(Edited press release)
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced March 19 that an application for racetrack accreditation by the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance is now available for downloading at www.NTRAalliance.com.
A hard copy of the application may also be obtained by writing the NTRA at 2525 Harrodsburg Road, Suite 400, Lexington, KY, 40504.
The 48-page application includes an in-depth written questionnaire that serves as the first step in the accreditation process. Upon receipt of the completed questionnaire, an Alliance safety team will make a two-day, on-site visit to the racetrack, performing inspections, and conducting interviews with track executives, racetrack personnel, jockeys, owners, trainers, stewards, regulators, and customers, among others. In the majority of cases, accreditation visits will take place while applying tracks are open and conducting a live race meeting.
The fee to apply for accreditation is $15,000 to cover administrative costs of the application process.
“The application is a thorough document designed to touch on virtually every aspect of human and equine safety at a racing facility,” said Mike Ziegler, executive director of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance. “The standards for accreditation are rigorous, but they are an essential means of ensuring racing is being conducted in the safest possible environment for both horse and rider.”
The NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance is a standing organization whose purpose is to establish standards and practices to promote safety and integrity in horseracing and to secure their implementation. Information on the Alliance, including the Alliance Code of Standards, can be found at www.NTRAalliance.com.
The Honorable Tommy G. Thompson, former four-term Governor of Wisconsin, and United States secretary of Health and Human Services, serves as independent counsel of the Alliance and will provide public reports on Alliance progress in instituting safety and integrity standards.