As renovations continue at Belmont Park, The New York Racing Association (NYRA) divulged a plan July 1 to conduct approximately three months of winter racing annually at Belmont exclusively on an all-weather surface. A one-mile Tapeta track is currently under construction at Belmont, while the facility is scheduled to reopen in 2026.
Lisa Lazarus, the CEO of the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority (HISA) provided a letter Friday to NYRA in support of the decision.
The letter appears in full below.
To Whom it May Concern:
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), was established in 2020 following the enactment of the bipartisan federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. HISA's mission is to implement a national, uniform set of integrity and safety rules that are applied consistently to every Thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility. As a point of emphasis, HISA works diligently–day in and out–to minimize the risk of horses sustaining injuries associated with horseracing. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has been working closely and collaboratively with HISA since its formation and has always been in full compliance with its safety and integrity regulations.
As HISA's CEO, I write to express my support for NYRA's decision to install an all-weather surface track at the new Belmont Park to be the exclusive surface for winter racing. Since 2009, The Jockey Club has maintained an Equine Injury Database that tracks fatalities by state, racetrack, and surface. An analysis of the data collected demonstrates that the dirt tracks with the greatest risk of high injury rates are based in a highly variable climate with high utilization (year-round racing).
As Belmont is located in a highly variable climate and will support year-round racing, it meets the precise criteria for benefiting from an all-weather track. It is imperative, both ethically and to preserve horseracing's social license, that horse welfare is always prioritized when making business decisions. Declining to install an all-weather track, under these unique circumstances, would result in NYRA missing an opportunity to substantially minimize the risk of horses being injured because of an inconsistent dirt surface that is difficult to maintain in the winter at a racetrack that will be utilized year-round. Further, the data collected around the currently operating all-weather tracks strongly suggests that any concerns about a detrimental effect on field size and betting are misplaced.
Thank you for considering these important safety concerns as you evaluate these issues.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Lazarus
Chief Executive Officer
Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
