NEW ORLEANS — Ted Shults, a nationally recognized expert in forensic toxicology and law, says racing chemists and regulators face “self-inflicted injury” if their testing policies fail to recognize the existence of environmental contamination and inadvertent transfer of recreational and prescription medications to horses. “We would never do this on the human side,” said Shults, [...]

NEW ORLEANS–The National HBPA Convention's panel addressing Thoroughbred aftercare Thursday was charged with discussing solutions. It could not have been more timely, with the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association confab occurring in a jurisdiction that has been reeling from the social-media uproar stoked by horses that have gone from racing at Louisiana's Delta Downs and [...]

NEW ORLEANS, La.–Horsemen and racetracks should be acting now to prepare for the advent of sports betting in America. But just because racetracks understand parimutuel wagering, taking bets at fixed odds on sports requires completely different expertise. Those were major takeaways from the sports betting panel that kicked off the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective [...]

Flooding along the Ohio River in recent days left the track surfaces at Cincinnati's Belterra Park and Ellis Park in Henderson, KY, largely under water. But trainers have found a way to keep going at the riverside facility that actually houses horses in the winter–Riverside Downs training center. Riverside Downs, also in Henderson and a [...]

Reigning champ Ray Arsenault try to become the first two-time winner of the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) this weekend. Arsenault, who started playing handicapping tournaments in 2003 at Woodbine, was the convincing winner of last year's NHC, amassing a score of $407.70 over the three-day tournament from 53 mythical $2 win and place bets. [...]

LAS VEGAS–Out-of-competition and hair testing can be important tools in detecting rules violators in horse racing. But they also have some pitfalls and potential unintended consequences depending on procedures implemented. Those were the takeaways from Friday's national medication forum that concluded the full assembly of the National HBPA Convention at the South Point Hotel & [...]

LAS VEGAS–If horsemen needed a reminder of the meteoric growth in online and mobile wagering, Michele Fischer was there to provide it during a lively panel at the National HBPA Convention Thursday at South Point Hotel & Casino. Fischer is a vice president with Sportech, which processes $11.6 billion in wagers a year globally. While [...]

LAS VEGAS–Horsemen working with racetrack ownership to better the sport for both sides was a recurring theme during Wednesday's opening day discussions at the National HBPA Convention in the South Point Hotel and Casino. Leading the chorus was Corey Johnsen, a horseman as well as the president and part-owner of Kentucky Downs, the latest in [...]

LAS VEGAS-Taking care of Thoroughbreds after their racing careers have ended not only is the right thing to do for the horse, but the right thing for owners and trainers to do for their business. That was the message of a panel on the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance entitled “The TAA: Protecting your investment in retirement,” [...]

William P. (Bill) Mooney, the award-winning turf writer who ranked among Thoroughbred racing's premier historians of any generation, died peacefully at his Lexington home at 3:20 a.m. Jan. 28 after a devastating 2-year battle with renal cell carcinoma. He was 69. Bill was a friend and mentor to many, offering his wise counsel to both [...]

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) on Tuesday held the first of what the horse advocacy group plans to be an annual conference on the commonwealth's multi-breed industry. Among the recurring themes: nothing replaces individual contact to create new fans and to get favorable legislative changes. Price Bell Jr., a fourth-generation horseman [...]

LEXINGTON, Ky. — When hearing the name Victor Espinoza, much of the racing world thinks of American Pharoah and California Chrome's jockey. But another Victor Espinoza takes top billing at Brookdale Farm. This Espinoza is Brookdale's farm manager and employee of 31 years, who Friday at Keeneland was honored as winner of the Leadership-Farm category [...]