USTA

The Animal Welfare and Horseracing Integrity Conference of the Association of Racing Commissioners International Inc. (ARCI), which brings together all the senior regulatory personnel in North America and the Caribbean, has opened registration for the annual event to be held in Columbus, Ohio Mar. 6-8, the organization said in a release Wednesday. The 2024 Conference is being held immediately prior to the annual meeting of the United States Trotting Association (USTA) and offers a unique opportunity to interact with the leaders of US Standardbred Racing on the final day where...

"Because a body of men, holding themselves accountable to nobody, ought not to be trusted by anybody." ~Thomas Paine (1791) We did not anticipate reaching out to you, but we couldn't help reacting to the broadside that your president, James L. Gagliano, directed at the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHPBA) on May 12 for having the temerity to challenge The Jockey Club's wounded sacred cow, the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Act (HISA). You didn't mention the U.S. Trotting Association (USTA) by name, but there's a clear implication that...

A federal bill aimed at replacing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) with a regulatory system modeled around an interstate compact is reportedly in the pipeline. The president of the United States Trotting Association (USTA), Russell Williams, disclosed the news about the pending legislation Mar. 21 during a special meeting of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission (PHRC). Williams addressed the PHRC Tuesday just prior to the board voting in favor of entering into three nine-month agreements with the HISA Authority that pertain to the Racetrack Safety Program, the Horseracing...

It was back in October of 2018 that a small-time harness racing owner and trainer named Adrienne Hall reached out to veterinarian Dr. Seth Fishman. She was new to the Florida harness circuit and says she simply was looking for a vet to help her with her horses. What she did not know at the time was that she had just made one of the worst mistakes of her life. Hall's relationship with Fishman evolved and became complicated. It led to Hall, 42, testifying earlier this year in court against...

When the United States Trotting Association (USTA), the breed registry for standardbred racing in the U.S., proposed in 2006 limiting the number of mares a stallion could be bred to, Russell Williams, who then was a member of the USTA Board, prepared for an impending storm. He knew some breeders would be unhappy and there would likely be lawsuits looking to overturn the rule. But Williams, who is also an attorney, never wavered, confident that, in the end, the legal system would side with the USTA. He was right. The...