Tag: The Biz

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will welcome members of the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) to Aqueduct Racetrack for its annual conference, which begins on March 27 and continues through March 30. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this will mark the first ORI conference since 2020.

U.S. Rep. Paul D. Tonko, a co-sponsor of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, will be the keynote speaker of this year's event. Congressman Tonko will be joined by a number of experts and racing executives, who will address ORI membership on a variety of issues.

Registration for ORI members is available at: https://horseracinginvestigators.com/.

NYRA is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2022 ORI conference, with additional sponsorship from the Breeders' Cup, 1/ST Racing, New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF), Penn National Gaming, The Jockey Club, and Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment.

“The work of the members of the Organization of Racing Investigators is critical to ensuring safety and integrity in the sport of horse racing, and we thank NYRA for hosting us,” said ORI Chairman Jean Claude Jaramillo, an Equine Investigator Specialist at NYRA. “This is an important opportunity to share best practices and hear directly from nationally recognized experts.”

In addition to Rep. Tonko's address, presentations will include:

· NYRA Security Operations – John Clyne, Senior Director, Security, NYRA;
· Stewarding in New York State – Braulio Baeza, Jr., State Steward, New York State Gaming Commission;
· Jockey Club Industry Initiatives – Kristin Werner, Senior Counsel, The Jockey Club;
· Joint Treatments in the Competition Horse – Dr. Scott Palmer, DVM, Equine Medical Director, New York State Gaming Commission;
· From the Finish Line to FedEx: Testing Sample Integrity – Leasa Johnson, Chief Investigator, New Mexico Racing Commission;
· Examples of Pool Manipulation and Grey/Illegal Market Betting – Patrick Cummings, Executive Director – Thoroughbred Idea Foundation;
· Corporate Protocols – Dr. Dionne Benson, DVM, JD, Chief Veterinary Officer, 1/ST Racing;
· Media Training** – Patrick McKenna, Vice President, Communications, NYRA;
· Understanding Microchips and Digital Certificates** – Teena Appleby, Technician Operations & Investigations, Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau;
· Racehorse Aftercare Awareness** – Richard E. Schosberg, Trainer & President of the Take2/Take The Lead Thoroughbred Retirement Program;
· Interference Rules and Protocols: Consistency in Decisions** – Braulio Baeza, Jr., State Steward (NYSGC), Brook Hawkins (NYRA Steward), Dr. Jennifer Durenberger (Jockey Club Steward);
· Concussion Protocols and Return to Ride** – Patricia Morrison, Premise Health; and,
· ORI Membership Business Meeting.

** Racing Officials Accreditation Program (ROAP) Points of Emphasis agenda item.

Speakers are subject to change.

The post Organization Of Racing Investigators Conference Set For March 27-30 At Aqueduct appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The New York State Gaming Commission has sent letters to the clients of convicted veterinarian Seth Fishman, reports the Times Union, requesting detailed information about any products purchased and horses treated. The letters request response via email by Feb. 28, but do not indicate a course of action if responses are not received.

Fishman, the first person to face trial in a sweeping horse-doping case that documented the widespread use of illegal and undetectable performance-enhancing drugs at tracks across the country, was convicted in New York Feb. 2 on charges that could put him behind bars for up to 20 years.

A jury of eight women and four men in U.S. District Court in Manhattan found Fishman, 50, guilty of two counts of conspiring to violate adulteration and misbranding laws and the manufacture of PEDS administered to racehorses by corrupt trainers for money and fame.

A list of Fishman's clients was released during his trial, including over 2,000 names and approximately 265 listing New York billing addresses.

NYSGC spokesman Brad Maione said the commission is in “information gathering mode,” though the commission does have the authority to issue administrative subpoenas if the need arises. The commission suspended licenses of all the indicted individuals, but has not taken action against those on the client list.

Read more at the Times Union.

The post New York Commission Asking For Additional Information From Seth Fishman’s Clients appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The Pennsylvania State Racing Commission revealed during Tuesday's meeting that the integrity hotline, part of a 10-step plan to improve equine safety and welfare in the state, is expected to be in place by March 1, according to bloodhorse.com.

“We'll request a detailed message. All calls shall remain anonymous,” said Thomas Chuckas, director of Thoroughbred Horse Racing for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. “This will be not manned; it will be call in, you leave a message. In my conversations with the horsemen some people would like to comment on certain things. This will be their opportunity.”

The post Pennsylvania Commission Plans To Have Integrity Hotline In Place By March 1 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

With a little over four months until the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Authority is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, many questions about the Authority's rules and regulations remain unanswered. The Thoroughbred Daily News took on some of those questions earlier this week, including what shareholders can expect the HISA cost structure to be, as well as dates on which that information should be made more clear.

The law was passed in late 2020, and it prescribes that the racetrack safety program be placed into effect on July 1. However, HISA's anti-doping/medication rules aren't expected to be put into effect until 2023.

In terms of cost, the law states that HISA needs to give individual states an estimated cost by April 1. Those states will determine whether they want to send in their fees according to that estimation by May 2. If a state determines it does not wish to remit fees based on that estimation, they will still have to remit fees on a monthly basis, the amount of which will be determined HISA based on the number of starts that month.

The estimated cost HISA will give is expected to be calculated not just by the number of starts, but also on the state's overall purses.

The rules posted explain: “For example, if all starts in all races at all tracks were treated equally, West Virginia would have a larger proportionate share than Kentucky, even though the purses and entry fees generated by the Kentucky races dwarf those generated by West Virginia races. Instead, the Authority defined Annual Covered Racing Starts in a manner that is consistent with an equitable allocation of the funding needs of the Authority.”

In addition, no state's annual HISA cost will exceed 10 percent of that state's total purses; all costs in excess of that 10 percent will be allocated to other states that do not exceed the maximum.

Questions remain about whether there will be a difference in cost prior to the implementation of the anti-doping program (as well as, of course, who will implement it after the breakdown in negotiations with the USADA), and whether the funding will be used to cover the legal costs HISA may have accrued in defense against the two lawsuits that have been filed against it.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post Funding HISA: Still More Questions Than Answers appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post