Eric Hamelback

Nearly one year after being tasked by the Supreme Court of the United States to re-examine a 2024 ruling that the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) is partially unconstitutional, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Thursday issued a new opinion that essentially came to the same conclusion that the three-judge panel had reached two years ago: Even though HISA's rulemaking structure is constitutional, its enforcement provisions are not. The case dates to a 2021 lawsuit spearheaded by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA)...

A methamphetamine pipe found at the entrance to the Los Alamitos test-barn last December raises questions as to whether federal and state oversight of these supposedly tightly controlled enclosures, where blood and urine samples are drawn before being sent off for testing, is sufficient to ensure they're operated in the cleanest, most transparent way possible. On December 7, a meth pipe was discovered on the threshold of the track's test-barn, triggering an investigation by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). According to CHRB spokesperson Mike Marten, no complaint was ultimately...

Wyoming and Kansas thoroughbred horsemen have officially joined the National HBPA, the organization announced Saturday. The Wyoming HBPA and Kansas HBPA were unanimously approved for full membership at Saturday's board meeting of the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, which concluded the annual conference at Oaklawn Park. The Wyoming HBPA, which represents horsemen at Wyoming Downs in Evanston, is a new member while Kansas returned to the HBPA following a 17-year hiatus after live racing ceased in 2008 with the closure of The Woodlands. Made possible by legislation permitting historical...

Editor's note: Currently, in HISA states, Lasix is banned in two-year-old racing and in stakes races 48 hours before a race. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is approaching a critical vote regarding the use of race-day Lasix in the rest of racing. Per the original Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020, the drug is effectively banned under that same 48-hour rule, though most states currently operate under a three-year exemption put in place to allow time for studies to be conducted. That exemption is now coming to...

Artificial intelligence on the track and the emerging threats of prediction markets and wagering are among the topics to be discussed at the National HBPA Conference to be held March 3-7 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, the horsemen's organization said in a Wednesday press release. "Each year, we strive to take a deep dive into the serious issues facing racing while also showcasing innovation that already is making a difference," said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (NHBPA). "Our goal is...

As California horse racing enters one of its most consequential years yet, the California Horse Racing Board's (CHRB) first meeting of the year this Wednesday includes a proposal for 19 weeks of fair racing in the North of California this year. The National Horseman's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) has also weighed in, offering its support for a live racing circuit in NorCal at the behest of a group of Northen California owners and trainers, according to a letter the organization sent to the CHRB Jan. 7. "We recognize under...

In response to a release on the subject of 'Equine Sudden Death Syndrome' issued by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Sept. 25 (TDN story), which found that atrial fibrillation (AF) was a contributing factor to equine sudden death, Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HPBA, called the findings into question in a statement of his own on Oct. 8, declaring that the HISA statement 'raised more questions than answers' and 'offered no scientific references, and provided no direct link to the alleged research behind their claims, even...

An immigration raid at Delta Downs racetrack Tuesday morning resulted in the apprehension of 84 undocumented individuals, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The surprise morning raid at Delta Downs—currently in the middle of a Quarter Horse meet—involved multiple law enforcement agencies including ICE, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Louisiana State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI. Those undocumented individuals taken into custody, said ICE, were processed for administrative immigration violations before being taken to the Lake Charles Border Patrol Station in...

Amid massive rainfall in and around Oaklawn Park, 68 horses were forced to evacuate from the track's Ten Mile Creek Training Center in Lonsdale, Arkansas, according to a press release from the National HBPA on Saturday. In a statement from HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback on the flooding he said, "Our thoughts are with the entire Oaklawn Park community as they endure the devastating impact of the flooding that occurred Saturday, Apr. 5, at Oaklawn Park's Ten Mile Creek Training Center. All horsemen are deeply concerned for the well-being of the...

National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback released a quarterly letter Wednesday which addresses Florida's decoupling bill along with the New York Times piece on horse racing. The letter reads: "The first quarter of 2025 has been nothing short of a tsunami for most of us in the industry. We entered the year hoping to turn the page, making positive strides and setting the industry on the right path. Then came January 7. While the events of that date didn't bring our industry to a standstill, they certainly caused an unexpected stumble--one...

The horsemen's organization representing thoroughbred owners and trainers at Gulfstream Park is rejoining the National HBPA as an affiliate, the group announced Monday. The board of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, North America's largest group representing thoroughbred owners and trainers, unanimously approved re-admitting the organization currently called the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen. Known as the Florida HBPA for years, the South Florida group left the National HBPA in 2019. "Our full board had serious discussions about the request of the South Florida horsemen to return as an affiliate," said...

Spikezone (Speightster), whose 11 victories in 2024 trailed only the 13 recorded by Tennessee Moon (Ransom the Moon), has been named National Claiming Horse of the Year for 2024 by the National HBPA. "We're thrilled for him," said Mid-Atlantic-based trainer Jamie Ness, whose Jagger Inc. stable owns Spikezone with Troy Johnson and Charles Lo. "He deserves it." Said Lo: "I am so shocked. It just doesn't happen the way it has--maybe one time out of 100. It's crazy. I never had a horse that good." Johnson: "It's a dream, unreal."...