Benard Chatters

A dispute that had threatened the upcoming meet at the Fair Grounds has been resolved, which means the meet will be held as scheduled, from Nov. 22 to Mar. 23. Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the Fair Grounds, was threatening to close the track after the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in March that the statute that legalized Historical Horse Racing Machines at the OTBs run by Fair Grounds was not legal and that the machines could not continue to operate without voter approval. CDI officials previously said that shutting down...

Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) has escalated its recent threat of pulling out of racing at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. "Given the legislature's ease with which it approved legislation that is directly adverse and harmful to the economic interests of Fair Grounds, the opposition by elected officials to engage in meaningful solutions in collaboration with the Fair Grounds, and the forthcoming adjournment of the legislative session, CDI is left with no choice but to request an appearance before the LSRC to begin the next steps for voluntarily surrendering the racing...

The Louisiana Racing Commission has passed a set of emergency rules set to go into effect on June 8 that will create what are arguably the most lenient set of medication regulations in the sport. The withdrawal times for several medications have been reduced, and the list includes the controversial bronchodilator Clenbuterol. It can now be given to a horse within 72 hours of its racing. Louisiana, a state that does not fall under control of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) currently follows guidelines established by the Association...

Benard Chatters, Louisiana Owner-Breeder-Trainer, President, Louisiana HBPA Bill Finley, in his Mar. 17th TDN opinion piece--"Horsemen's Groups Turn Their Backs on Honest Trainers, Owners"--criticizes the National HBPA for challenging the legality of a private non-governmental regulatory scheme for the horse industry, established by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act ("HISA"). He wrote, "It's hard to imagine that there is one horseman anywhere who cares one bit whether or not HISA is unconstitutional or not." Well, it doesn't require any imagination to understand why horsemen believe rules governing their livelihood and...