HBPA

Immigration enforcement officers raided the Delta Downs racetrack Tuesday morning in what has been described as a sweep of the backstretch, which had been closed off by the authorities. The raid, involving drones, was coordinated between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), state and local law enforcement agencies, according to several sources. In the latest development in an evolving situation, "several dozen individuals" have been detained at the track as part of the raid, said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the national Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA). Delta Downs' latest Thoroughbred...

Woodbine cancelled its Friday races due to poor air quality from wildfires in the area, the racetrack said in a press release. Environment Canada's air quality index for Toronto was listed as 'High Risk' Friday and was expected to remain at that level throughout the day. As of Thursday, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center said 201 fires were burning in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, with half of them considered "out of control." Woodbine Entertainment's decision to cancel came through consultation with the HBPA and the Alcohol...

Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03), Rep. Don Davis (NC-01), and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Racehorse Health and Safety Act (RHSA) in the U.S. House (HR 3378) and Senate Wednesday, which they call "a bipartisan, bicameral effort to deliver a constitutional solution to safety regulation in the horse racing industry," according to a press release issued Thursday. The release says the legislation is backed by industry organizations representing tens of thousands of horsemen and is endorsed by the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (HBPA), the United States Trotting Association...

Joining New Jersey and Colorado, West Virginia has become the third state to legalize fixed odds wagering on horse racing. The legislation was fully completed Saturday and the state's racetracks, sports book and gambling apps can begin accepting the bets whenever they are ready to go. The Legislature passed the bill by a 55-43 count. "I am the general counsel and lobbyist for the Charles Town HBPA, and so that was the impetus for me trying to get this started," said lobbyist Philip Reale. "Fixed odds has been popular in...

Woodbine Entertainment and the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario have reached an agreement in principle on a new two-year deal that boosts purses by $5.7 million, according to a press release from the racetrack on Wednesday afternoon. The new agreement commits $64.7 million in purses in 2025 and $65 million in 2026, both with 128-day race meets. The upcoming 2025 season kicks off on Saturday, Apr. 26 and concludes on Sunday, Dec. 14. "We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with the HBPA that increases purses...

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...

Dear Santa, As the clock ticks down on another year we can hopefully all agree that we have much to be grateful for. Racing in many ways seems to have recovered its footing from our headline fatality troubles and we just learned the fatality rate at HISA tracks continues to decline. Who can argue that we are not making progress and moving in the right and needed direction in making racing safer? I do have two requests for you, Santa. First, I would love to learn from the NHBPA an...

The United States Supreme Court is now unlikely to decide before the end of 2024 which, if any, of the three separate cases involving the constitutionality of the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) the nation's highest court might consider hearing. According to schedule changes posted online Dec. 4 on the Supreme Court dockets for cases originating out of the Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Circuits of the U.S. Court of Appeals, all three of those HISA-related "writ of certiorari" requests are now going to be considered by the justices on...

Responding to a rash of recent breakdowns at Woodbine, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), which regulates racing in the province, has taken steps it hopes will lead to fewer injuries. Woodbine has now had six fatalities since the Nov. 9 card in which two horses died and the remainder of the day's program was cancelled, as was the next scheduled day of racing. The biggest change is that any horse that has raced within the previous 14 calendar days is ineligible to race and will be scratched...

With a horse having to be euthanized Thursday at Woodbine and another one on Friday, the Toronto-area track has now had six fatalities since the Nov. 9 card in which two horses died and the remainder of the day's program was cancelled, as was the next scheduled day of racing. Woodbine's Tapeta surface has long been considered to be one of the safest tracks in North America, which makes the rash of breakdowns particularly unusual. "We are closely monitoring the situation and remain in continuous communication with our regulator, veterinarians,...

Woodbine, which cancelled both racing and training effective two races before the end of Saturday's card after three separate incidents on the Tapeta surface, will reopen to training Wednesday morning and is scheduled to resume live racing Thursday. The all-weather surface underwent "a thorough review and extensive maintenance conducted over the last couple of days," said officials from Woodbine Entertainment in a Wednesday afternoon release. "The safety of our horses and riders is our highest priority and we have been working diligently over the last couple of days to ensure...

The final two races on Saturday's live racing program at Woodbine outside of Toronto, including the GIII Autumn Stakes, were cancelled "in the best interest of equine safety," according to a release from Woodbine Entertainment Group. The decision was taken following consultation with the local Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, the Jockeys' Guild and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The track successfully staged two of the three graded events carded for Saturday, the GIII Maple Leaf Stakes and the GIII Bessarabian Stakes. The Autumn Stakes will not...