NTRA REFORMS: WHO WILL FOOT THE BILL?
The change bandwagon is getting pretty crowded, both in presidential politics and in horseracing. Following on the heels of suggestions for reform at the Jockey Club Round Table in August and demands for reform by the Breeders’ Cup and American Graded Stakes Committee, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association is getting into the act. NTRA president and CEO Alex Waldrop is convening a closed-door meeting in Lexington, Ky., today beginning at 9 a.m. to seek support and funding for widespread changes related to medication and horse welfare issues, many of which were detailed in a Paulick Report exclusive in July.
Today’s invitation-only meeting at the Griffin Gate Marriott Hotel will have representation from a broad base throughout the Thoroughbred industry, unlike an earlier small gathering of insiders who met at Keeneland to draft a discussion document in reaction to the June 19 Congressional hearings that threatened federal intervention. The hearings came in the wake of revelations about legal anabolic steroid use and the death of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby.
The discussion document outlined reforms related to medication, drug testing, racetrack safety standards, jockey weights and insurance, 2-year-old sales and racing, wagering protocols, Eclipse Awards, and a national placement program for retired racehorses. The confidential document, which has since been amended since published in the Paulick Report, also had suggestions for implementation and enforcement, but no plan for funding, which is expected to be a major topic of discussion.
One invited participant said it would be a “miracle” if the industry supports the proposals but gives Waldrop high marks for his efforts. “Where is the money going to come from?” he asked. “The NTRA doesn’t have it, racetracks are strapped, and state governments are cutting budgets on racing commissions and drug testing labs.” Another said the plan needs to be scaled down and more realistic. “The Jockey Club Round Table made all these proposals about what the industry needs to do, and I said, ‘Hey, what about the proposals you made last year? When are you going to get around to addressing those?’”
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: alex waldrop, anabolic steroids, congressional hearings, eclipse awards, eight belles, Horse Racing, Jockey Club, jockey club round table, keith chamblin, kentucky derby, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, NTRA, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, Thoroughbred Auctions
September 12th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
At the recent Congressional Committee hearing, several people - Jack Van Berg, Arthur Hancock, Jess Jackson among them - recommended the simulcast money as a source of revenue to fund reform. In your recent Fred Pope story, Mr. Pope reiterated points made at the hearing to the effect that the current simucast distribution basically screws everyone but the wagering companies, and that centralized control needs to be established under some sort of rationally conceived authority. Given the apparent inability of the “horsemen” granted status under the Horseracing Act to reform themselves and the apparent unlikelihood that they can renegotiate the simulcast rights effectively, I think it’s past time for Congress to intervene and amend the Horseracing Act in accordance with Fred Pope’s and tthe others’ recommendation..
He and the reformers who testified before the Committee envision a Commissioner of Racing empowered to act broadly for the good of racing. God knows, racing needs central authority. Change is otherwise blocked, thwarted and diluted at every turn, not to mention that under the current chaotic “rudderless” set-up the NTRA (or anyone else, for that matter) may achieve consensus on whatever it chooses, but will still lack the funds or authority to make reform stick.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Waldrop and Chamblin have done a tremendous job at the unenviable task of trying to get the broadest possible consensus and buy-in for legitimate, meaningful reforms.
There has to be a way to fund them because the alternative is that we pack up and go out of business after the next series of high-profile injuries. Also, the funding they are suggesting is voluntary, phased and gives the potential funders some input. What Congress might do is none of the above.
September 12th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Whoa! Keep the Government out are you crazy look at how they are running the country. They lie cheat,steal,murder, and you want them to run racing? Please.
September 12th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
The government will not run racing, but they can make sure we do it right. The horse industry is absolutely incapable of doing it on its own. We are a proven failure in that regard. Along with federal mandates for certain key elements and strategies comes access to money that will pay for some of the causes. If racetracks, owners, trainers, jockeys, vets, adw’s, or whomever benefits from racing chooses not to also pay a portion, then they simply can not play anymore. We are indeed facing a criris situation and the public must be convinced that new national oversight is in place, or we will die soon due to lack of interest and a congress that knows much more about our little dark secrets this time around. The feds will no longer permit horse doping and abuse, and multiple vioations by trainers owners and vets to be standard operating procedure.
September 13th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Sellesmsum, so how do you think it will get fixed?
The system we have now, were something magical will happen in the next year to make everyone work as a team, or an intervention. Take your pick.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
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