Tag: The Biz

The New York Racing Association on Saturday announced the successful installation of a Tapeta Footings synthetic surface at the Belmont Park Pony Track. The renovation of the pony track is an element of the ongoing campaign to modernize the Belmont Park facility.

Located just to the northeast of the Belmont Training Track, the quarter-mile pony track is primarily utilized for jogging horses. Beginning Tuesday, the pony track will be open seven days a week from 5:30-10:30 a.m. (ET).

In addition to providing horsemen with another all-weather training option, the new Belmont Park pony track will yield important information on how a synthetic surface performs in the wide range of weather conditions encountered at Belmont throughout the year. The data and knowledge gained through daily maintenance of the new pony track will inform a variety of decisions should NYRA proceed with construction of a synthetic track as the fourth Belmont Park racing surface.

Prior to installing the synthetic surface, NYRA crews removed the dirt surface and added an asphalt base layer specifically designed to promote maximum drainage. From there, the track was widened and leveled throughout, which reduced the angles on all turns. The new pony track features a rider protection system to replace the inner rail, as well as LED lighting throughout the circumference of the track. To accommodate the expected increase in its use, the apron and track access road have been widened and rebuilt.

“Modern synthetic surfaces have a wide range of applications for horsemen and track operators alike, and we look forward to working with the product every day and in all seasons at Belmont Park,” said Glen Kozak, NYRA Senior Vice President, Operations and Capital Projects.

Beyond the new pony track, the project to construct vehicular and pedestrian tunnels to the 45-acre Belmont Park infield is on-schedule. When complete, the tunnels will serve as a conduit to the infield for commercial vehicles allowing NYRA to reconstruct the Belmont main track and its two turf courses. The pedestrian tunnels will eventually provide infield access to fans and the broader community.

Substantial work on the existing racetracks will commence following the completion of the 2023 Belmont Park spring/summer meet.

Developed as an alternative to dirt by former jockey and current trainer Michael Dickinson, Tapeta is a synthetic racing and training surface comprised of a mixture of silica sand, wax, and fibers. Tapeta has been extensively tested at racing and training facilities throughout the world and remains extremely consistent in both cold conditions and heavy rain.

The post NYRA Completes Major Renovation Of Belmont Park Pony Track appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell is seeking a legislative fix to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which last month was ruled unconstitutional, Reuters reports while citing an unnamed source with knowledge of negotiations.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Louisiana ruled Nov. 18 that HISA is “facially unconstitutional,” on the grounds that it delegates “unsupervised government power to a private entity”, reversing an earlier ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Proposed changes to HISA would provide greater federal oversight of the board via the Federal Trade Commission and be included in an omnibus spending bill that could pass later this month, according to the source who Reuters reports spoke directly to McConnell.

If changes to HISA are adopted as part of the spending bill, there should be no interruption to implementation of HISA rules, including the Jan. 1, 2023, launch of its anti-doping and medication control program.

The source spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could speak freely, Reuters reports. McConnell's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters on Saturday.

To read Reuters' full story, click here.

The post REPORT: McConnell Seeking Legislative Fix To HISA Via Spending Bill appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A Lexington judge has ordered sanctions against attorneys Mason Miller and William Rambicure, who despite dismissal of a civil claim earlier this year have continued to pursue claims against veterinarians who admitted falsification of radiograph dates at Keeneland sales, bloodhorse.com reports.

The order, which was signed by Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Muth Goodman, was entered Thursday and found on the court's online docket Friday.

Earlier this year, the Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's dismissal of a civil claim filed by Lexington attorney Miller and Rambicure on behalf of owner/trainer Tom Swearingen against Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and a handful of its partners regarding the misdating of radiographs.

Swearingen claimed in his original case that had he known he was potentially bidding on horses whose radiographs were not presented accurately that he would not have participated in the public auctions in question.

A Fayette Circuit Court judge dismissed the 2019 case, which was based on the practice of some veterinarians of forward-dating pre-sale radiographs to make them appear to fall in the required window in relation to a horse's sale date. A handful of veterinarians from Hagyard self-reported to the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners for engaging in the misdating or for being aware of others using the practice and not reporting them. Those veterinarians indicated they misdated the records in order to help manage large caseloads ahead of major public auctions.

Bloodhorse.com reports that Miller and Rambicure violated what is known in Kentucky as Rule 11, Goodman found, writing that their conduct was “particularly egregious” when they continued to pursue claims after Swearingen admitted in a lower court proceeding he didn't use the digital repository at auction and did not send a veterinarian to do so on his behalf.

Sanctions to be imposed are to be “equal to defendants' reasonable attorney's fees and costs from the day following the tender of discovery responses until the date of this order” but will exclude expenses incurred during an appeal, citing a lack of jurisdiction.

To read the full story at bloodhorse.com, click here.

The post Judge Sanctions Attorneys In Keeneland Radiograph Case appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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