The board also decided to continue the work of its Racing Integrity and Drug Testing Task Force and serve as a resource for the new Racing Medication and Testing Consortium formed in early May. The consortium is expected to meet again in July.The board also approved the combined marketing summit and annual meeting for Sept. 29-Oct. 1 this year in Las Vegas, Nev.Smith said there was discussion of some contracts, but they weren't ready for approval and may come up during a telephone conference in late July or early August. The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for Sept. 27 at Arlington.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has formed a "working group" to develop a coordinated industry response for the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The racing community was quite active in the days and months after the 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.The NTRA board met June 7 in Garden City, N.Y., for its quarterly meeting. NTRA commissioner Tim Smith said the afternoon session produced "mostly reports, and a limited number of action items."Members of the working group that will look into Sept. 11 anniversary remembrances are Robert Clay (Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association), Alan Foreman (Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association), Craig Fravel (Del Mar Thoroughbred Club), Bryan Krantz (Fair Grounds), Nick Nicholson (Keeneland Association), and John Roark (National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association). There could be charity initiatives tied to the Oct. 27 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships at Arlington Park.