The Biz | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘They Are Changing The Competitiveness Of A Horse Race’: Bravo Reacts To New Jersey Whip Rules

Jockey Joe Bravo, a 13-time leading rider at Monmouth Park and board member of the Jockeys' Guild, shared his opinion of the recently announced more stringent whip rules with the Asbury Park Press this week.

New Jersey's new rule prevents riders from whipping a horse “to achieve a better placing,” while new rules in California restrict riders to two strikes in succession and six strikes in total.

“How many times have you watched a race where a horse opens up one or two lengths in the lane like he's going to win for fun, and then he puts his ears up,” Bravo told app.com. “Anyone can see the horse is looking at something and he's going to stop. But whoa, I can't hit him because I can't hit him for something other than a safety issue. Well, that is a safety issue, and am I going to get fined? And if you don't have that quick instinct to react, there could be danger.

“They are changing the competitiveness of a horse race. I feel they should be respecting the gamblers, the breeder, the owner, who all invest heavily in the game.”

ARCI Analysis: McConnell Bill Authorizes Strict Control of Medications in Training

The Association of Racing Commissioners International is preparing an analysis of the newly proposed legislation, the “Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,” by Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell (R), so the group can prepare for a “smooth transition” should the measure be enacted. Earlier this week, the ARCI released an initial statement looking at the bill's effect on breeders.

The federally sanctioned authority empowered by newly proposed legislation by Senator McConnell will be able to impose strict controls on the use of any therapeutic medications administered to a “covered horse,” effectively setting the stage for a program that could require a veterinarian to receive prior permission before treating the horse with a prescription medication.

Such a system, if implemented, would parallel the “therapeutic use exemption” program in human sport. Under the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency code, advance permission must be obtained before a controlled substance is administered to an athlete in training or competition.

Unlike human sport, it is not expected that the new Authority would depart from current ARCI Model Rules or International Federation of Horseracing Authorities standards that prohibit such drugs to be present in the horse when it races.

But S.4547 does give the new Authority powers to control all substances administered to horses under its jurisdiction. Under the proposal, a “covered horse” comes under the jurisdiction of the new Authority after its first timed workout at a racetrack.

The analysis finds that the new Authority could, for the first time, put in place a system to control what some believe is the overuse of certain drugs in the care and preparation of horses intended to race. Whether it will actually do so, the timing of such a change, or how it would work is not yet known.

Given the number of racehorses potentially regulated by the new Authority such a program would require additional resources than what is currently available in the regulatory network in order to review such applications.

State Racing Commissions are not authorized to regulate the practice of veterinary medicine. There has, however, been a trend within the ARCI and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium to require commission notification of certain treatments and in some limited circumstances advance approval. Current regulatory policy relies largely on the ability of a commission to exclude a horse from competition. In some jurisdictions legal and liability concerns have affected the extent of the changes that could be done.

In July 2019, the ARCI proposed a private regulatory scheme using existing breed registry authority to require submission of all veterinary treatment records, including the diagnosis required for treatments, of all intended racehorses from birth forward, These records would be electronically reviewed to “red flag” horses in need of greater monitoring in order to help regulatory veterinarians assess whether a horse is high risk and should be excluded from competition.

As S.4547 has a greater focus on anti-doping, it does not require such a system. The bill does effectively put the actual horse under the regulatory authority of the new Authority at a uniform and consistent point in its career, eliminating inconsistencies that currently exist in state-based statutes and rules.

It remains unclear whether the Authority will require the submission of all veterinary records or will fall short of what the ARCI had asked the Jockey Club to require in 2019.

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Kentucky Supreme Court Determines Instant Racing Game Not Pari-Mutuel

A Kentucky Supreme Court ruling issued Thursday reversed a 2018 court decision which had determined instant racing was a permitted type of pari-mutuel racing in the state, calling into question the future of a significant component of funding for horse racing in the state.

A civil suit brought in 2018 by the Family Trust Foundation of Kentucky against the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Kentucky Department of Revenue, and the various racing associations in Kentucky, had claimed Encore instant racing machines weren't permissible under Kentucky's definition of pari-mutuel wagering. The Franklin Circuit Court determined the Encore system did qualify as pari-mutuel wagering because money bet through instant racing terminals went into a collected pool from which patrons were paid out.

The state supreme court disagreed, pointing out that Encore instant racing customers are not betting on a single race simultaneously, and that after a pool is paid out completely it must be refreshed by the wagering authority. These details, according to the opinion, run counter to the legal definition that pari-mutuel wagering takes place with money generated only by patrons betting against each other on a single event.

“We acknowledge the importance and significance of this industry to the Commonwealth,” the state supreme court opinion read. “We appreciate the numerable economic pressures that impact it. If a change, however, in the long-accepted definition of pari-mutuel wagering is to be made, that change must be made by the people of this Commonwealth through their duly elected legislators, not by an appointed administrative body and not by the judiciary.”

Encore gaming systems are currently used at Keeneland, Red Mile, Kentucky Downs, and Ellis Park.

Read the supreme court opinion here.

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Virtual International Conference Of Horseracing Authorities To Focus On COVID-19 Impact

In place of its traditional in-person meeting, the 54th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities, organized by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), will be virtual in 2020. The conference is typically held in Paris, France, the day after the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), but in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it will instead be conducted as a series of videos released during the first two weeks of October.

The conference will feature a sequence of pre-recorded Zoom discussions with prominent racing executives, participants, and stakeholders who have been conducting horseracing during the pandemic as well as insights from other leading sports figures.

“While we will certainly miss having everyone in Paris this year, it was clear that the safest course of action was to host our annual conference virtually as a result of COVID-19,” said IFHA Chairman Louis Romanet. “The pandemic has affected every aspect of life, and we felt it was important to focus on it as the key topic for the conference in this unique year. We hope to return to our traditional format in 2021.”

The key note address will be delivered by Pete Giorgio and Alan Switzer from Deloitte, the largest global professional services network.

Giorgio, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP, leads the company's United States sports practice, serving multiple sports clients including the United States Golf Association, National Basketball Association (NBA), United States Tennis Association, and United States Olympic Committee.

He is the co-author of Deloitte's 2020 report Games without fans: How sports organizations can thrive now, and in the long term as well as the co-author of the April 2020 report Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on telecommunications, media, and entertainment organizations: Sports subsector.

Switzer is a director in the Sports Business Group, Deloitte's global centre of excellence in sport business. He has worked extensively in horseracing for over 15 years, including producing multiple Economic Impact studies on racing—notably in respective of British and Irish racing.

They will discuss the findings from Deloitte's research and experience into the impact of COVID-19 on the sports sector, including the practical steps that sports organizations can take to adapt to the “new normal”, opportunities arising from the challenging circumstances and how that advice can be tailored to horseracing organizations.

Additionally, Rishi Persad will moderate four panels featuring industry members from across the globe who will discuss the impact of the pandemic on horseracing both regionally and internationally. Sessions will examine sustaining the business of racing and sports in the midst of a global pandemic and economic uncertainty; adapting the broadcast, production, and media experience to a COVID-19 racing and sporting landscape; participating and working in racing during a global pandemic; and preparing for and sustaining racing post-COVID 19.

Among the panelists scheduled to take part are: Charlie Appleby (trainer), Victoria Carter (New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing), Stephen Cook (IMG), Francesca Cumani (ITV), Olivier Delloye (France Galop), William Derby (York Racecourse), Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (Hong Kong Jockey Club), Horacio Esposito (OSAF & Latin American Racing Channel), Drew Fleming (Breeders' Cup), Katherine Ford, (Equidia), Andrew Harding (Hong Kong Jockey Club), Rob Hyland (NBC Sports), Brian Kavanagh (Horse Racing Ireland), Ger Lyons (trainer), Annamarie Phelps (British Horseracing Authority), Zac Purton (jockey), Jason Richardson (Ch7/Racing.com), Shigeru Suzuki (Japan Racing Association), and Chris Waller (trainer).

The videos from the International Conference of Horseracing Authorities will be posted on the IFHA's website and social media platforms starting the 5th of October.

The first International Conference of Horseracing Authorities was organized and hosted by the Société d'Encouragement in Paris, France, on October 9, 1967. Since 1994, the annual conference has been organized by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities at France Galop. In 2019, the conference convened delegates from more than 50 different countries with a number of other racing executives and media members in attendance.

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