The Biz | Horse Racing Free Tips

Horseracing Integrity And Safety Act Signed Into Law

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is now law.

The legislation passed by the Senate on Dec. 21 that will put anti-doping/medication control and safety programs under the umbrella of one independent, non-governmental Authority, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was part of a 5,500-plus page, $2.3 trillion bipartisan government funding bill that included $900 billion in coronavirus relief extending unemployment benefits and providing up to $600 in cash payments to individuals. President Donald Trump, whose Treasury Department officials helped negotiate the package, had threatened to veto the bill, in part demanding that the $600 individual benefits be increased to $2,000.

On Sunday night, Trump signed the bill into law.

A previously formed nominating committee can now move forward in naming the nine members who will comprise the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (five independent members from outside of the horse industry, four from within the industry but without current investments or conflicts of interest). The Authority has been charged with contracting with the United States Anti-Doping Agency to oversee the anti-doping/medication control program on a national basis.

Two working committees also will be named. For more information on what comes next, read answers to frequently asked questions, as supplied by Marc Summers, vice president and general counsel for The Jockey Club, which helped steer the legislation through Congress.

Passage of the legislation, originally supported by the grassroots Water Hay Oats Alliance and sponsored in the House of Representatives by Democrat Paul Tonko of New York and Repubolcian Andy Barr of Kentucky, was years in the making. It got fast-tracked earlier this year when Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threw his support behind it after Churchill Downs came on board and joined with other major racing organizations. It passed the House in September on a voice vote and was part of the omnibus bill passed overwhelmingly by the Senate Dec. 21.

The omnibus legislation that is now law includes other measures beneficial to the horse industry, including continuation of H-2B visa programs for foreign workers and extension of three-year tax depreciation for purchase of racehorses and COVID relief for small businesses in the horse business.

The post Horseracing Integrity And Safety Act Signed Into Law appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

$23 Million In Opening Day Wagers Sets New Record For Santa Anita

With an 11-race card that included six stakes, all run in idyllic weather conditions, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., set an all-time opening day record pari-mutuel handle of $23,003,159 on Saturday, eclipsing the previous opening day benchmark of $20,491,016, which was established over 11 races run on Dec. 26, 2018.

Aside from essential licensed personnel, which includes owners, Santa Anita remains closed to the public and thus almost all of its total handle on Saturday was wagered via ADW platforms and a smattering of brick and mortar satellite locations that have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Santa Anita, which opened on Dec. 25, 1934, and was closed for three years during World War II, staged its 84th opener on Saturday, with first post time at 11 a.m.

“We want to thank our fans, owners, trainers, jockeys and other stakeholders for supporting our racing program and contributing to a strong opening day,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior vice president and general manager. “This has been a difficult year for a lot of people and we are happy to be able to provide world-class racing for those watching and playing the races from home.

“We can't wait to welcome our fans and our employees back to The Great Race Place when protocols allow everyone to enjoy our tremendous sport in person. In the meantime, we are thankful to be able to operate as we are currently.”

With five graded stakes, three of them of the Grade 1 variety, the highlight of the opening day program came in the Grade 1, $300,000 Runhappy Malibu, as Bob Baffert-trained Charlatan powered to a tremendous 4 ½ length win under Mike Smith and thus thrust himself into a potential role of Horse of the Year candidate in the approaching new year.

The post $23 Million In Opening Day Wagers Sets New Record For Santa Anita appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Santa Anita Debuts New 6 1/2-Furlong Turf Course Chute

A project that was undertaken with great urgency this past Aug. 17 came to fruition on opening day as Santa Anita's turf chute was utilized for the first time as Saturday's sixth race at 6 ½ furlongs attracted a field of 12 allowance horses aged three and up. Under sunny, blue skies, the race was taken by trainer Mike Puype's Highly Distorted, who got the distance in 1:14.85 while winning by three quarters of a length under jockey Juan Hernandez.

Breaking from post position four, Highly Distorted, idle since breaking his maiden going 5 ½ furlongs on the Del Mar turf July 25, showed good speed out of the gate and controlled the pace throughout through splits of 22.64, 44.72 and 1:08.64.

“Everything looked good,” said Santa Anita track surfaces consultant Dennis Moore, who oversaw the entire project from conception to sixth race post time. “It's nice to see it all come together from beginning to end.”

For Hernandez, it was his second win through six races. Highly Distorted, off at 11-1, paid $24.80 to win.

Anaconda, ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, checked in sixth as the 5-2 favorite.

The post Santa Anita Debuts New 6 1/2-Furlong Turf Course Chute appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘A Monumental Step In The Right Direction’: Tygart Hopes USADA Can Help Reform Horse Racing

There has been a recent spike in discussion following passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) by Congress last week. Some may be skeptical on whether the creation of a national Authority truly will have an impact on the regulation of medication and safety policies in American racing, but Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), believes USADA's involvement could be just what the industry needs, according to columnist Dan Wolken in USA Today.

“I think it should be night and day because the current system is a myriad, a patchwork of different rules and regulations and it's not applied evenly across any of the 38 different racing jurisdictions,” Tygart told Wolken. “Our hope is to absolutely professionalize it and give those in the sport confidence that it works and that there is no choice other than to win the right way, which is clean and ultimately that's going to benefit the sport itself as well as the health of the animal.”

Two scandals within the racing industry this year involving Bob Baffert's four separate medication violations and the FBI probe that led to 27 people being indicted for illegally conspiring to dope racehorses have amplified the need for intervention from the government and the USADA. Wolken wrote. An independent oversight program can eliminate the conflicts of interest within the current state horse racing boards, which are typically occupied by people with financial interests in racing or involvement in some way.

“it created a perfect storm where there's no other solution,” Tygart said. “The status quo is unacceptable and this is a monumental step in the right direction.

“There's a lot of money being made under the status quo and we saw that when we took over the Olympic world as well,” Tygart told Wolken. “So are we going to be able to get people off their little fiefs that are churning money? Let's hope they come along and get on board, but if they are earning that money the wrong way they're going to get sanctioned and that's the way it ought to be.”