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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, [...]
Trainer Joe Sharp on Intrepid Heart Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation) Joe Sharp will saddle three horses Saturday in pursuit of his first Claiming Crown victory: Intrepid Heart in the $175,000 Jewel at 1 1/8 miles, Spycraft in the $150,000 Tom Metzen Memorial Canterbury at 5 1/2 furlongs [...]
Candy Raid winning the Bourbonette Oaks at 52-1 odds under Rafael Bejarano last April 2 at Turfway Park. (Photo by Coady Photography) While claiming horses so often fill out the programs for the stakes horses, those making it to the Claiming Crown can be stakes horses themselves. A prime example is the Keith [...]
Carl O'Callaghan on Moti Tuesday morning. (Photo by Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation) The Claiming Crown was created 24 years ago to serve as a Breeders’ Cup-style event celebrating the blue-collar horses that populate most of America’s racing programs. With the eight-race series coming to Churchill Downs for the first time Saturday, trainer Carl [...]
A hero is a person who is admired for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. There are heroes all around the horse racing industry, and the Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA) recognizes some of these selfless servants through its White Horse Awards. Established in 2003, the White Horse Awards recognizes individuals within the horse [...]