To Our Valued Partners Across Horse Racing: At a time when our sport faces some of the most intense scrutiny in history, one truth remains crystal clear: the credibility of horse racing depends on the consistency, professionalism, and integrity of its officiating. Horse racing runs on stewards. Horseplayers demand consistency. The industry survives on [...]
Trainer Brittany Vanden Berg and her husband, jockey Chris Emigh, after Like a Saltshaker is declared the winner of the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit. (Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation photo) “Man, did he dig in! What an awesome horse!” That was trainer Brittany Vanden Berg as she watched the replay of the 6-year-old gelding Like [...]
Photo courtesy Coglianese Photography The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) joins the Thoroughbred racing community in mourning the passing of Christophe Clement, a distinguished horseman whose impact on our sport is immeasurable. “For decades, Christophe was the embodiment of professionalism, dedication and integrity in our industry,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO [...]
Today, on the heels of the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby, Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03), Rep. Don Davis (NC-01), and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Racehorse Health and Safety Act (RHSA), a bipartisan, bicameral effort to deliver a constitutional solution to safety regulation in the horse racing industry. The legislation is backed by [...]
The National HBPA has issued the following statement regarding the 2025 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs: The National HBPA has consistently maintained that racing rules should be grounded in common sense, supported by veterinary science, and shaped by the practical realities of the sport—with meaningful input from those who live and work within the [...]
In a collaboration to further increase the popularity of the Claiming Crown series for racing's blue-collar horses, Colonial Downs will host an eight-race Claiming Crown Preview Day on Thursday August 21 at Virginia’s thoroughbred track in New Kent. The top two finishers in each race will receive an automatic berth in the corresponding Claiming [...]
Statement from National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback on the flooding of the Oaklawn Park-owned Ten Mile Creek Training Center in Lonsdale, Ark., about 17 miles west of the racetrack. (According to Arkansas HBPA Executive Director Jeanette Milligan, 68 horses were moved safely to Oaklawn Park.): "Our thoughts are with the entire Oaklawn Park community as they endure [...]
Jan Meehan at Churchill Downs for the Claiming Crown last fall By Jan Meehan, Tampa Bay Downs HBPA vice president, thoroughbred owner, trainer and breeder The Tampa Bay Downs HBPA, which represents racehorse owners and trainers at Tampa Bay Downs racetrack, has been clear about its opposition to the decoupling effort (Senate [...]
(Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation photo of Hamelback) From National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback: The recent article in The Seattle Times detailing the potential closure of Emerald Downs by 2026 should provide a stark warning to everyone in horse racing of the detrimental impact that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and its enforcement [...]
from the Spring 2025 issue of The Horsemen's Journal By Hannah Hamelback Photos by John Engelhardt Precarious Man fit the popular Thoroughbred look: dark bay, with a black mane and tail, a chiseled head on a long neck and a lean body with deep, muscular shoulders. On the morning of February 3, 1988, Precarious [...]