National Thoroughbred Racing Association

Tom Rooney, the president and chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), said Wednesday that the focus of his organization's current lobbying efforts in Congress is getting a recently enacted tax law reversed so horse race bettors can go back to deducting 100% of their gambling losses instead of the 90% that was imposed by passage of the sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law July 4. The NTRA has estimated that the financial hit to the racing industry because of this tax change...

The One Big Beautiful Act (OBBBA), passed by Congress and expected to be signed into law by President Trump, makes permanent 100% bonus depreciation, an important incentive for Thoroughbred breeders and owners, but also has negative implications for gamblers that are concerning to the industry. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the bill on Thursday, and now the bill heads to President Trump's desk to be signed, which is expected to happen on Friday, July 4. The bill extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts, approves hundreds of billions of dollars on...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association is actively supporting the Regulation Advancement for Capital Enhancement (RACE) Act of 2025, the organized announced in a press release Monday. Introduced by congressman Andy Barr (R-KY) earlier this month, the a bill aims to simplify the registration process required by the Securities and Exchange Commission in order to allow more Americans to invest in the industry through fractional ownership of Thoroughbred racehorses. "Thanks to companies like MyRacehorse, thousands of people across the country get to experience the excitement of owning a winning horse," said...

Amid the fluid nature of the threatened 25% tariff on Canadian goods (those subject to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) entering the U.S. set to be enacted on April 2, one confusing aspect has surrounded just how long a horse entering the U.S. from Canada can reside in the country before a tariff will be imposed. As per the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, "We believe that horses from Canada can enter the United States for extended periods without paying duties under certain conditions," said Tom Rooney, president and chief...

by Bill Finley and Dan Ross Throughout his campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to crack down on illegal immigrants, a promise he has kept during the first few weeks of his new administration. That has created much uncertainly on the backstretches of the nation's racetracks and at the horse farms spread across the country, both of which rely heavily on foreign labor. Should the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) set its sights on racing and start deporting backstretch employees that would mean a major crisis for a sport. A former...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers And Broadcasters and Daily Racing Form will offer a live announcement on FanDuel TV of the finalists for the 2024 Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards on Sunday, Jan. 5 at Noon ET, the NTRA said via a press release on Friday. The network will televise live the 54th annual awards show itself, which is held at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida, on Thursday, Jan. 23. New to this year's event, will be an Eclipse Awards Charity Golf Tournament benefitting the Thoroughbred...

Fans will have a chance to win a trip to the Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards Ceremony, presented by John Deere, Keeneland and The Jockey Club, as well as attend the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park as part of the Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards Sweepstakes. The grand prize winner of the sweepstakes will receive airfare, hotel, and two tickets to the Eclipse Awards to be held Jan. 23 at The Breakers Palm Beach, as well as tickets to the Pegasus World Cup held at Gulfstream Park Jan. 25. There is...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) named John Stewart's Resolute Racing as a title sponsor of the 54th Annual Eclipse Awards, which will be held on Thursday, January 23, at The Breakers Palm Beach, the organization said in a press release on Wednesday morning. The multi-year partnership between the NTRA and Resolute will include not only the title sponsorship of the awards ceremony, but also the event's after party. "I love this sport because it demands excellence," said John Stewart, president and CEO of Resolute Racing. "As we at Resolute...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) will host an Eclipse Awards Charity Golf Tournament, which will directly benefit the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), on Thursday Jan. 23 in advance of the 54th Annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, the organization said in a Wednesday press release. The NTRA will match proceeds to make a contribution to the TAA on behalf of the Thoroughbred racing industry and intends to make a presentation on the red carpet at the awards ceremony. The tournament will be held at the Ocean Course at the Breakers Palm...

David Erwin of Charlottesville, Virginia took home the grand prize of this year's Beat Byk NHC Challenge, earning his first-ever berth to the National Horseplayers Championship next March. This year's contest drew more than 12,000 entries throughout the eight weeks of competition, which saw entrants "Beat Byk" 14 out of 17 times. The Beat Byk final qualifier Sept. 14 had 918 individuals who played for the winning ticket. "I've been trying to qualify for the NHC for a few years, but I do not have time to put the work...

In 2009 when Tom Rooney joined the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida's 17th Congressional District--a Southwest portion of the Sunshine State--he assumed passage of a bill to permanently ban the commercial slaughter of horses, along with their export for such purposes, was a slam dunk. "I did not think that this was going to be a controversial issue," said Rooney, now the president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). "It immediately became one of the most contentious, where I was like, 'yeah, I oppose horse slaughter...

Todd Gralla, principal at Populous, will be the keynote speaker at the 72nd annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing, which will be held Aug. 1 at the Excelsior Springs Event Center in Saratoga Springs. Populous is a global design firm that focuses on sports and entertainment, from stadiums and arenas to event spaces and urban environments. Gralla will discuss cutting-edge racetrack projects around the globe and he will provide a look into the redesign of Belmont Park, which attempts to integrate modern technology into racetrack operations, while...