National HBPA

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on Monday granted a stay that will prevent the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from issuing a mandate stemming from a recent Fifth Circuit opinion that the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA)'s enforcement mechanism is unconstitutional. The stay is to be in effect pending a decision by the Supreme Court as to whether it will take up the larger issue of whether those enforcement provisions are unconstitutional under the private nondelegation doctrine, which is a basic principle of...

At the National HBPA Conference held at Prairie Meadows, Dr. Doug Daniels, a horse owner and equine veterinarian in Virginia, was re-elected by unanimous acclamation for a second three-year term as the president and chairman of the board, the organization said in a press release on Saturday. "There was a lot more to do these last three years than I ever dreamt," Daniels said. "I hope now, in the next three years, it will be a lot less contentious and a lot more meaningful from the standpoint of our horsemen...

The National HBPA has filed a 'motion to supplement the record' to their longstanding case currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in which they challenge the lawfulness of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. This new motion charges that it again shows that HISA, and not the FTC, is actually in charge of horseracing rules, pointing to the new policy governing how Metformin cases were handled. On Tuesday, June 4, HISA announced that some trainers whose horses had tested positive for Metformin would have their...

With session topics from computer-assisted wagering to fixed odds to a status report on the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Act (HISA), the 2024 National HBPA Conference is set of July 23-26 at Prairie Meadows, the horsemen's group said in a Friday release. "A lot is changing in our industry at breakneck speed," said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association. "The objective of the National HBPA Conference is to get straight talk from industry experts and to start dialogue where we can come together to begin...

From Nov. 28 through Dec. 31, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance collected over $200,000 in donations from its 2023 Holiday Giving Campaign to raise funds to support thousands of Thoroughbreds at 86 TAA-accredited organizations, the non-profit said in a release Wednesday. The Holiday Giving Campaign highlighted a different match sponsor each day, offering single-day sponsorships ranging from $500 to $10,000. 2023 Match Sponsors included: Mike Rogers, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Yvonne Schwabe, National HBPA, Denali Stud, Siena Farm, Donna Barton Brothers, Jack Damico, West Point Thoroughbreds, Rick Schosberg, Simon Bray, Dan & Denny...

Winners were named across seven categories with a total of $122,000 awarded at the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, now in its eighth year in the United States, which concluded Tuesday evening at Keeneland Racecourse's Entertainment Center, Godolphin said in a press release after the event. For the first time this year, in addition to the three finalists in each category, two alternates were also chosen and received monetary rewards. Todd Schrupp, FanDuel TV analyst, served as the master of ceremonies. Tom Law, Saratoga Special Managing Editor and this year's judging...

A bill that would repeal the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and replace it with a voluntary interstate compact to govern the nation's Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and Quarter Horse racing is about to be introduced in Congress. The Republican Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins on Tuesday announced his intention to file the Racehorse Health and Safety Act (RHSA). The bill would establish a governing body known as the Racehorse Health and Safety Organization (RHSO), which would oversee breed-specific Scientific Medication Control Committees tasked with drafting and recommending drug rules for each...

With oral arguments in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit looming in less than two months, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority defendants in a two-year-old lawsuit spearheaded by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) asserted in a legal brief Friday that the panel of judges should "dismiss this appeal or affirm the judgment" from a lower court that ruled the 2022 rewrite of the HISA law was constitutionally compliant. "Congress, the Executive, and all three federal courts that have considered the...

Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association on Monday released a statement on the organization's position on the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) power to suspend live racing. Recently a HISA offial indicated the regulatory body is considering a rule to allow it to shut down racetracks even without any welfare and safety violations. "The National HBPA supports a robust investigation of the tragic deaths at Churchill Downs," Hamelback said. "But at this point, no one has found any evidence of rules violations by...

The 2023 Claiming Crown will be staged for the first time since 2011 at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans on Saturday, Dec. 2, the National HBPA and the TOBA said in a joint release early on Thursday. The event will feature eight races totaling $1 million in base purses, headlined by the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel. Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA said, "The Claiming Crown was designed to celebrate our hard-knocking, unsung heroes of the turf. What better place--especially for our 25th running--than...

National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback response to Gagliano's statement: While we will not respond in a tit-for-tat with The Jockey Club, we want to make one thing abundantly clear. That is to quote the Authority's own statement in response to these tragic deaths last week: "Churchill Downs has been cooperating with HISA since its inception and is in full compliance with our rules and processes." To suggest that these deaths were somehow attributable to the HBPA is simply wrong. HISA clearly stated in its own press release that Churchill Downs...

It has been increasingly difficult to watch as the opponents of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 (HISA) continue to ramp up their campaign to see it derailed. Much like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks, they continue to pitch mistruths and diversions and file myriad lawsuits across the nation in an attempt to get something to stick in the minds of lawmakers, judges, and policymakers. I would like to set the record straight about HISA and to comment on its opponents' most recent actions....