On Friday, Dec. 16, The Louisville Thoroughbred Society will be hosting a Holiday Celebration “Open House” for all current members and investors. The gathering is an opportunity to raise some significant money and assistance for the community of backside workers who are so vital to the horse racing industry. Just last week, Churchill Downs announced [...]
Marty Maline (Jennie Rees photo) Marty Maline is retiring as executive director of the Kentucky HBPA on Dec. 31 after almost 47 years in the post. Maline, who began the job in February 1976, ranks among the country’s best-known and most-respected executive directors of any racing organization. His service is by far [...]
The following information was sent out by The Jockey Club, and is being relayed by the National HBPA it to members and others in the industry. The Jockey Club announced today that it will be increasing the fees for imports, exports, returns, and associated late payments by $50, effective January 1, 2023. These fees have not [...]
Cody Dorman in the winner's circle with Cody's Wish (Photo by Coady Photography) If you watched this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course, you surely remember the incredible story of Cody's Wish and his special relationship with an exceptional 16-year-old named Cody Dorman. And if you didn't see it in person or [...]
The text below is a memorandum prepared by National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback and General Counsel Peter Ecabert following a Zoom meeting Monday of attorneys involved in the legal action. The PDF links below goes to a summary prepared by Ecabert. Link to summary As the decision from Friday continues to unravel, we collectively [...]
5th Circuit Court of Appeals' 3-0 opinion ruling HISA unconstitutional “It is the duty of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association to protect horsemen across the country and that is not a responsibility I take lightly,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the NHBPA. “From HISA’s onset, we have thoroughly and fairly examined the [...]
National HBPA President Dr. Doug Daniels DVM (right) and NHBPA CEO Eric Hamelback at Churchill Downs. (Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation photo) By Doug Daniels DVM, National HBPA president After reading both the Bennet and Parkin article published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association entitled “Fifteen risk factors associated with sudden [...]
Keystone Field takes the Jewel (Photo by Coady Photography) Keystone Field, owned by Kirk Wycoff’s Three Diamonds Farm, swept past early leaders Benevengo and Frosted Grace leaving the final turn and determinedly turned back a late charge by 2-1 favorite Intrepid Heart to win Saturday’s $199,875 Claiming Crown Jewel at Churchill Downs – the most lucrative of eight starter allowance races [...]
Digital training at Churchill Downs (Jennie Rees photo). Longtime Kentucky HBPA president Rick Hiles knows how big a deal it is for racing’s rank-and-file horsemen to participate in the Claiming Crown, the series of big-money starter-allowance races for horses that are or have been claimers. Hiles is one of those “every-day” horsemen — [...]
Twelve Volt Man Winning the 2021 Claiming Crown Jewel at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos/Ryan Thompson) A total of 95 of some of the nation’s top claiming-level horses, including seven also-eligible entries, have been entered in Saturday’s 24thannual Claiming Crown Championship Series, which will be staged beneath Churchill Downs’ historic Twin Spires in Louisville, [...]