The National HBPA held its winter convention at the Westin La Paloma Hotel in Tucson, Arizona from December 4-7, 2009. The convention was held in conjunction with a number of other industry meetings in Tucson on overlapping and adjoining days all concentrated around the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program’s Annual Symposium on Racing & Gaming. This allowed the National HBPA to not only tackle a number of industry issues internally as an organization , but also allowed for easier sharing of ideas and information with other industry organizations.

The convention kicked off on Friday, December 4 with a welcome cocktail reception sponsored by the Berkley Underwriters, Iowa HBPA, Lavin Insurance, Louisiana HBPA, Kentucky HBPA, and Oklahoma HBPA. The next morning, the serious work got underway, with a full slate of committee meetings and a forum titled, “Horseman & Fan: A Natural Partnership.” Panelists on the fan forum included NTRA Senior Vice President of Marketing Keith Chamblin, Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc. (ThoroFan) Chairman Michael Amo, and National HBPA President Joe Santanna.

Chamblin presented information about racing fans based on research that was commissioned by the NTRA. An animated Amo gave some background information about his organization, ThoroFan (www.thorofan.com), which has the following stated mission: “to foster the growth of the Thoroughbred racing industry by providing racing fans with an organization that will actively support their interests.” A national organization, ThoroFan began with a chapter in Saratoga, New York, and it currently has pending chapters in Lexington, Kentucky, Gulfstream Park in Florida, and the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Louisiana. The organization’s goal is to expand and have chapters across the country in every racing jurisdiction.

Amo, a retired hospital administrator and passionate fan of horse racing, said that ThoroFan had almost 500 members from 30 states. He also expressed a desire for fans to be included and work with other racing organizations and racetracks as the industry faces its issues and plans for the future. According to Amo, “The fans, I believe, can help … we have input.”

Sunday boasted another packed day of meetings, both committee meetings and informational forums. The Wagering & Alternative Gaming Information (WAGI) Committee presented an information forum that covered such topics as Betfair’s continued efforts to make inroads into the U.S. wagering market, how the purchase of YouBet.com by Churchill Downs, Inc. may impact horsemen, a presentation by Dick Powell, a consultant that works with Racing and Gaming Services (RGS), on racetrack and simulcast settlement, and a presentation by Dan Kelliher about the HIVE wagering software suite sold by his company, RacebookAgent.com.

Notably, RacebookAgent.com’s software that would allow tracks to set up a process where Internet wagers are registered as on-track wagers. Players would open their accounts through tracks and bets first would be funneled through the track pool, registering it as an on-track wager. Because on-track wagers return more money to tracks and horsemen, the prospect was well received by attending horsemen.

In his presentation, RGS consultant Powell explained that RGS is suing Magna Entertainment Corp. over settlement money owed to RGS players. While RGS paid its winning players, the money from the Magna tracks has not been sent to RGS, which is being considered an unsecured creditor in the Magna bankruptcy.

Powell asked the National HBPA to consider ways in which it could help prevent similar situations in the future. Following some discussion about the importance of the issue to horsemen in terms of customer confidence in wagering, it was decided that the National HBPA’s Model Rules Committee will consider taking a position of calling for race wagering handle to be held in trust to prevent future similar situations.

The National HBPA Medication Committee held an informational forum that same morning. Dr. Scot Waterman, executive director of the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium (RMTC), gave an update on the RMTC and on a study done in South Africa on Salix.

Dr. Thomas Tobin of the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center and Graduate Center for Toxicology, gave an overview of anabolic steroids in North America.

The study on the use of Salix on racehorses in South Africa about which Dr. Waterman spoke is important because of its scope and results. Published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in July of 2009, the study had the following stated objective: “to evaluate the efficacy of furosemide (Salix) for prevention of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in Thoroughbred racehorses under typical racing conditions.” The study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded, crossover field trial involving 167 Thoroughbred racehorses. To see the entire study, visit: http://www.rmtcnet.com/resources/Study-_JAVMA_Furosemide.pdf.

Dr. Waterman said that the conclusion of the study was the EIPH decreased with the use of furosemide. Waterman believes the study will solidify furosemide’s place in the U.S. racing industry for years to come. He said, “I think there was certainly the beginnings of a movement to ban furosemide in this country on race days, but now I think that is dead in the water.”

However, Waterman noted that with the exception of possibly South Africa, just about all international racing jurisdictions remain against the use of furosemide on racehorses because they believe it is performance enhancing, something with which he does not disagree.

Waterman asserted, “There is an effect of furosemide on performance above and beyond EIPH.” He noted that it may not actually be the furosemide that effects performance, but possibly the side effects from furosemide that make the difference, including:

• Likely water weight loss may affect performance
• The effects of furosemide are not definitive – they can vary from horse to horse and administration to administration
• Furosemide is a mild alkalizer, causing TCO2 to increase slightly, which might improve performance

On Sunday afternoon, the National HBPA’s Executive Committee met. The topic that dominated the most discussion time was the RCI Model Rules Committee’s decision the previous day to pass a model rule about jockey mount fees in spite of opposition from the National HBPA, which had not only vocally opposed the proposed model rule, but had also suggested alternatives to the model rule and had been working actively with the Jockey’s Guild to come to an agreement on language that would satisfy both horsemen and jockeys.

The issue and the National HBPA’s position and suggested alternative language and/or solutions were detailed in an article in the Winter 2009 issue of The Horsemen’s Journal (pp. 36-40). The National HBPA and its affiliates were disappointed in the action taken by the RCI Model Rules Committee – particularly as the National HBPA’s position is that economics should be determined between the parties effected (in this case, owners and jockeys) and that the RCI interjected itself into a matter where it may not belong. The RCI has the ability to provide guidance to its members without the need to pass a model rule, and the National HBPA believes that would have been the more appropriate course of action by RCI in this particular situation.

National HBPA’s counsel has concerns about any “anti-competitive” consequences of the new model rule on jockey mount fees and has requested an opinion on the matter from the Federal Trade Commission. Moreover, the National HBPA will be asking the RCI to repeal the model rule that it believes is an invasion of owners’ rights and a hindrance to the normal contractual process between owners and jockeys, who are independent contractors.

On December 8, National HBPA President Joe Santanna gave a presentation on the jockey mount fee issue titled “Horsemen and Jockeys – Weighing In” for a panel at the RTIP’s Symposium on Racing & Gaming. It was the same presentation he gave the Executive Committee, detailing the National HBPA’s views on the issue and some suggested alternative solutions.

On Sunday, December 7, the National HBPA’s full Board of Directors met. NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop addressed the Board with an update on the many things the NTRA is doing. Among the goals he mentioned for the NTRA’s near future, he said an effort is underway to make the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance self-sustaining this year. In addition, he said the NTRA has taken a hard look at what it does because its top priority is “to make an organization more affordable, more efficient, and more useful to you.”

Perhaps the most notable action to most members taken by the National HBPA Board of Directors at the meeting was to approve a new communication plan for the National HBPA that had been endorsed by the Executive Committee when it met in October. Among the changes as a result of the new communication plan are:

• Increased focus on online communications, including social networking (Facebook, Twitter)
• The establishment of a National HBPA online blog, where horsemen and women can learn about important industry issues and where the National HBPA stands on those issues – and where horsemen can voice their opinions on those issues and be heard by National HBPA
• The increased dissemination of information and breaking news via email to members
• A transition of the association’s official publication, The Horsemen’s Journal, from a printed format to an electronic-only format by 2012.

  The National HBPA’s Executive Committee will next meet April 13 and 14 in Lexington, Kentucky. The Minnesota HBPA will host the National HBPA’s 2010 summer convention, which will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in conjunction with the 12th running of the $500,000 Claiming Crown at Canterbury Park.

  Thanks to Sponsors

  The National HBPA and its affiliates would like to thank the following national and local sponsors who made its winter convention in Tucson possible:

  National Sponsors:
  Aflac
  Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies
  Equineline.com
  Horseman Labor Solutions

  Local Sponsors:
  Arizona HBPA
  Arkansas HBPA
  Berkley Underwriting Partners, LLC.
  Iowa HBPA
  Kentucky HBPA
  Lavin Insurance
  Louisiana HBPA
  Maroevich, O’Shea & Coghlan Insurance, Inc.
  Oklahoma HBPA
  Pennsylvania HBPA
  Tampa Bay Downs HBPA
  Washington HBPA

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