While the Thoroughbred industry makes an aggressive push toward unification on the issue of drug testing and medication, two organizations involved in the regulation of racing -- the Association of Racing Commissioners International and the National Association of Pari-Mutuel Regulators -- continue to go their separate ways.
Tony Chamblin, who resigned earlier this year as president of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, has filed lawsuits against two racing commissioners.
Lonny Powell, formerly a full-time executive with Magna Entertainment Corp. and currently a consultant whose clients include the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, has been tabbed to replace Tony Chamblin as president of the Association of Racing Commissioners International.
Rumor became fact Sunday night when Tony Chamblin, president of the Association of Racing Commissioners International for the past 15 years, announced he would step down, effective July 1. The RCI will form a committee to search for a replacement.
In response to the defection of jurisdictions from the Association of Racing Commissioners International, president Tony Chamblin said his contract has always been a matter of mutual agreement, and that he has carried out the policies of the organization's board of directors.
On the eve of its annual convention, the Association of Racing Commissioners International is again faced with a mass exodus that could threaten its viability. As of Thursday, up to 10 jurisdictions had informed the Lexington-based organization they had defected or would withhold dues pending changes at RCI. At issue is president Tony Chamblin's handling of the organization and its finances, in particular a $50,000 check he is said to have written himself last year. In December, Chamblin's salary and benefits package for the remaining two years of his contract was reduced.
The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission is the second regulatory agency to leave the Association of Racing Commissioners International in a month.
The Association of Racing Commissioners International's board of directors has reduced the salary and benefits package of president Tony Chamblin for the remaining two years of his current contract. Details of the salary and perks changes, which came during a marathon session of the board in Tucson, Arizona, on Thursday, were not immediately available.
The board of directors of the Association of Racing Commissioners International will meet in September to discuss a proposed revision of president Tony Chamblin’s contract, which apparently has become a bone of contention among the membership once again.
