Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association

A federal judge has stayed a 14-month-old lawsuit initiated by the states of Louisiana and West Virginia that is trying to wipe out the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) via alleged constitutional violations, ordering the case to be "administratively terminated" until the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals makes a ruling in a separate suit in which the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) is also alleging HISA is unconstitutional. However, U.S. District Court (Western District of Louisiana) Chief Judge Terry Doughty wrote in his Sept. 14 ruling...

With oral arguments tentatively scheduled for the first week in October, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and 12 of its affiliates told the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday that the rewritten version of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) remains "patently unconstitutional," and that the Authority overseeing the sport "is basically a private police department" whose sweeping powers equate to "oligarchic tyranny." As the appellants in a lawsuit that has persisted in the federal court system for more than 27...

After a series of high-profile issues jeopardized the very existence of our sport, a wide cross-section of leaders representing all aspects of the industry came together to support legislation to address long-standing safety issues in racing. Our legislators agreed change was needed and passed the bipartisan Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), which included provisions for a governing body to oversee its implementation. The purpose was simple: to address a system that lacked integrity. Before HISA, horsemen endured a dysfunctional state-to-state patchwork of rules which were inconsistently enforced. Thanks to...

Led by 14 affiliates of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) and four racetracks, an alliance of entities seeking protection from the alleged harms of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority (HISA) have asked a federal judge to allow them to participate in an existing lawsuit that claims HISA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) violated the Fourth and Seventh Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, plus the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations. On Friday, the anti-HISA parties filed what is known as a "motion...

If you are an owner and trainer who plays by the rules, the last several years should have been hard to swallow. Racing, with its broken system, has proven unable to police itself and the result has been that cheaters have prospered and have done so at the expense of the vast majority of horsemen who do things right. Armed with syringes, the bad guys have been stealing money from the good guys. Lots of it. Which is exactly why every honest horseman should be 100% behind the Horseracing Integrity...

If the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) gets passed by the United States Senate and then signed into federal law, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) could launch a legal challenge against it based on the alleged unconstitutionality of the independently overseen anti-doping, drug testing, and racetrack safety standard programs that the new federal law would create. Leroy Gessmann, who serves as both the NHBPA president and as Arizona HBPA's executive director, told commissioners at the Oct. 8 Arizona Racing Commission (AZRC) meeting that "this thing is...

Tony Chamblin, a longtime horse racing industry executive and ambassador for the industry, passed away peacefully Sunday at his home in Lexington, Ky. He was 81. Chamblin played an instrumental role in the passage of the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978 and the Pari-Mutual Licensing Simplification Act of 1988, and later became an early supporter of federal legislation intended to align U.S. equine medication policies with International standards. He served in a number of executive capacities during his nearly 50-year career in the horse racing industry As chief executive...

The Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots have partnered on an initiative to financially support racehorse aftercare. During the entire Fair Grounds' 2019-2020 Thoroughbred racing season, consenting Louisiana HBPA member owners have contributed $5 per starter to racehorse aftercare. At the conclusion of the meet, the track will then match that dollar amount. Efforts made during the Fair Grounds' 12th annual, 10-day summer Quarter Horse Race season resulted in a total race horse aftercare donation of $6,580. "The Louisiana HBPA thanks Fair Grounds...