Tag: The Biz

A groom recognition program that began Thanksgiving Day 2021 at Laurel Park truly established itself in 2022 and is continuing into the new year.

On all live racing days at Laurel and Pimlico Race Course, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and Maryland Jockey Club fund the “Best Turned Out Award” in every race as a way to show appreciation for the time and effort shown by those who bring the horses to the paddock. The program has become so popular that there's even a little competition among the grooms.

Phoebe Hayes, who handles horsemen's relations for the MJC, has overseen the program from the start and keeps daily records. She said that in 2022 almost 340 individual grooms won at least once. Winners receive a $25 gift card each race, and on select days sponsors provide $100 gift cards per race.

Michele Enck, the MJC Horse Identifier, handles most of the judging, though sponsors are offered the opportunity to assist on their given days.

“It really gives you an appreciation for the grooms that love their jobs,” Hayes said. “You see how much they care for and love their horses. They are constantly saying 'thank you' to me' and they genuinely know we truly appreciate them. They get creative, too. I'm amazed how hard they try for a $25 award. They've been really stepping up to the plate.”

Hayes, who is in the paddock for each race, noted that members of the public will talk to her, ask questions, and comment when horses are on the scale.

“Everyone is enjoying this,” she said, “and even the public is noticing.”

The MJC has used the program to create Groom of the Year awards, which are sponsored by Rscapes Landscaping. The 2022 top three are Cesar Cruz with 69 recognitions, followed by David Gallegos with 32 and Javier Cruz with 28. For first place, there is a $300 gift card and a crystal trophy with donated engraving from Allogram; the second- and third-place finishers will each receive $100.

Cesar Cruz, son of Javier Cruz, brings over most of the horses trained by John Salzman Sr. Javier Cruz does the same from John Salzman Jr. Gallegos, who now works at Dr. Alex Diaz's To Win Again Farm, earlier handled horses for several trainers including Milan Milosevic.

There also are awards for the top three grooms by number of recognitions during each designated meet: $200 for first, $100 for second and $50 for third.

Hayes reached out early on for sponsors and attempts to have one or two sponsored days per month. The response has been encouraging.

“I'm so proud of the sponsor program,” Hayes said. “I tried it to see if we could get support for it. In some cases people reached out to me to sponsor a day, and in some cases I reached out to them.”

The program began as a horsemen's initiative suggested by Aidan Butler, Chief Executive Officer of 1/ST Racing and Gaming (The Stronach Group). MJC Acting President and General Manager Mike Rogers then asked Hayes to put together a structure for it.

“The grooms are the backbone of the equine industry, dedicating themselves to the care and well-being of these magnificent animals,” Rogers said. “The Best Turned Out Award is a way for us to acknowledge and honor their hard work and dedication. These individuals truly deserve recognition for their tireless efforts in ensuring the horses they tend to are always looking their best.”

The MTHA will soon announce its 2022 Grooms of the Year for Laurel and Pimlico. They will be recognized as part of the Renaissance Awards this spring.

The post ‘Even The Public Is Noticing’: Maryland’s Groom Recognition Program Hits Its Stride appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

In the wake of an amendment to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act becoming law on Dec. 30, Lisa Lazarus, CEO of the HISA Authority, said she is optimistic about the future of the national agency now charged with regulating certain aspects of Thoroughbred racing.

The amendment was part of an omnibus spending bill passed by Congress late last month and signed into law by President Joseph Biden. It was designed to resolve questions raised by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which in November ruled the Act was unconstitutional in that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) delegated rule-making authority to a private, non-governmental entity. The FTC, which under the original law could accept or reject proposed rules from the Authority, now has the power to change the rules as it sees fit.

“We are delighted that Congress took the initiative to essentially correct the issue that the Fifth Circuit identified with the constitutionality of HISA, and we are feeling obviously very optimistic about HISA's future,” Lazarus said in a conference call with racing media on Jan. 5. “The HISA team and HISA board are committed to the mission and goals that HISA is trying to achieve.”

Attorneys for HISA have asked the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate the ruling,  rehear the case, or send it back to U.S. District Court in Texas, which originally ruled in HISA's favor. A second lawsuit, in which a District Court in Kentucky also ruled in HISA's favor, has been appealed to the Sixth District Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. That case was argued before the law was amended in December and a ruling is pending. Earlier this week, the court asked all parties to respond on how the amendment affects their position.

Lazarus said the amendment to the law – passed in a similar omnibus spending bill in December 2020 – set in motion efforts to get the Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program back on track after the appellate ruling on a lawsuit brought by the National HBPA and affiliates postponed a planned Jan. 1, 2023, start-up. After the court's ruling that the Act was unconstitutional, the Federal Trade Commission said it would not approve the proposed ADMC rules because of the legal uncertainty.

“We resubmitted the (Anti-Doping and Medication Control) rules and are hopeful and optimistic that we will be able to implement them, probably around  mid-March,” said Lazarus.  She added that the timeline for approval from the FTC was dependent on publication of the rules in the Federal Register and only be approved after a public comment period of up to 60 days.

Lazarus said her focus going forward will be to reach out to those groups who oppose HISA or have joined in one of several lawsuits attempting to block it.

“For me, 2023 is going to be all about building trust,” Lazarus said, “because I genuinely believe that if we can build trust with those constituencies that are resentful or resistant to HISA … if we can bring the majority of the industry into a perspective where they accept or believe that HISA's goals are to make the industry better, or racing better, we can achieve our objectives.

“I don't think there's anybody who would ever say they are against safety and integrity,” Lazarus continued. “Those are obviously ideals and goals I think everyone in the industry shares. So the question really for me is how can I bring all constituency groups to a point where they trust that HISA's goal genuinely is to achieve safety and integrity.”

One of the states resisting HISA's regulatory oversight is Texas, whose racing commission – citing state law saying the Texas Racing Commission is the sole authority to regulate racing – blocked outgoing simulcast signals from Texas racetracks. Lazarus said she is disappointed Texas is not working with HISA so that it can resume interstate simulcasting.

“We think the law is extremely clear, given that there now is a federal law, that federal law pre-empts (state law), and that's been a view that essentially every other racing commission has accepted,” Lazarus said.

Finally, Lazarus, said, HISA is undergoing a revision of the racetrack safety rules that went into effect July 1, 2022. Those rules remain in effect outside of Texas and Louisiana.

“We are currently undergoing a revision of the racetrack safety rules, so obviously we are happy that we are able to continue enforcing that program,” she said. “We are going to continue to move forward. In our revision of the racetrack safety rules, we've been engaging with the horsemen's advisory group. We are asking the public to communicate, and we will share essentially the feedback that we get and how those  rules evolve over time in what we ultimately submit to the Federal Trade Commission.”

The post Lazarus Optimistic About HISA’s Future, Hopeful For Mid-March Launch Of Anti-Doping And Medication Control Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Equibase, North American racing's official database, has released its year-end 2022 statistics for the industry's economic indicators, including field size, wagering, and other data, along with 2019 and 2020 comparables. The 2019 data is included as a pre-COVID-19 comparison.

The final numbers from 2022 show a 0.87 percent dip in total wagering: $12,108,807,335 this year, versus $12,215,598,838 in 2021.

This is the second year since 2009 that wagering has topped $12 billion. By comparison, the 2009 wagering total of $12.3 billion came from a total of 49,368 races; the 2022 wagering totals were from 33,453 races.

Wagering in December was down 7.5 percent year-over-year, a downward trend that extended to the entire fourth quarter of the year: total betting was down 5.5 percent in the last three months of the year, when compared to the same quarter in 2021.

Purses paid out in 2022 were very strong, up 10.92 percent from 2021 at a record total of $1,309,837,841.

Average field size did continue to decline, from 7.37 in 2021 to 7.30 in 2022. According to The Jockey Club statistics, that's the lowest figure on record (records go back to 1950).

“Thoroughbred racing purses and pari-mutuel handle continued to exhibit strength in 2022. Purses were up double-digits year-over year and reached an all-time high thanks in part to contributions from other gaming sources,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “Pari-mutuel handle was nearly equal to 2021 and the second highest since 2009. These business trends occurred during a year of unprecedented growth in legal, state regulated sports betting. The 2023 gaming landscape promises to be more competitive than ever for the sports wagering dollar. It also represents a huge opportunity to introduce pari-mutuel wagering and the sport of Thoroughbred racing to a vast new audience if we as an industry embrace the challenge.”

Equibase is continuing to provide monthly reporting of its Economic Indicators Advisories as a service to the industry and in consideration of the economic changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Advisory is typically disseminated on a quarterly basis to provide key metrics used to measure racing's performance throughout the year.

YTD 2022 vs. YTD 2021
Indicator	YTD 2022	YTD 2021	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$12,108,807,335	$12,215,598,838	-0.87%
U.S. Purses	$1,309,837,841	$1,180,842,882	+10.92%
U.S. Race Days	4,104	4,072	+0.79%
U.S. Races	33,453	33,565	-0.33%
U.S. Starts	244,133	247,405	-1.32%
Average Field Size	7.30	7.37	-0.99%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,950,489	$2,999,901	-1.65%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$319,161	$289,991	+10.06%

 

December 2022 vs. December 2021
Indicator	December 2022	December 2021	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$748,142,136	$808,954,882	-7.52%
U.S. Purses	$83,068,942	$74,780,035	+11.08%
U.S. Race Days	256	251	+1.99%
U.S. Races	2,200	2,151	+2.28%
U.S. Starts	17,285	17,257	+0.16%
Average Field Size	7.86	8.02	-2.07%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,922,430	$3,222,928	-9.32%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$324,488	$297,928	+8.91%

4th QTR 2022 vs. 4th QTR 2021
Indicator	4th QTR 2022	4th QTR 2021	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$2,569,665,204	$2,720,404,107	-5.54%
U.S. Purses	$327,833,091	$300,288,903	+9.17%
U.S. Race Days	881	870	+1.26%
U.S. Races	7,442	7,339	+1.40%
U.S. Starts	57,174	56,789	+0.68%
Average Field Size	7.68	7.74	-0.72%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,916,760	$3,126,901	-6.72%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$372,115	$345,160	+7.81%

2020 Comparisons:

December 2022 vs. December 2020
Indicator	December 2022	December 2020	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$748,142,136	$751,783,126	-0.48%
U.S. Purses	$83,068,942	$57,534,410	+44.38%
U.S. Race Days	256	229	+11.79%
U.S. Races	2,200	2,008	+9.56%
U.S. Starts	17,285	16,884	+2.38%
Average Field Size	7.86	8.41	-6.56%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,922,430	$3,282,896	-10.98%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$324,488	$251,242	+29.15%

4th QTR 2022 vs. 4th QTR 2020
Indicator	4th QTR 2022	4th QTR 2020	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$2,569,665,204	$2,576,392,869	-0.26%
U.S. Purses	$327,833,091	$240,534,957	+36.29%
U.S. Race Days	881	793	+11.10%
U.S. Races	7,442	6,805	+9.36%
U.S. Starts	57,174	55,530	+2.96%
Average Field Size	7.68	8.16	-5.85%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,916,760	$3,248,919	-10.22%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$372,115	$303,323	+22.68%

YTD 2022 vs. YTD 2020
Indicator	YTD 2022	YTD 2020	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$12,108,807,335	$10,922,936,290	+10.86%
U.S. Purses	$1,309,837,841	$869,771,206	+50.60%
U.S. Race Days	4,104	3,302	+24.29%
U.S. Races	33,453	27,700	+20.77%
U.S. Starts	244,133	220,006	+10.97%
Average Field Size	7.30	7.94	-8.12%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,950,489	$3,307,976	-10.81%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$319,161	$263,407	+21.17%

2019 Comparisons:

December 2022 vs. December 2019
Indicator	December 2022	December 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$748,142,136	$707,728,171	+5.71%
U.S. Purses	$83,068,942	$66,315,581	+25.26%
U.S. Race Days	256	252	+1.59%
U.S. Races	2,200	2,169	+1.43%
U.S. Starts	17,285	17,561	-1.57%
Average Field Size	7.86	8.10	-2.96%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,922,430	$2,808,445	+4.06%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$324,488	$263,157	+23.31%

4th QTR 2022 vs. 4th QTR 2019
Indicator	4th QTR 2022	4th QTR 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$2,569,665,204	$2,439,642,344	+5.33%
U.S. Purses	$327,833,091	$274,053,649	+19.62%
U.S. Race Days	881	910	-3.19%
U.S. Races	7,442	7,653	-2.76%
U.S. Starts	57,174	61,576	-7.15%
Average Field Size	7.68	8.05	-4.52%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,916,760	$2,680,926	+8.80%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$372,115	$301,158	+23.56%

YTD 2022 vs. YTD 2019
Indicator	YTD 2022	YTD 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$12,108,807,335	$11,033,824,363	+9.74%
U.S. Purses	$1,309,837,841	$1,167,920,667	+12.15%
U.S. Race Days	4,104	4,425	-7.25%
U.S. Races	33,453	36,207	-7.61%
U.S. Starts	244,133	272,553	-10.43%
Average Field Size	7.30	7.53	-3.05%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,950,489	$2,493,520	+18.33%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$319,161	$263,937	+20.92%

* Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.

The post Economic Indicators: Wagering Down Slightly In 2022, Purses Reach Record High appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB), and Daily Racing Form announced Thursday that FanDuel TV will televise live the announcement of the finalists in the horse and human categories for the 2022 Eclipse Awards this Saturday, Jan. 7 at 11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT.

The Eclipse Awards, honoring excellence in Thoroughbred racing, are voted upon by the NTRA, represented by member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, NTWAB, and Daily Racing Form, and are produced by the NTRA. The announcement of the Eclipse Awards finalists on FanDuel TV is sponsored by Keeneland and John Deere.

FanDuel TV also will televise live the 52nd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, from The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, Jan. 26. The evening will begin with the Keeneland Red Carpet show at 6:30 p.m. ET, hosted by Todd Schrupp and Christina Blacker, followed by the awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET. The ceremony, which will be streamed on additional outlets, will culminate with the announcement of the 2022 Horse of the Year. Finalists in the Horse of the Year category also will be announced earlier that evening.

The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies. The Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements in North America have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories. Eclipse Awards also are given to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing.

The post 2022 Eclipse Award Finalists Will Be Announced Live On FanDuel TV This Saturday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post