NTRA

The United States Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to the Horse Racing Safety and Integrity Act (HISA) filed by Oklahoma, Louisiana and West Virginia after the Sixth Court Circuit's Court of Appeals found that HISA is constitutional, according to an announcement from the Supreme Court Monday. "Certiorari denied," was the only statement coming from the court regarding the ruling, which was included among a monthly list of numerous other writ approvals and denials that the Supreme Court made public in batch format June 24. A writ of certiorari...

The 54th Annual Eclipse Awards, honoring Thoroughbred racing's human and equine champions of 2024, will return to the Breakers Palm Beach in Florida on Jan. 23, 2025 according to an announcement Thursday by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. The Awards will be held two days before Gulfstream Park hosts the GI Pegasus World Cup. "We are thrilled to be returning to the Breakers Palm Beach for our third year in a row," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney....

With a 34 to 25 vote on Thursday, May 23, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which will allocate up to $5 million in grants for equine therapy under the Veterans Affairs (VA) Adaptive Sports Program, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association said in a press release on Friday. The initiative, led by Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY) and the NTRA, will award grants by the VA to eligible organizations to plan, develop, manage and implement equine therapy programs for...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) hosted its second Annual Kentucky Derby Kick-off Reception on Capitol Hill this week, the organization said in a release Friday. On hand were more than 600 attendees, including many congressional staffers from the offices of Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY-06), Congressman Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03), Congressman Ralph Norman (R-SC-05) and Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY-20). For the event, the National Museum of Racing lent the Count Fleet Triple Crown and Kentucky Derby trophies, and Coolmore provided halters worn by Triple Crown Winners American Pharoah and Justify. This...

With $800,000 and the Horseplayer of the Year Eclipse Award to the winner, the official prize structure of this weekend's 25th National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas was posted in a Friday release by the host of the contest, the NTRA. At the conclusion of the Final Table on Sunday, total cash prizes offered over the three days come to $3,013,550. The top 77 are guaranteed money with that final finisher receiving $10,150. The top five payouts are: First Place--$800,000 Second Place--$250,000 Third Place--$200,000 Fourth Place--$150,000 Fifth Place--$125,000 Along with...

Terrence Frank, the top rookie contestant at the National Horseplayers Championship, will be honored with the James Nace Trophy. The 25th edition of the Championship, presented by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, begins Friday, March 15 and continues through Sunday, March 17. "Receiving the Jim Nace Trophy is a great honor and a moment II'll cherish, but it's also a reminder of the journey ahead," said Frank. "The pursuit of excellence doesn't stop with an award; it's an ongoing process of learning, adapting, and thriving amidst the challenges." "To all...

The 25th National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Horseplayers Championship presented by Caesars Entertainment, Horseshoe Las Vegas, and Racetrack Television Network kicks off Friday, Mar. 15, running through Sunday, Mar. 17, at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. The field of an estimated 750 entries will yield one ultimate winner, who will go home with $800,000 and an Eclipse Award as the Horseplayer of the Year. The NHC features more than 600 top horseplayers (including approximately 150 individuals with two entries), awarding nearly $4.5 million in cash and prizes. All qualifiers will receive...

Kevin Costello has officially won the 2023 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Tour, the first ever in the contest's 16 year history to win twice, announced the NTRA via press release Friday. Having previously won in 2021 and qualifying every year since 2016, Costello secured a seat to the 2025 NHC in addition to the prize money and is eligible to take home a $5-million bonus should he become a three-peat winner at the 25th NHC competition in Las Vegas. Costello finished the 2023 Tour season with 24,053 points from 31...

Turf writer Tom Law, the president of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association, appeared on Steve Byk's radio show Thursday to discuss the disagreements the group had with its fellow Eclipse presenters, Daily Racing Form and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, over this year's awards. Law said that the NTWAB's disagreements centered around two issues: industry organizations being added to those up for consideration for media Eclipse Awards, and the awarding of this year's Eclipse Award of Merit to Stuart Janney. Woodbine Entertainment went on to win an Eclipse...

NBC Sports analyst Randy Moss will join the Super Bowl's Radio Row to talk racing from Feb. 6-8, the NTRA announced Tuesday. Moss, a member of the TDN Writers' Room podcast and a well-known face on major racing broadcasts for NBC, will cover subjects such as the upcoming 150th running of the GI Kentucky Derby and how the sport is working to make strides in equine safety.

Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. winner Nysos (Nyquist) jumped to the top of the NTRA Top 3-year-old Poll Tuesday with a near-unanimous 30 votes while GIII Holy Bull S. upsetter Hades (Awesome Slew) made his first appearance on the list in fifth. Muth (Good Magic) picked up a single first-place vote as well to check in second on the list behind his Bob Baffert-trained stablemate. Champion 2-year-old Fierceness (City of Light) fell to third off his third-place performance in the Holy Bull. Track Phantom (Quality Road) filled out the...

by Dr. Mick Peterson and Dr. Wayne McIlwraith This year marks 15 years since the Racing Surfaces Testing Lab (RSTL) was founded by an engineering faculty member at the University of Maine and an orthopedic surgeon from Colorado State University. The non-commercial material testing lab emerged out of the 2006 Grayson-Jockey Club Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit at the urging of Dennis Moore of Hollywood Park and Dan Fick of The Jockey Club. Initially located in one stall of a two-car detached garage in Orono, Maine, the independent...