Tag: The Biz

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry will be the keynote speaker at the National HBPA's annual conference March 6-10 at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans' historic French Quarter, the horsemen's organization announced Thursday.

The conference, which is hosted by the Louisiana HBPA, will be held in conjunction with the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) Annual Meeting and Racing Integrity Conference. The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association represents about 30,000 thoroughbred owners and trainers. The ARCI is the umbrella organization which exists to assist in the coordination of the collective efforts of its members who are responsible for ensuring compliance with government laws and regulations designed to protect the general public and racing industry participants, including the equine and canine athletes.

Landry will deliver the conference's keynote address on Tuesday, March 7. As Louisiana's attorney general, he has been at the forefront of states challenging the constitutionality of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (Authority) that the law established. In addition to constitutionality issues, Landry has expressed concern for the financial hardship that a largely duplicative bureaucracy will put on large portions of the horse-racing industry. Louisiana has four tracks that conduct horse racing.

“Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry embodies the positive vision with the inspiration and passion we seek in a keynote speaker,” said Eric Hamelback, the National HBPA's CEO. “He has proven to be a strong advocate for horsemen and women who understands our labor-intensive industry with its substantial agribusiness, not only in Louisiana but throughout the country. He believes in a bright and better future for horse racing, and refuses to let us be trampled by special interests.”

“I am honored to be chosen the keynote speaker at the National HBPA Conference, and I look forward to visiting with so many who ply their trade in such a great industry,” said Landry, a decorated Army veteran. “I will continue fighting for them to prevent the federal government from taking over horse racing.”

The HBPA and ARCI will share panel discussions and presentations during their overlapping conferences while staging their business sessions separately. HISA will be the focus.

“Within horse racing right now, the obvious overarching topic is the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,” said National HBPA President Dr. Doug Daniels, an equine veterinarian and racehorse owner/breeder. “Even as the challenges of its unlawfulness proceed and many in the industry fight back against the lack of transparency and overwhelming cost, we must understand portions of HISA are the law of the land everywhere but in the Fifth Circuit. Our goal in joining with Association of Racing Commissioners International at our conference is to provide a forum for frank discussions on where we are, where we're headed, how we navigate an admittedly flawed law and process, and how everything should look after the court decisions are settled.”

One key panel could be called “what's next?,” addressing alternative legislation to HISA and other options for a path forward for the industry. Panelists will include ARCI President Ed Martin and Amy Cook, the executive director of the Texas Racing Commission.

“A major part of the conference will be focused on laying out the issues with HISA and also how the industry can move forward,” Hamelback said. “We strongly believe there are more effective means that are constitutional. We also believe bringing the leadership of all stakeholders to the table will provide positive change that improves our industry without jeopardizing the financial health of smaller racetracks and racing stables.”

The meeting of the ARCI's model rules committee will be open for both groups to attend. The ARCI model rules — developed with input from industry stake-holders while seeking scientific guidance and identifying best practices — are the blue print many racing commissions use for their state regulations.

Other joint sessions include a HISA litigation update, equine welfare with a focus on aftercare and scientific developments, fixed odds in horse racing and a trainers' panel featuring Louisiana HBPA board members Bret Calhoun and Ron Faucheux and Kentucky HBPA board member Jason Barkley.

The HBPA programming will also include the annual Kent Stirling Memorial Medication Panel, which this year will delve into laboratories' “limits of detection” and how it affects drug testing in horse racing.

The conclave kicks off with a reception on Monday March 6, followed by three days of panel discussions, presentations and meetings and an outing at the Fair Grounds for racing on Thursday March 9. The full HBPA board will meet Friday March 10 to close out the proceedings.

“The National HBPA Conference has become one of the most informative and newsworthy annual meetings on the racing calendar,” Hamelback said. “But it wouldn't be possible without our corporate and conference sponsors. The Louisiana HBPA has gone out of its way to make the 2023 conference even more memorable.”

More information and registration is available at nationalhbpa.com/convention.

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The Kentucky Derby Museum is building a brand new exhibit dedicated to Secretariat, which will open to the public ahead of the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic Derby win and Triple Crown sweep. After a year and a half of planning and preparation, the Museum is thrilled to kick off a construction project that will result in a state-of-the-art exhibit titled Secretariat: America's Horse. The exhibit is designed to showcase Secretariat's life, stardom, and incomparable impact on horse racing, America, and the world.

“Kentucky Derby Museum is thrilled to honor Secretariat in such a unique way with this brand new exhibit,” said Pat Armstrong, Kentucky Derby Museum President and CEO. “The Museum has been working diligently for well over a year to build an exhibit that is worthy of America's Horse and to create a truly memorable experience for all our guests — from the bucket list tourists to the Secretariat super fans.”

The 1,000 square-foot exhibit will be permanently located on the second floor of the Museum, and it will be more than seven times larger than the current display on the first floor. Local design company, Solid Light is designing the exhibit to incorporate unique technology, visuals, and video that will create an immersive experience for guests.

“It is rare that the Kentucky Derby Museum dedicates a permanent exhibit to a singular Thoroughbred racehorse, but Secretariat merits that,” said Chris Goodlett, Kentucky Derby Museum Senior Director of Curatorial and Educational Affairs. “It will show our guests exactly why Secretariat has endured as a celebrity to this day. From the new artifacts to the advanced visual projections, we're excited for the amazing story we get to tell and also the exciting new methods we're using to tell it.”

Construction crews are currently building new walls, painting, and preparing for the installations. The exhibit will open in April 2023 to officially kick off the excitement of Derby season. The Museum will also host a ticketed event for the grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting.

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Canterbury Park's 2023 Thoroughbred stakes schedule will feature 24 races totaling $1.65 million in purses. Fifteen of the stakes will be run on the main track and nine on the turf.

The schedule will reward owners and breeders of Minnesota-bred racehorses with 16 of the races restricted to horses bred in the state including four of the richest races, the Northern Lights Futurity, Northern Lights Debutante, Minnesota Oaks and Minnesota Derby, each with $100,000 purses.

The successful strategy begun three years ago will be employed again in 2023 with stakes races clustered on specific dates during the 54-day meet that begins May 27 and runs through Sept. 16. The Northern Stars Racing Festival on Wednesday, June 21 features six stakes including the $100,000 Canterbury Derby. Last season that night of racing produced a record handle of $4,734,286.

The 30th Minnesota Festival of Champions, a program of races dedicated to horses bred in the state, will be Saturday, Sept. 9. The six thoroughbred stakes will total $500,000 in purses.

A shipping and participation incentive program will be announced in the coming weeks along with the first condition book. Stall applications for the upcoming meet will be available in March and are due April 13. The stable area will open for arrivals May 5 with training on the main track and training track beginning May 8.

For complete stakes schedule use this link: https://canterburypark.egnyte.com/dl/WqiBvdxtoT

The post Canterbury Park To Offer 24 Thoroughbred Stakes Worth $1.65 Million In 2023 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The following letter to all Thoroughbred industry participants was sent on Tuesday, Jan. 10, by Ben Mosier, Executive Director of the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit:

Since the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) was named by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to serve as the independent enforcement agency for HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, we have been appreciative of the Thoroughbred industry's willingness to work with us to help make the ADMC Program a success upon implementation.

While HISA has not been enforcing its rules in Louisiana and West Virginia because of the district court's preliminary injunction, we thought that you would still like to receive this memorandum that has been sent to other states concerning education for the ADMC Program. The ADMC Program will not be enforced in Louisiana or West Virginia until the applicable parts of the preliminary injunction have been stayed, modified, or dissolved.

As you are likely aware, the ADMC Program had previously been set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, but due to the legal uncertainty at the time, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rejected the ADMC rules, and implementation was therefore delayed.

Last month, Congress passed an amendment to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 (Act) modifying the language that the Fifth Circuit identified as rendering the Act unconstitutional. Following the passage of that amendment, HISA resubmitted its ADMC Program Rules to the FTC for approval, and we anticipate that the FTC will post the Rules to the Federal Register in the coming weeks. Once the Rules are posted, there will be another public comment period, and following that comment period, the FTC will have 60 days to approve or deny them. Based on this timeline, we are optimistic that HISA's ADMC Program will go into effect in mid-March 2023. HIWU will continue to keep racing participants and other stakeholders up to date on the official timing for implementation of the program.

Unless and until the ADMC Rules are approved and an exact implementation date is determined, states will continue to operate under their current rules and regulations.

However, the coming months leading up to the likely implementation of HISA's ADMC Program offer a great opportunity to provide stakeholders with additional time to understand the components of the Program and get their questions answered. To this end, we will continue to hold meetings with and distribute resources to industry members. This engagement is not intended to confuse anyone as there is no question that state anti-doping and medication regulations remain in effect for now. It is simply to give interested industry participants access to education and resources to facilitate a smooth transition if and when the HISA ADMC Program comes into effect.

HISA's ADMC Program will create uniformity, promote integrity, and enhance equine welfare in Thoroughbred racing nationwide. For this game-changing program to be effective, all constituents must be informed and prepared. We are committed to this goal in advance of the implementation date and beyond.

The HIWU team welcomes questions regarding the ADMC Program, and we encourage you to reach out to us at info@hiwu.org or (816) 285-1425. Stakeholders can also find a growing library of educational materials at hiwu.org. With your support, we will administer a world-class anti-doping program for Thoroughbred racing.

The post Mosier ‘Optimistic’ That HISA’s Anti-Doping And Medication Control Program Will Go Into Effect In Mid-March appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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