Posts Tagged ‘hbpa’
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
By Ray Paulick
A Paulick Report reader commenting under the pseudonym of “another young owner” made the following observation in connection with yesterday’s article that surveyed top executive salaries at 18 industry non-profit associations: “Over $3.75 million a year and our industry has never been worse off… we have some great leaders!”
Actually, the aggregate of the 18 salaries was $3,911,096 and didn’t include bonuses, retirement plan contributions or other benefits.
But the point made by “another young owner” was not lost on me. When you consider that executive salary should only be a small fraction of an organization’s expenditures and that there are many more associations and businesses not included in our survey, it makes you wonder: What exactly are we getting for all that money?
Do we really benefit from and need a TRA and an NTRA, a TOBA, an HBPA and a THA, a TOC and a CTT, a Jockey Club and a Jockeys’ Guild? For the ultimate absurdity consider that we used to have two national organizations for racing regulatory bodies—neither of which really had the authority to do anything.
Perhaps when racing was healthy—a regional or local sport that didn’t participate in interstate commerce–there was little need to consolidate some of these redundant organizations. But today, as revenues are in serious decline among racetracks, horse owners, breeders and in virtually every other industry sector, the status quo will not work.
But don’t take it from me. Owner and breeder Satish Sanan, a no-nonsense businessman who has closely examined racing’s organizationally littered landscape, believes the industry will continue in a downward spiral unless it commits to changing its structure.
Sanan, a weekly guest on Steve Byk’s satellite radio show, “At the Races,” has been speaking out in his regular “Our Industry” segment about the need for a new structure. (Click here to listen.) Yesterday, in reaction to the Paulick Report’s salary survey, Sanan said: “If you look at the so-called alphabet soup organizations from TOBA to NTRA to horsemen’s associations, the THA, and the (Thoroughbred) Owners of California, you can add all that crap up, and collectively we are spending millions of dollars. Each one is doing one or two good functions, but not seriously impacting the growth of the industry. It goes back to, do we need this kind of structure and what the hell is it doing for our industry? We need a single structure and in that structure we have got to find a way to generate more revenue, put more money back into the business, hire the best talent.
“When the NFL and NBA created leagues, they brought people in, paid them millions of dollars, and put governance and structure in place and marketed the hell out of their sport and nobody complains about that because they bring in hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, there is not an organization with the exception of maybe individual racetracks that are customer focused, customer centric, customer-service centric.”
Sanan said Breeders’ Cup–where he is on the board of directors and has led a strategic planning committee that is set to announce its final recommendations at a board meeting on Thursday—is the only association on the horsemen’s side of the industry that has focused on revenue growth. “I do not know of another organization that is tasked with growing the business,” he told Byk.
“The leadership of our industry should be thinking like a think tank and working together, talking about how do we transform this business, how do we go back to how this business used to be, how do we attract new owners, keep the existing owners, keep the existing horseplayers, have them bet more and make it more attractive to them and market the sport so we can attract new ones. I’m at a loss as to whose job it is and who thinks about these things on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. Can you name somebody? I (expletive deleted) can’t.”
Byk couldn’t either.
“We have got to streamline our industry,” Sanan continued. “There should be one horsemen’s organization, not 15. Period. There should be one panel that focuses on nothing but all the issues that are integrity-related: safety, medication, tote and wagering, and build confidence so we can attract new people. We need the best of minds with the most creative and innovative marketing programs to attract new horseplayers, new fans and market the hell out of the sport. Shoot, if this was my company I would be doing it.”
And that begs another question: Whose company is it? Who will take the lead here? Which organization will dissolve or be willing to merge with someone else. Which alphabet soup executive will focus more time on doing what’s right for the greater good of the industry instead of fighting to maintain whatever small chunk of turf he controls? Many of these executives are bright people, but the absence of a common-sense structure and industry-wide collaboration is a lethal combination.
There are too many chefs cooking our alphabet soup, and no one is buying it.
Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report
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Tags: at the races, Breeders' Cup, ctt, hbpa, Jockey Club, jockeys' guild, NBA, nfl, non-profit, NTRA, Our Industry, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, satish sanan, steve byk, tha, TOBA, toc, tra
Posted in Industry, Industry Organizations | 53 Comments »
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
The California racing and breeding industry appears to have the stability of a bowl of Jello. Two tracks, Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields, are owned by bankrupt Magna Entertainment and their future is cloudy. Hollywood Park is in the hands of a land developer that already bulldozed Bay Meadows and has similar plans for the Inglewood facility, though when he gets the money to develop the property is anyone’s guess. Del Mar is run by a non-profit association whose contract will soon expire. Training centers are being shut down, farms are closing and the foal crop is sinking. The former head of the California Horse Racing Board pleaded guilty to a crime most often committed by juvenile delinquents. The Thoroughbred Owners of California has been without an executive director for the last several months. And now the state’s Thoroughbred trainers are forming a circle, pulling out their weapons and getting ready to fire.
In a word, it’s a mess.
It’s been more than 15 years since the late Ed Friendly—the Emmy-winning television producer of such shows as “Laugh In” and “Little House on the Prairie”–led a revolt that ejected the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association from its traditional role representing the state’s owners and trainers and created the Thoroughbred Owners of California. TOC would be responsible for negotiating purse and simulcast contracts with racetracks and represent owners in front of the CHRB and state lawmakers. At the same time, a new group called California Thoroughbred Trainers was formed and certified, and their role was to deal with track management and the CHRB on issues related to backstretch conditions, track safety and benevolence.
Owners in other states have tried similar maneuvers but failed, in part because they lacked a leader with the tenacity and commitment of Ed Friendly and also because they didn’t have a focal point to rally around. For Friendly and his fellow owners, that focal point was a trainer-led boycott of Friday night racing at Hollywood Park in 1992. The trainers didn’t want to race at night, and Friendly said it wasn’t up to them to decide when to race his and his fellow owners’ horses. Friendly persevered and won the fight, getting legislation passed that created TOC and neutered the HBPA.
The two groups have pretty much stuck to the script since then, with TOC representing owners not only in California but on national organizations like the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. CTT has focused mainly on backstretch issues. How well has the arrangement worked? It depends on who you ask.
A group of prominent trainers have become increasingly unhappy with the situation and with the representation they were getting from the CTT. When an general election was held in June for three of the CTT’s board seats, trainer Jim Cassidy, who had served as president for the previous year, was voted off the board. The following month, when the newly seated board met (John Shirreffs, Clifford Sise and Ed Moger were elected in June, joining incumbents Dan Hendricks, Jack Carava, Bill Anton, Gloria Haley and Tim Bellasis), their first order of business was to appoint a replacement for Eoin Harty, who had resigned from the board with one year left on his term. Harty said he was spending an increasing amount of time out of state.
The board voted to replace Harty with Cassidy, who had the fourth-highest number of votes for the three board positions in the June election. After being put back on the board, Cassidy was then re-elected president on the second ballot (three individuals nominated on the first ballot each received three votes, and one of the candidates withdrew his name from consideration prior to the second ballot).
That sequence of events didn’t sit well with the trainers who voted to keep Cassidy off the board in June. Much like the Friday night boycotts motivated owners to form the TOC, the appointment of Cassidy and his subsequent reelection as president galvanized CTT’s critics. They formed an ad hoc group called California Horsemen for Change, and began laying the groundwork in an effort to replace CTT as the organization representing trainers. Members of the California Horsemen for Change and others met with the CTT last Friday (click here for a press release from the California Horsemen for Change), and urged the CTT’s board to vote for a new election to fill all nine board seats. The CTT board agreed, by a 5-4 vote according to a source, but additional changes in the bylaws will be required before they can wipe the slate clean and elect a new board of directors. According to a published report, one CTT member has challenged the legality of the board’s decision to hold a new election.
Interestingly, the trainer said to be behind this new organization is Darrell Vienna, one of the leaders of the Friday night boycott at Hollywood Park in 1992 that led to the HBPA being ousted and the trainers losing much of their clout. According to a source, Vienna, who is one of a number of trainers unhappy with the CHRB’s synthetic surface mandate at California racetracks, spoke up against the synthetic tracks at a CTT meeting earlier this year where the CHRB’s equine medical director, Dr. Rick Arthur, presented statistics comparing equine fatalities on dirt versus synthetics. Vienna “got into it” with Arthur, the source said, demanding to see the data of the study. At that point, Gloria Haley, a CTT board member from Northern California, was said to have reprimanded Vienna, reminding him that he was “guest” at the meeting. The comment apparently infuriated Vienna.
“When we had the vote three months ago I asked Vienna personally to run for the board,” Cassidy told the Paulick Report. “He refused. He said ‘I’m not getting involved.’” It looks as though he’s changed his mind.
Vienna didn’t answer questions when contacted by the Paulick Report, instead deferring them to Chris Knight, a recent law school graduate and son of trainers Chay and Mary Knight who has been brought on as interim executive director of the California Horsemen for Change. Knight downplayed any discord between any individuals within the two organizations or anger with the recent election, instead saying the “CTT and California trainers in general are dissatisfied with California racing. We’ve capitalized on the momentum and will be holding a new general election, having everyone involved.”
Knight said there are a number of critical issues, including:
- the pending closing of Fairplex Park to stabling and training due to revenue shortfalls;
- the poor economic state of the racetracks and the uncertainty over the future of Hollywood Park, Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and Del Mar;
- questions about the safety of the synthetic tracks;
- a desire to be more closely engaged with TOC (according to sources, there have been recent talks between CTT and TOC to bring the groups closer together).
Cassidy said the individuals within the two groups share common ground in many areas, including a desire for higher purses and greater stability in track ownership. “A lot of them have their own agendas including a change in surfaces, and I understand all that,” he said. ”I tell them we work on what we can. I’m at so many of these meetings that my head spins. I hate to see what’s happening, because people are desperate and angry, but those are the times we are in right now. I feel like the Lone Ranger.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: california horsemen for change, california thoroughbred trainers, chris knight, ctt, darrell vienna, ed friendly, eoin harty, gloria haley, hbpa, hollywood park boycott, horsemen's benevolent and protective association, jim cassidy, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, rick arthur, thoroughbred owners of california, toc
Posted in California, Industry Organizations, Synthetic surfaces | 20 Comments »
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
The tale of five horses from the Suffolk Downs backstretch that recently ended up in the kill pen of the infamous New Holland, Pa., livestock auction demonstrates the challenges the East Boston, Mass., racetrack has in enforcing its “zero-tolerance” horse welfare policy that will ban trainers or owners who sell their horses for slaughter.
The five Thoroughbreds discovered at New Holland were saved from an ignominious death in a Canadian  slaughterhouse, one that typically follows a cramped and uncomfortable van ride with other livestock. Instead, these five horses are being placed in retirement or retraining facilities. Because of the incident, however, five people, including trainer Pam Pompell and owner Albert Michelson, have been told they are no longer welcome at Suffolk Downs.
The story begins Oct. 26, when the New England division of CANTER (Communications Alliance to Network Ex-Racehorses) held its third annual Suffolk Showcase to bring potential horses and adopters together. The Suffolk meeting, which ends tomorrow, has a number of horses whose future in racing has been compromised by physical infirmities or lack of competitiveness. They are among the population becoming known as "unwanted horses."
Trainer Pompell was one of those who attended the CANTER showcase. Two days later, it is alleged, she approached trainers Gerry LeFleur and Tony D’Angelo and said she had good homes for horses each of them brought to the Suffolk showcase, either at a Boy Scout camp or another charitable program for special-needs children. LaFleur gave Tercia de Reinas to Pompell, and D’Angelo gave Storm Up Front to the trainer. Owner Michelson, who raced a few horses at Suffolk with Pompell during the meeting, filled out some paperwork and vanned them off the track property. No money is said to have changed hands.
Five days later, on Nov. 1, Michelson is alleged to have vanned three more horses out of Suffolk (Tiny Target, Jimmy the Gov and Arrested Gatorgirl) that had been trained by Wayne Sargent. Pompell allegedly told Sargent the horses were going to CANTER. Again, the horses were said to have been donated at no cost.
On Sunday, Nov. 2, a CANTER volunteer was tipped off that some Thoroughbreds were en route to the notorious auction at New Holland where “killer buyers” have been operating for years. CANTER notified Sam Elliott, vice president of racing for Suffolk Downs, and he made arrangements the following day with the auction company to buy the five racehorses for $2,700, with financial assistance from the New England Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. The horses were subsequently placed with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.
How the horses went from supposedly being donated to a Boy Scout ranch or to the CANTER program and ending up in the kill pen destined for slaughter is where the story gets a bit fuzzy. Pompell and Michelson told the Paulick Report they donated the horses at no cost to a horse trader named Dave Costa, who owns Chipaway Stables in Acushnet, Mass. Costa, however, said he paid Michelson for the horses and intended to send them to his farm in Florida, where he hoped to sell them as polo horses in the toney Wellington area of Palm Beach County.
Costa said he sent the horses to New Holland to “overnight” before someone he hired would drive them to Florida. Costa changed his mind when he got a call from the van driver who said someone was willing to pay $1,500 for the five horses. The new owner then sold them by the pound to the auction company and put them in the kill pen, the area designated for horses not being auctioned off but sent directly to the Canadian slaughterhouse.
That’s where they were when Elliott of Suffolk Downs rescued them. When track management put the story together, Pompell and Michelson were notified that Suffolk Downs was exercising its right to exclude them from the property. LeFleur, D’Angelo and Sargent have also been excluded.
“Suffolk Downs did me dirty,” Pompell said when contacted by the Paulick Report. “CANTER put me on to three horses that were owned by Wayne Sargent. They said to take them and give them to Costa and make them into polo ponies. The horses looked like they hadn’t been fed, hadn’t been cleaned. Those stalls had at least a half a inch of shit on the ground. When we took the horses from Sargent he was happy. Then Suffolk accused me of sending horses to the killers that I had no knowledge of. Costa is a legitimate horse dealer and trainer. These horses did not go to no killers. We gave the horses to Costa. I will not kill a horse for anybody for any money.
“I was doing a favor to Sargent,” she said. “He pretty near begged us to take the horses.”
Michelson insists he received no money from Costa when he turned the five horses over to him. “I never sold them nothing,” he told the Paulick Report. “I’m 80 years old. I’ve raced horses, my father and grandfather raced horses. We are not in the killer business. My father was on the board of the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) for 25 years. We’ve never had a citation for abusing animals.”
Costa said he did pay Michelson for the horses, but wouldn’t disclose the amount. “He got a little money, but he didn’t get much,” Costa said.” I bought them as polo prospects, and dropped them off at the (New Holland) sale barn, where they were supposed to be picked up and driven to Florida. But the kid who was going to haul them off sold them.”
Costa claimed that he had never heard the term “kill pen” before. “All this is a bunch of b.s.,” he said. “What’s a kill pen? I’ve seen pigs in that pen, cattle, saddle horses. It was the only pen available, and the guys receiving cattle said to put them in that pen. The horses may have even been marked to keep them out of the sale.”
No matter how the horses wound up in the kill pen, hours away from the final ride of their lives, one thing seems certain: Suffolk Downs is serious about enforcing the anti-slaughter rules adopted under the leadership of Richard Fields, who bought controlling interest in the track last year. The policy was a bold move that a handful of other tracks, including those owned by Magna Entertainment, are adopting.
Pompell and Michelson have been banned from the property, effective immediately, as were the three other trainers, even though they may have believed the horses were going to be used for legitimate purposes.
"Regrettably, for the second time this year we have had a violation of our anti-slaughter policy and we intend to exercise our rights to restrict the access to our property by individuals involved,” said Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer for Suffolk Downs. “These horses were sold with deliberate disregard for their ultimate disposition. They didn’t end up at the auction months after they left here but hours later. There are lots of different stories, but the individuals involved should have known better.
“Both Suffolk Downs and the state of Massachusetts expect that the people who stable here will adhere to standards of decency and will uphold their obligation to the animals in their care,” Tuttle said. “The vast majority of the Suffolk Downs horsemen work with us and with accredited retirement programs to ensure safe and healthy second careers for their athletes."
Michelson didn’t seem bothered by the ban, saying, “I wouldn’t race there again if they paid me to come.”
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: albert michelson, CANTER, chip away stables, chip tuttle, communications alliance to network ex-racehorses, dave costa, hbpa, horse slaughter, Horse Welfare, horsemen's benevolent and protective association, new england, new england hbpa, new holland auction, new holland sale, pam pompell, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, richard fields, sam elliott, suffolk downs, thoroughbred retirement, thoroughbred retirement foundation, thoroughbred slaughter, wayne sargent
Posted in Horse Racing, Horse Slaughter, Horse Welfare | 33 Comments »
Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
(UPDATED OCT. 10 TO REFLECT NEW POLICY FROM MAGNA ENTERTAINMENT)
When the Judiciary Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives held a markup hearing on Sept. 17 to discuss H.B. 6598, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 that would ban slaughter and criminalize the transportation of horses for the purpose of having them slaughtered for human consumption, a letter from National Thoroughbred Racing Association president and CEO Alex Waldrop said his organization took a neutral position on H.B. 6598 despite supporting previous anti-slaughter legislation.
Waldrop’s position statement, read into the record by Republican Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, outraged a number of prominent Thoroughbred industry participants, including Pin Oak Stud’s Josephine Abercrombie, who wrote a letter signed by more than 40 individuals that was sent to the leadership of the Judiciary Committee stating that the NTRA did not speak for them on the issue. The Judiciary Committee passed the legislation on Sept. 23 and sent it to the full House.
On Oct. 3, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) referred the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act to the Agriculture Committee, giving that committee until Jan. 3, 2009, to take action on the bill. Since the 110th Congress has adjourned, the bill will not pass unless it comes up during a lame duck session, which is highly unlikely.
Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and ranking Republican Goodlatte both have been recipients of contributions from the NTRA PAC, most recently receiving $5,000 for their 2008 campaigns. Peterson is a member of the Congressional Horse Caucus and Goodlatte has been a strong ally of the NTRA’s lobbying efforts concerning Internet gambling and tax incentives for breeders. Goodlatte has been an opponent of slaughter legislation. (Abercrombie, incidentally, is a “champion” level NTRA Horse PAC donor, giving $5,000.)
In the wake of the Judiciary Committee’s action on anti-slaughter legislation and the NTRA’s neutral position (the American Horse Council is also neutral), Paulick Report readers suggested we contact other major Thoroughbred industry associations and businesses to see if they have taken a position on the issue of slaughter and on the specific legislation (H.B. 6598).
Listed alphabetically by organization, here is what we learned:
ASSOCIATION OF RACING COMMISSIONERS INTERNATIONAL: According to RCI president/CEO Ed Martin, the RCI “normally does not take positions on pending legislation in Congress and has not been asked by any of its members to address the issue.”
BREEDERS’ CUP: Greg Avioli, president/CEO, said the Breeders’ Cup “has not issued a formal policy statement on the slaughter legislation before Congress. However, it is the strong consensus of our board that slaughter is inhumane and any and all reasonable options other than slaughter should be pursued. In furtherance of this position, proceeds from this year’s Championships will go to multiple retirement organizations.”
CHURCHILL DOWNS INC. Officials did not reply to requests for a position statement. Churchill Downs Inc, created the Greener Pastures program in conjunction with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and supports other retirement and retraining programs.
FASIG-TIPTON: Did not reply to requests for a position statement. Under the leadership of the late John Hettinger, Fasig-Tipton’s majority shareholder, the company created Blue Horse Charities to offer support to various retirement and retraining organizations. Hettinger was the industry’s leading anti-slaughter advocate.
JOCKEY CLUB: Spokesman Bob Curran gave no position on H.B. 6598 but said the official breed registry “is opposed to the slaughter or processing of Thoroughbreds for consumption by humans or animals. This includes the sale and/or transportation of Thoroughbreds for slaughter or processing for consumption by humans or animals.” The Jockey Club is a member of the Unwanted Horse Coalition.
KEENELAND ASSOCIATION: Did not reply to requests for a position statement. Keeneland and its foundation have supported Thoroughbred retirement and retraining organizations, including the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and Rerun.
KENTUCKY EQUINE EDUCATION PROJECT: A statement from executive director Patrick Neely said: “It has been a topic of discussion in some of KEEP’s industry working groups but no formal position has been taken at this time.”
KENTUCKY THOROUGHBRED ASSOCIATION: Did not reply to requests for a position statement. KTA lists several Thoroughbred retirement organizations on its Web site.
MAGNA ENTERTAINMENT (owns Santa Anita, Gulfstream, Laurel, Pimlico, Lone Star Park, Remington Park, Golden Gate Fields): Does not have a position statement on slaughter or current anti-slaughter legislation, according to an official with the company. OCT. 10 UPDATE: MAGNA INSTITUTES NEW POLICY. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.
NATIONAL HORSEMEN’S BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION: CEO Remi Bellocq said he could not provide a yes or no answer to whether the organization supports a ban on slaughter or H.B. 6598 because of the diversity of the 30 HBPA affiliates across North America. “Our horsemen and horsewomen fall across the spectrum on this issue,” Bellocq said. The National HBPA is a member of the Unwanted Horse Coalition. Bellocq said “this shouldn’t be defined necessarily as a ‘slaughter for human consumption’ issue but, rather, an ‘unwanted horses’ issue. To a person, if given a choice, horsemen would much prefer finding a home and/or second career for their horses as opposed to slaughter. Unfortunately, no matter what legislation (state or federal) is passed, the real problem – the number of unwanted horses – will still exist. To stem the number of unwanted horses, education and awareness are a key first step to successfully bring the number down.
“To that end, in 2005 National HBPA was one of the founding members of the Unwanted Horse and we continue working actively within the UHC to better educate horsemen about the options including, should all else fail, humane euthanasia. The UHC has set-up a big tent under which all the wonderful horse rescue programs can work together. If we truly made an industry-wide effort to centralize, for example, an ex-racehorse outplacement / adoption program, I am convinced many could be placed with willing owners. Why not, for instance, establish a national site modeled after Petfinder.com? Already, organizations like the Illinois HBPA have created similar approaches with success (see Illinois HBPA’s Horses Wanted link.”
NEW YORK RACING ASSOCIATION: Did not reply to requests for a position statement. NYRA offers support to the Exceller Fund, which helps place retired horses and has supported the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.
THOROUGHBRED HORSEMEN’S ASSOCIATION: CEO Alan Foreman said the organization has not taken a position on the current legislation. “There will be a new Congress in January and we will visit the issue then,” Foreman said.
THOROUGHBRED OWNERS AND BREEDERS ASSOCIATION: Position statement from TOBA president Dan Metzger: “We are categorically opposed to the slaughter of Thoroughbreds, and urge all those involved in the Thoroughbred industry to support rescue and adoption efforts and to work together to find humane means of dealing with the problems presented by Thoroughbreds no longer suitable for racing or breeding.” Metzger did not indicate whether or not TOBA has a position on H.B. 6598. TOBA is a member of the Unwanted Horse Coalition and is affiliated with Thoroughbred Charities of America, which supports numerous horse retirement and retraining operations.
THOROUGHBRED OWNERS OF CALIFORNIA: Did not reply to requests for a position statement. TOC’s Web site offers advice to a horse’s “last owner” and pushed for a first-of-its-kind charitable fund, the Calfornia Retirement Management Account (CARMA), to solicit and distribute purse checkoffs for retirement and retraining programs. Transport for slaughter is illegal in California.
THOROUGHBRED RACING ASSOCIATIONS: Executive vice president Chris Scherf said the organization of North American racetracks has adopted no official position.
Tags: agriculture committee, alex waldrop, anti-slaughter legi, association of racing commissioners international, blue horse charities, bob curran, bob goodlatte, Breeders' Cup, carma, chris scherf, churchill downs, collin peterson, congressional horse caucus, dan metzger, ed martin, fasig-tipton, greener pastures, Greg Avioli, h.b. 6598, hbpa, horse slaughter, Jockey Club, john hettinger, Josephine Abercrombie, judiciary committee, Keeneland, kentucky equine education project, kentucky thoroughbred association, kta, Magna Entertainment, nancy pelosi, national horsemen's benevolent and protective associati, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, New York Racing Association, nhbpa, NTRA, ntra pac, nyra, patrick neely, Paulick Report, prevention of equine cruelty act, Ray Paulick, RCI, remi bellocq, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, thoroughbred owners of california, thoroughbred racing associations, thoroughbred retirement foundation, TOBA, toc, tra, unwanted horse coalition
Posted in Horse Slaughter, Horse Welfare, Industry Organizations | 21 Comments »
Monday, July 7th, 2008
Churchill Downs Inc. and the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association came to terms on a 2008 purse contract for Calder Race Course and on a contract for slot machines whenever the gambling machines begin operations at the Miami-area track.
The agreement means simulcast will once again be available on Calder’s races, effective this Thursday. The agreement is for simulcasting but not account wagering.
A statement from CDI said negotiations will continue to resolve issues related to the distribution of revenue from account wagering.
According to a press release, Florida horsemen are guaranteed $14.375 million for purses in the first three full years of the slots operation and 6.75% of slot revenue for the remainder of the 10-year term. Additional provisions provide for the horsemen to share in the upside should the Calder slot facility generate specified slot revenue minimums in the second and third full years of operations.
CDI said it has agreed to drop without prejudice its lawsuit filed April 24 against the FHBPA and its officers. The suit, which alleged violations under the Sherman Antitrust Act, will continue against the remaining parties, including the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group, a newly formed company that is negotiating purse contracts on behalf of numerous state horsemen’s organizations.
By Ray Paulick
Copyright ©2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: calder, fhpba, florida horsemen's benevolent and protective associatio, hbpa, Paulick Report, purse contract, Ray Paulick, sherman antitrust act, Slot machines, slots, Thoroughbred Horsemen's Group
Posted in Churchill Downs Inc., Industry Organizations, Simulcasting, Slot machines | Comments Off
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