NTRA

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...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be in attendance as the official charity for the 53rd Eclipse Awards Jan. 25 at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida, the non-profit said in a Friday release. "It's an honor to stand with NTRA and the whole racing community, celebrating the incredible talent and of the Thoroughbreds and the dedication of their connections," said Stacie Clark Rogers, Operations Consultant for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. "We are grateful for the opportunity to highlight our commitment to our industry's horses on this prestigious platform." "We are thrilled...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) have named dynamic broadcaster Tom Hammond as the recipient of this year's Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence, the NTRA said in a press release Thursday. Hammond will receive the honor at the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards Dinner and Ceremony at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 25. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Hammond has enjoyed a much honored and remarkable career as one of the nation's top broadcasters, most...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has launched #LoveofTheHorse, a social media promotion in conjunction with the 53rd annual Eclipse Awards. The promotion encourages fans and enthusiasts to share photos of themselves that demonstrate their connection and love of the equine. Participants are encouraged to use the hashtags #LoveOfTheHorse and #EclipseAwards and tag NTRA on Facebook, X and Instagram. The NTRA will share many of the contributions and a few will be featured during the Eclipse Award ceremonies Thursday, Jan. 25 from The Breakers Palm Beach, hosted by Britney Eurton,...

The finalists for the 2023 Eclipse Awards, recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing, were announced by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), The Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) Saturday.. Winners in 17 horse and human categories will be handed out on FanDuel TV and other outlets, during the 53rd annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel Racing, John Deere, Keeneland, The Jockey Club and the NTRA, on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The evening will culminate with the announcement of the 2023 Horse of...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has renewed its sales and marketing partnership with John Deere for an additional three years, the association said in a release Friday. The agricultural giant will continue in its role as the exclusive equipment supplier to the NTRA and also maintain its participation in the NTRA Advantage group purchasing program. "John Deere tractors and horse racing go hand in hand," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. "We are thrilled to renew our partnership with this great American company for another three years." As...

FanDuel will join John Deere, Keeneland and The Jockey Club as a presenting sponsor for the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, which will be held Thursday, Jan. 25 at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida, the NTRA said in a release Wednesday morning. "We are extremely grateful to our newest presenting sponsor FanDuel in joining John Deere, Keeneland and The Jockey Club to partner with the NTRA in presenting the Eclipse Awards to the whole of the thoroughbred racing industry," said Tom Rooney, President and CEO of the NTRA. "Together with...

A panel discussion titled "From Data to Dollars: Understanding Horse Racing's Economic Impact As Racing's Future is Questioned" during Wednesday's Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) led off with moderator Alan Foreman confronting "the elephant in the room that we dodge." Foreman, the chairman and chief executive officer of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, said racing is facing an "existential moment" at a time when industry stakeholders increasingly must make the case for the sport's so-called social license to exist in the...

Three days after the 60 Minutes segment "Horse Racing Reform?" which covered doping in horse racing, HISA, and breakdowns, Tom Rooney, the President and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, stressed the need to commit to and better communicate the reforms racing is making. Rooney issued a statement that said: "Issues raised in recent media accounts are a reminder of why the public needs to know about the significant progress the sport of Thoroughbred racing has made in equine safety over the last few years. On behalf of NTRA...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has announced the launch of a new campaign, "Safety Takes The Lead," highlighting the sport's recent enhanced safety and welfare protocols, as well as its commitment to do more. The campaign features a new comprehensive safety section on the NTRA website, which includes the latest news on safety and welfare programs, videos, and relevant links. "Nothing comes in front of our sport's commitment to equine and human safety," said Tom Rooney, NTRA president and CEO. "This campaign is designed to help make the public...

The NTRA reported new guidance out of the U.S. Department of Agriculture which will streamline the glanders testing protocol for importing horses into the United States, the organization said in a release Friday morning. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service update, Veterinary Services Guidance 13407.3, introduces a new procedure effective Oct. 10 for glanders, which has been susceptible to produce false positives when horses were tested during their import quarantine. "One of the number one issues I've heard in this job is how cumbersome USDA testing protocols slow down...

Many of you may have seen that last week a bill was introduced in Congress to repeal the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, better known as HISA. I want to set the record straight as to what this legislation does or doesn't do, assure you that the bill isn't going anywhere in Congress, and stands no chance of becoming law. First things first-it's important to remember that any member of Congress can introduce a bill. They write the language, file the bill, and voila it's been introduced. Just in the...