule, which many saw as being too harsh of a penalty. HISA has amended the rule and first time offenders will no longer be subject to a suspension.

“The sanction was way too onerous given if you look at the entire structure of the sanctioning system,” she said. “It was just way too severe of a sanction to penalize a trainer for 60 days.”

One area in which HISA does not appear to be ready to make changes is how it deals with trainers who receive positives for substances that are on the banned substance list. In that case, the trainer is provisionally suspended almost immediately, before they have had a hearing and before the results of a split sample have come back. HISA critics have called this a case of “guilty until proven innocent.”

“I'm a huge believer in the provisional suspension,” she said. “I know it's tough and people have got to adjust to it and we've got to make sure that everything is okay in terms of how it operates. But it's a game changer because otherwise there's just too much incentive to kick things down the road. Do you really believe that any trainer would have come forward within 48 hours of a notification with information that was exculpatory if he or she was not really suspended? We need to get these things moving more quickly.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, NYRABets.com, WinStar Farm, XBTV.com andhttps://www.threechimneys.com/ West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Bill Finley, Randy Moss and Zoe Cadman fondly remembered 2003 GI Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide (Distorted Humor), who died earlier in the week of colic. The impending closure of Golden Gate Fields, announced Sunday by 1/ST Racing, was another major topic of discussion as was the coming weekend of racing, which will be topped by the GI Haskell S. at Monmouth. On the betting front, an explosive op/ed in the TDN written by Thoro-Graph's Jerry Brown about Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) was on the menu, with the team agreeing with Brown's main premise, that CAW play is a serious problem that has to be addressed.

Click here to watch the Writers' Room podcast or here for the audio-only version.

 

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NYRA Bets Holding Announces Partnership with Game of Silks

NYRA Bets Holding, LLC, a subsidiary of NYRA Bets, LLC, the official online wagering platform of the New York Racing Association, Inc., and Game of Silks, the online game connected to the real world of Thoroughbred horse racing, announced Wednesday a new partnership resulting in NYRA Bets Holding, LLC acquiring a minority equity ownership position in Game of Silks.

In addition to this strategic investment, the partnership establishes Game of Silks as the Official Blockchain Game and Metaverse Partner of NYRA. The agreement will enable the global horse racing industry to capitalize on the rapid growth of Web3 gaming through the Game of Silks, a top 10 sports-themed NFT platform on the Ethereum blockchain which boasts a community of more than 25,000 members.

“Game of Silks presents its players with a fascinating and entertaining challenge by gamifying racehorse ownership in a completely new way,” said Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO.

NYRA will utilize America's Day at the Races and Saratoga Live, the acclaimed national television shows produced by NYRA and broadcast on the networks of FOX Sports, to provide owners with the latest news, data and information on the Game of Silks metaverse. As the operator of Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack, NYRA will accelerate the creation of digital versions of New York's premium racing venues in the Game of Silks metaverse.

For more information on Silks, visit https://www.silks.io/

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Caesars Racebook Launches on Android and Desktop in Seven States

Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and NYRA Bets LLC, who together launched a new horse racing account wagering app, Caesars Racebook, this past spring, have made it available on Android and desktop in time for the upcoming Breeders' Cup World Championships this week. It is available to racing fans in Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Oregon, Montana, and North Dakota and continues to launch in additional states, pending regulatory approvals. Caesars Racebook utilizes the NYRA Bets platform for racing and wagering content from more than 250 tracks around the world.

“Expanding Caesars Racebook's access to Android users and desktop is key for the platform's continued growth,” said Dan Shapiro, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of Caesars Digital. “We're excited to offer even more customers a horse racing wagering experience that treats them like royalty, no matter what type of device they prefer, thanks to the integration with our industry-leading Caesars Rewards loyalty program.”

Caesars also recently announced plans to build and operate a Harrah's racetrack and casino in Columbus, Neb, and has committed to continued hosting of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's National Handicapping Championship at Horseshoe Las Vegas through 2026.

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Aftercare, Promotion, and Communication Highlighted at OwnerView Conference

Edited Press Release

The need to ensure responsible ownership at all stages of a racehorse's life was a recurring theme at this week's Thoroughbred Owner Conference, which was held July 25-26 in the 1863 Club at Saratoga Race Course. The event, which attracted more than 100 attendees, was presented by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and hosted by The Jockey Club and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

The keynote address of the conference was delivered by Stacie Clark-Rogers, operations consultant for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). Clark-Rogers summarized the evolution of aftercare over the last 50 years and its increased prioritization among those involved in the Thoroughbred industry.

“These programs in my opinion are greatly undervalued, and we could be doing so much more to connect people with retired Thoroughbreds, and in return, promote the horse, the industry, and the sport of horse racing,” she said.

“If we have learned anything over the last 20 years of aftercare initiatives, we all need to work together in all aspects of this industry, not just so the aftercare groups can succeed, but so the industry can be more accountable and thus succeed as a responsible, ethical sport.”

Other topics of focus at the conference included buying at the sales, selecting a trainer, equine safety, partnerships, and international racing. The second day of the event featured a panel composed of a family of jockeys: Dylan Davis was joined by his sister Katie and her husband, Trevor McCarthy, with an appearance by Dylan and Katie's father, former jockey Robbie Davis.

Tony Allevato, chief revenue officer for NYRA and president of NYRA Bets, opened the conference by describing efforts NYRA has made to improve the racing and ownership experience. For example, during NYRA's racing coverage on Fox Sports, the production team makes it a priority to interview owners before and after each race.

“It's important for us as an operator to make the experience as good as possible,” he said. “If an owner thinks that there's a chance that they can get on national TV, we think that adds to the experience.”

The conference began with a reception at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, and attendees enjoyed the races at Saratoga on Wednesday.

“After being postponed for two years due to COVID-19, we were delighted to finally bring the Thoroughbred Owner Conference to Saratoga for the first time,” said Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView. “Competing at Saratoga is a dream for any Thoroughbred owner and a fitting location for this conference, where we provide existing, new, and prospective owners the opportunity to learn about all aspects of owning racehorses while facilitating networking with the industry's most prominent names.”

Tom Durkin served as the master of ceremonies. Participants on the panels included owners Tina Bond, H. James Bond Racing Stable and Song Hill Thoroughbreds; Michelle Borisenok, Old Tavern Farm; Peter Brant; Terry Finley, West Point Thoroughbreds; Tom Gallo, Dream Maker Racing; Len Green, D.J. Stable; Jack Knowlton, Sackatoga Stable; and others.

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