Not Horsing Around: NTRA Unveils Safety, Integrity Reform Plan

MANDATORY PROGRAM: The THOROUGHBRED TIMES' Jeff Lowe reported the tracks "will largely be responsible for the initial costs of implementation," and the NTRA "expects member racetracks to adopt temporary house rules for some of the reforms while the Alliance calls on individual states and regulatory agencies to enact permanent rules." The NTRA "expects the reforms to be enacted in phases." NTRA President & CEO Alex Waldrop: "You can bet that our first priority will be the medication area. I can see that being a high priority going forward. Other areas may take some time, for instance the retirement issue. We still need some work there." Lowe reports "more than 40 tracks have already agreed to join, including all tracks that are under the umbrella of Churchill Downs Inc." The Alliance also "has taken membership pledges from horsemen's groups," and individual owners, trainers and jockeys "will be eligible for membership and certification in the future" (THOROUGHBREDTIMES.com, 10/15). In N.Y., Bill Finley notes the NTRA "does not have the authority to enforce any of its recommendations." But Waldrop said that "any track that refuses to comply with its directives would not be certified," which would "probably cause bettors to wager less on that track's races" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/16). NTRA officials said that the certification program was "modeled after several similar programs in the fields of insurance, education, and health care" (DRF.com, 10/15).

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