Horse Industry Escrow Account

Despite a state auditor's report last summer which found major discrepancies with Texas Racing Commission record-keeping practices, during a scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12, the horse racing regulator voted 5-1 to temporarily allow the state breed registries to access their portion of the Horse Industry Escrow Account (HIEA) to channel money to purses. For Thoroughbreds, that means that requests by organizations like the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) will be able to contribute to the current Sam Houston Race Park meeting's purse structure. However, the commission has not sanctioned the...

Starting with the Jan. 10 card, purses will be cut at Sam Houston Race Park as there is uncertainty about funding mechanisms going forward for purses. Bryan Pettigrew, the vice president and general manager of Texas Racing Operations, contacted horsemen Thursday to give them advance warning of the cuts. Due to legal issues involving HISA, the Texas Thoroughbred tracks can no longer send their simulcast signal out of state. While that has decimated handle, purses have held their own thanks to the Texas Thoroughbred Association receiving funds from something called...