Alex Waldrop

The H-2B visa guest worker program, used frequently by trainers to fill backside positions, has been the subject of potentially damaging language within the fiscal year 2022 Department of Labor Appropriations bill. United States Representative Andy Harris (R-MD) offered an amendment July 15 to remove certain sections from the bill that would have made it difficult for employers to use the H-2B visa. During committee consideration, the amendment passed by voice vote. "Thank you to all who contacted their Representative regarding this issue," said NTRA president and CEO Alex Waldrop....

Edited Press Release The U.S. House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider the fiscal year 2022 Department of Labor Appropriations bill Thurs., July 15, and language within the bill could devastate the H-2B visa program. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is urging industry members to contact their Representative immediately and ask for this language to be removed from the bill. The language of concern appears on pages 46-50 of the bill and would make the H-2B visa program difficult for many employers to use. Specifically, the draft bill would:...

National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) President and Chief Executive Officer Alex Waldrop will retire at the end of 2021. He has been at the forefront of the NTRA for 15 years. During Waldrop's leadership, the NTRA transitioned from a member dues-driven organization into a self-sustaining, program-driven operation with more than 90% of the entity's revenues now derived from programs that support the industry. The organization also solidified its position as the industry's leading voice and the entity that represents all segments of the Thoroughbred industry in Washington, D.C., focusing its...

Edited Press Release The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) 2020 Legislative Action Campaign (LAC) Annual Report is now available on the association's website and can be downloaded here. The report reviews the NTRA's federal legislative activities in 2020 and the fundraising programs that support them. Specifically, the report includes:   A federal legislative summary of issues that are important to horse racing and breeding, including the latest on the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, Sports Betting, Three-year Racehorse Depreciation, Immigration and other legislation;   A list of 2020 contributors to...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Labor have agreed to offer 22,000 additional H-2B visas to employers for the second half of the federal fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. These visas are used by employers, such as racehorse trainers, who seek seasonal guest workers. They are capped at 66,000 annually, with an even split of 33,000 available for each half of the federal government's fiscal year. The additional visas will be made available later this spring or early summer via a temporary final...

There's plenty to talk about in racing these days, and NTRA CEO Alex Waldrop joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning to dig into a good deal of the sport's most pressing topics. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Waldrop talked about how to capitalize and sustain the positive handle trends of the past year, how to pay for the groundbreaking Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, what movement he expects on H-2B visas with a new administration and more. "Looking back...

NTRA CEO Alex Waldrop joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to talk on positive handle trends, H-2B visas, paying for HISA and more.

The Racing Officials Accreditation Program (ROAP) and the University of Louisville have announced a 16-hour continuing education course to be held live online Monday, Dec. 14 and Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. Both sessions begin at 8:00 a.m. ET and finish each day at 5:00 p.m. ET. Speakers during the live online sessions include: Alex Waldrop - CEO and President of the NTRA; Dr. Will Farmer - Churchill Downs Equine Medical Director; Barbara Borden - Chief State Steward, Kentucky Racing Commission; Hugh Gallaher - Safety Steward, NYRA; et al. Registration is...

When it was announced last week that a record $748.6 million had been wagered on sports during September in New Jersey that appeared to be more bad news for horse racing. It was the most ever bet in any one state during a month and a sign of the times. The amount legally wagered on sports in this country is soaring, with no end in sight, and it stood to reason that some of that money had been siphoned off from racing. Sports betting is now available in 18 states...

The Board of Directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has voted to support passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 (HISA). The action was taken Wednesday afternoon at a special meeting of the Board of the Directors. The HISA will improve the integrity and safety of Thoroughbred racing by requiring uniform safety and performance standards, including an anti-doping and medication control program and a racetrack safety program to be developed and enforced by an independent Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. "We thank Senate Majority Leader...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association issued the following statement Friday from President and CEO Alex Waldrop: "The racing industry would not exist and could not function without the contributions of the black community and people of color. The systemic racism that has poisoned our country cannot be allowed to inflict its pain on one more generation. We must work individually and collectively to dismantle these prejudices for good and confront the injustice that devalues the lives of the very people who make sure our industry can endure. "We at the...

The Legislative Action Committee of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) attracted voluntary contributions in 2019 of $750,000, the highest amount contributed to the campaign since the pre-recession year of 2008. The NTRA LAC is a program that supports the breeding and racing industry's federal legislative efforts in Washington, D.C. More than 5,000 individuals and farms support the program and the funds are raised primarily through the NTRA's voluntary check-off program supported by buyers and consignors at Thoroughbred auctions equal to one-quarter of one percent of the prices of horses...