Ron Moquett

With a view to pulling the veil back on the hows and whys of their operations, a representative of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority or the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) will every week answer a question of industry importance posed by the TDN. If you have any questions you'd like to ask HISA or HIWU, please feel free to send them over to us at the following email address: danross@thetdn.com The following question was submitted by trainer Ron Moquett. Q: There are technologies available that...

Tuesday's Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) virtual town hall was a free-wheeling affair, with the bulk of the two-hour meeting spent on a discursive question-and-answer segment moderated by trainer Ron Moquett and bloodstock agent David Ingordo, two members of HISA's horsemen's advisory board. The initial focus of the town hall was HISA's 2026 budget. This year's gross budget, recently approved by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), comes to $77.2 million. If all the available credits are utilized by the industry, the net budget comes out to $60.6 million (though...

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...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--If you are looking for the best seat in the house for the GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park this weekend, then chances are brothers Luke and Cole Jones piloting their drones have their gimbals locked on shooting the perfect A-roll. As long as the weather holds off, the Jones boys go vertical for every race during Oaklawn's meet, which is all part of the larger show in Hot Springs. Tracks have deployed this aerial technology for a couple of years now, but it's primarily been restricted to...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--The mercurial Louis I. Kahn said that, "The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building." For something a touch more vernacular, the master architect was still no less pithy when he reminded us that, "Architecture is the thoughtful making of spaces." Oaklawn Park, ever the innovator in the world of horse racing, has faithfully scooped up Kahn's architectural spirit. They have put thought into a blueprint that can change their backside for the future and it starts in the form...

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...

Trainer Ron Moquett joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to weigh in on HISA's impending vote on race-day Lasix and the open letter he recently co-signed on the subject.

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...

Ricardo Santana, Jr. rode the 800th winner of his career at Oaklawn Park on Thursday, when he guided Will Take It (Tapit) to a hard-fought victory in the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes. He is the fourth rider in the history of the track to achieve the milestone. Others to cross that threshold are Pat Day (1,264 wins), Larry Snyder and Calvin Borel. The 33-year-old credits trainer Ron Moquett and his fellow jockeys Terry Thompson and Borel with steering him towards the Arkansas track in 2011. "Got lucky, you know?" Santana,...

Silver Prince (Cairo Prince--Silver Reunion, by Harlan's Holiday)), offered in a one-horse flash sale on Fasig-Tipton Digital, was sold post-sale for $450,000 to Reeves Thoroughbred Racing. Bidding opened on Dec. 23 and closed on Dec. 29. Silver Prince finished second in his career debut to TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard, D'code in a hotly contested maiden special weight at Oaklawn Park on Dec. 14, earning an 80 Beyer speed figure. The 2-year-old son of Cairo Prince was consigned to the sale by his trainer, Ron Moquett, on behalf of...

Silver Prince (Cairo Prince), a late-charging runner-up behind 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' D'Code (Speightstown) in his six-furlong debut at Oaklawn Park Dec. 14, is being offered in a Fasig-Tipton Digital Flash Sale. The auction opened Tuesday and will close at 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 29. Silver Prince, consigned by trainer Ron Moquett, earned a 80 Beyer for his debut effort for Randy Finegan and James Walderns. Finegan purchased the 2-year-old colt for $30,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. Bred by Brereton Jones, the gray is from...

The eighth installment in the 2025 OwnerView webinar series was held Oct. 14 and covered how trainers are adjusting to new Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) rules, the conference series said via a Thursday press release. Panelists included Ben Mosier, executive director of HIWU; Dr. Michael Hardy, the acting chief of science with HIWU; and trainers Mark Casse, Kelsey Danner and Ron Moquett. Specific topics included implementation and how HIWU has adjusted its ADMC program rules based on feedback from horsemen. The event, hosted by The Jockey Club of...