NHBPA

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)...

Nominations for the 2026 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in North America opened Wednesday, principal partner Godolphin announced. The program will accept nominations through midnight on Monday, July 13. Lee Hall, CEO of Dedication to Breeding Award sponsor Hallway Feeds, commented, "We are both proud and honored to be a sponsor of these important awards. It's such a magnificent way to recognize and honor the hard-working people in our business. But first, they have to be nominated. It's quick and easy at tiea.org, so take a few minutes and nominate today."...

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...

On May 22, the HISA Board of Directors will take a vote that could result in the ban of Lasix in all races. Any decision made by the Board, whether to keep the rules as they are, or to enact a full ban, must be unanimous. In response, five trainers and Eric Hamelback, the CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, signed a letter imploring HISA to continue to allow the use of the medication in most races. Trainer Ron Moquett was among those signing the letter. To...

Everett Dobson, the chair of The Jockey Club of America, will deliver the keynote address at the annual National HBPA Conference hosted by Oaklawn Park Mar. 4, according to a press release from the horsemen's organization on Wednesday. Dobson is a telecommunications entrepreneur from Oklahoma City who is a horse owner/ breeder and partner in the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. "I'm very honored to get a chance to address the National HBPA. I'm very much looking forward to it," Dobson said. "It will largely be around a message...

When the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association first started warning that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act would flunk constitutional due diligence as a violation of the private nondelegation doctrine, its arguments were laughed off. The smart set scoffed that the private nondelegation doctrine was dead, a defunct relic of pre-New Deal "Lochner era" jurisprudence. The NHBPA pressed ahead anyway with the simple yet powerful point that in our constitutional system, a private entity cannot wield public powers like making and enforcing law. The Fifth Circuit agreed--twice--and now the...

Last week, I witnessed firsthand the career-saving and even life-saving potential of the StrideSAFE sensor technology--and I feel a responsibility to share what happened. A stakes-level horse in our barn was flagged by StrideSAFE after showing a dramatic rise in injury risk in the right front leg over its two most recent races. A barn exam by our veterinarian showed no obvious lameness or inflammation. But based on the compelling StrideSAFE data, we took the next step and scheduled advanced imaging. The PET scan results--confirmed by two separate equine hospitals--showed...

Nominations for the 2025 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in North America are now being accepted through midnight Monday, July 14, Godolphin announced via press release Monday afternoon. Created to recognize the hardworking industry employees which make the sport run, equivalent awards are given in Ireland, Australia, Great Britain, and France. Godolphin is the principle sponsor in association with The Jockey Club; the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association; the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; and the Breeders' Cup for the American program. Cash prizes totaling $124,000 will be awarded to...

The National HBPA has sent correspondence to Florida horsemen and racing fans urging them to send a letter to Florida senators to vote no on decoupling. In it, the organization urges readers to flood the Senate, and the Florida State Senator representing their address' district, with a prepared letter explaining the grave danger HB 105--and its virtual twin Senate Bill 408--poses to a key state industry. While the Senate measure has a separate number bill from the House, the objective is reportedly the same--allow racetracks to keep their gaming licenses...

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."...

The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) on Monday urged the United States Supreme Court not to grant the stay of an unconstitutionality mandate that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is waiting to issue regarding the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). That mandate, stemming from a July 5 unconstitutionality opinion on HISA by the Fifth Circuit, was administratively stayed by the Supreme Court on Sept. 23. The HISA Authority had requested a stay on Sept. 19 pending the filing and disposition of its broader...

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit required fewer than 24 hours to shoot down a request made Monday by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to delay the issuance of that court's mandate that the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act is unconstitutional. The Authority had asked the appeals court to hold off on making the mandate official while the Authority petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and decide the current HISA constitutionality conflict that exists because of clashing opinions out of two separate...