Senator Mitch McConnell

For most of the sport's history the mental well-being of jockeys was not something that anybody talked about or even thought about. But the problem could no longer be ignored when, in 2023, two jockeys, Alex Canchari and Avery Whisman, took their own lives. They were otherwise young and healthy, but the pressures of being a jockey was a burden both, apparently, could not handle. They were not alone. Jockeys' Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks said that 230 jockeys were surveyed last year and asked about their mental health....

Three federal legislators who were instrumental in getting the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) passed into law in 2020 on Tuesday submitted a "friend of the court" brief to the United States Supreme Court in support of the HISA Authority's application for the stay of an unconstitutionality mandate that is pending but currently administratively stayed out of the Fifth Circuit court of appeals. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who introduced HISA when he served as the Majority Leader, plus Congressmen Andy Barr (R-Kentucky) and Paul Tonko (D-New York), who both...

Included in a year-end government funding bill that included a $900-billion COVID-19 relief package, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was passed by the House of Representatives and Senate Monday night. The bill is expected to be signed into law shortly by President Donald J. Trump, which would mean that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, once considered a longshot to pass, will become a reality. The passage of the bill was a a bipartisan effort led by Congressmen Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Andy Barr (R-KY) and Senate Majority Leader...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is scheduled for a markup hearing by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 11:00 a.m. EST. U.S. Reps Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Andy Barr, R-Ky, will lead the markup hearing. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, announced last week he will introduce compromise legislation that will replicate several key provisions within H.R. 1754, also known as the Horseracing Integrity Act. It is expected the Committee will amend and approve H.R. 1754, allowing it to be taken...

Darby Development CEO and Monmouth Park Operator Dennis Drazin issued the following statement Friday regarding the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act: As Chairman and CEO of Monmouth Park Racetrack and as counsel and advisor to the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NJTHA), I am pleased to announce Monmouth Park's support for the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act. I had the opportunity to listen carefully to the press conference at Keeneland where Senator Mitch McConnell announced his support for this historic legislation designed to improve the integrity and safety...