Horse racing’s new governing body in rush to starting gate
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With interest among the general public at its highest with the 148th Kentucky Derby coming up Saturday, horse racing is once again under intense scrutiny.
The industry has been rocked by scandal in recent years, including the disqualification of last year’s Kentucky Derby winner, a horse doping conspiracy involving trainers and veterinarians, and the punishment of its highest-profile trainer.
The sport’s seeming inability to police itself drew the attention of the federal government in 2020. The result is the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act set to go into effect July 1.
The act will be implemented in stages, with the racetrack safety program starting immediately. The antidoping and medication rules aren’t expected to begin until early 2023, leaving states in charge for now.
“We have to do it,” said Tom Rooney, new president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. “We have to have the same standards in every jurisdiction.”
Unlike the central offices that govern the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, the 38 U.S. racing states operate under patchwork rules that vary from track to track. Horses, owners, trainers and jockeys move frequently between states to compete. Locales honor punishments meted out elsewhere, but inconsistencies can create confusion and make it possible to game the system.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is serving a 90-day suspension imposed by Kentucky racing officials that will keep him out of the Derby on Saturday, a race he’s won six times. The punishment came after 2021 Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test. The colt was later disqualified.
East Coast trainer Jorge Navarro is serving five years in prison for his role in a horse doping conspiracy. He also was fined $25.8 million.
Trainer Jason Servis is set for trial next year as part of the same case. He has declared his innocence. Servis trained 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Maximum Security, who was disqualified for interference during the race.
Navarro and Servis were among over two dozen people indicted after a lengthy FBI investigation.
Despite such hits to the sport’s reputation, there appears to be growing trepidation in the industry over the prospect of sweeping change brought by HISA.
The program has already been challenged in the courts, with two lawsuits seeking to kill it.
In late March, a lawsuit filed by the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and a group of its affiliates questioned HISA’s constitutionality. It was dismissed by a federal judge in Texas and is being appealed.
The second suit filed in Kentucky by the state of Oklahoma and eight other states is similar to the NHBPA’s suit. It has yet to be heard.
Whether the implementation of HISA is a reaction to placate vocal critics or representative of meaningful change is an ongoing debate within the industry.