Gov. Beshear Says Trust An Issue in Horse Racing
During a round table discussion on Sunday at Saratoga, outgoing Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear gave the Jockey Club an earful on the state of the horse racing industry. And in particular his concerns about what’s at stake for Kentucky which stands to lose the most economically as home of the world’s most recognized horse race; the Kentucky Derby.
In his speech he points to a bill known as H.R. 3084, the Thoroughbred Horse Racing Integrity Act of 2015, introduced by representatives of Kentucky and New York, two states who should be seriously concerned about the future of horse racing as each hosts one leg of the Triple Crown.
H.R. 3084 seeks to establish in independent, non-governmental anti-doping authority that presents a consistent set of rules across state lines. Its duties would include a number of steps already taken in Kentucky, such as having only approved vets administer race day medications, carding non-Lasix races and using more advanced testing labs.
The Governor didn’t mince words when saying the industry has a credibility problem that “extends cross the board” and blames it as “one of the reasons for the declining fan base.”
Supporters of the proposed act, which they hope to have in effect on Jan. 1, 2017, included the Jockey Club, the Breeders’ Cup, and among others the Humane Society, which most recently published a strongly titled post “Putting a Stop to Doping Horse and Fixing Races.”
Beshear went on to say that “individual state racing commissions just can’t get this job done.” And the only way to have effective change is “through federal legislation.”
Here’s to hoping that those who support changes through legislation, and to whom it matters the most, namely the industry, hear and listen to what we’re all thinking and to what Beshear, animal rights groups and the betting public are saying.