MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

LEADERSHIP IS EARNED THROUGH UNLEASHING A TEAM’S POWER

NATIONAL HBPA

3380 Paris Pike

Lexington, KY 40511

P (859) 259-0451

F (859) 259-0452 racing@hbpa.org www.hbpa.org

PRESIDENT/ CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD

Dr. Doug Daniels

SECRETARY/ TREASURER

Danielle Barber (Interim)

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Eric J. Hamelback

VICE PRESIDENT

SOUTHERN REGION

Rick Hiles

VICE PRESIDENT

CENTRAL REGION

Joe Davis

VICE PRESIDENT WESTERN REGION

J. Lloyd Yother

VICE PRESIDENT

EASTERN REGION

Sandee Martin

How do we properly address horse racing’s many issues that have been highlighted since Kentucky Derby Week—and particularly the equine fatalities? One aspect some in the industry are trying to skirt around is the fact that the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Authority’s safety regulations were in place at Churchill Downs. Those regulations have been in place since July 2022. The HISA Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) regulations—to be administered by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)—were not yet implemented and wouldn’t go into effect until May 22.

The reality is the HISA regulations are in place at every Thoroughbred track across the country, with the exception of those in Texas, Louisiana, Nebraska and West Virginia.

Have the catastrophic breakdowns stopped in the states under HISA? Let me be very clear: We cannot fix the issues we have in this industry by creating more regulations. If we continue on the path we are going, we’re regulating horsemanship out of the industry.

I’m not pointing fingers at HISA, and I’m not pointing fingers at Churchill, but it is important to point out to everyone that neither HISA nor any regulation will ever completely stop equine fatalities. Also, it is extremely important to point out that horsemen have completely complied each time new industry regulations were put in place under the previous and current regulatory authorities.

In fact, through compliance from horsemen, we have seen a 37.5 percent decrease in catastrophic injuries since 2009, as measured through the Equine Injury Database. Nothing means more to us than continuing to decrease the number of fatalities.

The most recent stats show 99.8 percent of races run in the United States are run without a fatality. That, friends, is the horsemen being good stewards of the equine athlete.

Unfortunately, that positive message is not out there enough, with many ignoring such relevant statistics to instead focus on the negative. So, where do we point to find real solutions?

As I see it, we need to focus on all aspects of the industry collectively in order to pinpoint an area of commonality. We need to keep peeling the onion layers back until we find something in common.

What is the one undisputed common link in all North American Thoroughbred horses, whether we are referencing a fatality at the track or a Grade 1 winner’s pedigree? They are all registered with the breed registry. The Jockey Club received a certificate of incorporation from the state of New York in 1894. The Jockey Club’s mission reads, in part, “dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing.” In the ensuing almost 130 years, it has campaigned as an industry leader.

True leadership, however, does not create an environment where stakeholders feel it is not safe to disagree. Such an attempt to establish total control not only is counterproductive but also leads to an industry being stagnant or falling behind.

Where is the Thoroughbred now as a breed? Are we breeding horses to race, or are we breeding to sell? It should be about racing, but the industry has become more about breeding horses for the commercial marketplace.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act does make one thing very clear: “Breeders” are included under the definition of a covered person. Rightly so, as it’s their “product” that makes it to the track for racing. Yet, the breeders are not specifically targeted through HISA’s or HIWU’s increased regulations. They are not even directly targeted for assistance in funding. Why is this so? Where is the leadership to increase scrutiny at the sales to protect the consumer? Where are the mandatory post-sale drug and urine samples? Where is the penalty structure to establish protections for the end users? When will periosteal stripping and transphyseal screws and (transphyseal) bridges be considered preexisting injuries?

All of these points and more are concerns on the public auction stage, yet little or no protection is being demanded from HISA or by the very entity defined to improve breeding (of the breed) and racing.

Issues of soundness don’t begin at the racetrack; they begin on breeding farms. But who is monitoring what takes place on farms and auctions before horses go into training? Are we breeding more brittle horses and masking issues?

Not going back too far in history, I focused on a recent comparison to show that the once-plentiful foal crop of 24,941 in 2011 had decreased by 25 percent to 18,700 in 2022. Yet, who continues to make money despite the decrease in our foal crops? The average cost of a yearling increased from $60,025 in 2013 to $88,107 in 2022, far surpassing the rate of inflation.

The same story is true for the average cost of buying a 2-year-old. In 2013, owners could expect to pay an average of $69,577 compared to the 2022 cost of $92,613, but purses in the U.S. have only increased 16 percent since 2012. Also, consider that prior to 2010 only 25 percent of the registered foals were sold at public auction. Today, that number is an astounding 38 percent.

I ask again, are we breeding to sell or breeding to race? If our breed registry has been in charge of leading the industry and focused on improving the breed, I believe there is reason to question its efficacy.

Leaders give all for the team, and leaders engage and empower others to gain strength for a purpose. Leadership, when successful, collaborates with everyone; it doesn’t cater to one segment in the hopes of gaining control to the detriment of others. But that’s where we are.

SINCERELY, ERIC J. HAMELBACK

THOROUGHBRED INDUSTRY EMPLOYEE AWARDS

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