About 200 Northern California horsemen have signed a petition supporting the formation of a new trainer/owner organization to represent them in negotiations with racetrack associations and others, saying they believe their affiliation with the Thoroughbred Owners of California is no longer adequate.
Three ousted members of the Indiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association board of directors won a small battle Jan. 24 when the National HBPA executive committee ruled in their favor and recommended a new election. However, it appears the war between two Indiana HBPA factions is far from over.
An electronic commerce company hopes to introduce a Web-based program that would convert legal pari-mutuel Internet wagers into on-track bets, thus increasing the share of revenue to tracks and horsemen.
The president and vice president of the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association have resigned, and a West Virginia owner/breeder who headed the organization when video lottery terminals were introduced in the mid-1990s has again taken over as president.
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association again will tackle the issues of offshore simulcasts, pirating, and horsemen's rights during its winter convention scheduled for Jan. 21-25 in Tampa, Fla.
A dispute over an e-mail and alleged flyer posted at a southern Indiana training center has resulted in the dismissal of recently elected Indiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association president Jim Riddle and three board members. They have appealed the matter to the National HBPA.
The Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association voted Dec. 13 to oust president Gus George and replace him with Jim Yaegel, who will complete the term through the fall of 2006.
John Roark of Texas was elected to his third consecutive term as president of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association July 24 after the organization's board of directors approved a major restructuring plan.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association's ongoing efforts in Washington, D.C. have become the major carrot as the organization seeks to sign up horsemen's associations for five-year memberships effective in 2006.
If horsemen believe they aren't receiving adequate compensation for their product, it's within their rights to be directly involved in the setting of host fees, a consultant said July 22 during the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association summer convention in Toronto, Ontario.
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association could be reorganized July 24 should its board of directors approve a recommendation that the organization create the positions of a paid chief executive officer and a president/chairman who would receive an honorarium.
John Roark, first elected as president of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association in the summer of 2001, said he would seek his third two-year term as head of the organization.
The former president of the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association is calling for a special election in the wake of what he calls repeated attempts by the current president and board of directors to discredit him and his wife.
The Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said legal proceedings against its former president, Dick Watson, have concluded.
Corticosteroids, which serve as anti-inflammatory agents, will be the focus of a panel discussion July 21 during the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association summer convention in Toronto, Canada.
The Kentucky Derby Museum's Klein Family Learning Center honored the first graduates of its "Groom Elite 101" class Tuesday during an annual horseman's picnic in the infield at Churchill Downs.
Horsemen's associations based at Churchill Downs Inc.-owned racetracks will meet June 6 to address common concerns related to CDI and the pari-mutuel industry at large, officials said.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which has called 2005 a pivotal year, is working on a revised dues formula that would generate the same amount of money, if not more, yet be more equitable in light of changes in the industry since the organization launched in 1997.
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association's board of directors will decide Jan. 18 whether to endorse an updated "white paper" on simulcasting, but it won't decide--at least for several months--its position on high-volume rebate operations.
The firing of the horsemen's bookkeeper has sparked a protest among South Florida horsemen against the leadership of the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.
The Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association announced Jan. 7 it has signed a new contract with Penn National Gaming Inc., owner of Charles Town Races & Slots, which increases the number of live racing dates per year.
A stalemate between Thoroughbred and Standardbred horsemen in Ohio continued when the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association declined a proposal by the Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association to submit to mediation to resolve financial issues tied to state law.
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Executive Committee, during a meeting April 3-4 in Lexington, approved a motion that encourages two regulators' associations to work toward unification.
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association will tackle issues related to simulcasting as part of its winter convention Jan. 26-29 in Phoenix, Ariz.
The Washington Horse Racing Commission granted Playfair 40 live racing dates for 2003.
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has hired a consultant to help it better understand on-shore and off-shore simulcasting markets.
On the heels of battle with its former president, the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has moved its offices to the Churchill Downs backstretch from a building owned by Dr. Alex Harthill.
A petition calling for a new election of the president and board of directors of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has circulated in the wake of the resignation of Dr. Alex Harthill as president of the more than 6,000-member organization.
The board of directors of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association on May 13 reinstated executive director Marty Maline, who had been on a paid leave of absence in connection with an internal investigation into the organization's finances.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, which has more than 6,000 members, has initiated an investigation that could be connected to a probe under way at the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has appointed a task force that will, among other things, investigate what it believes might be potential conflicts of interest by prior officers and representatives from 1999 to 2001.
In light of reportedly improved relations between Tampa Bay Downs horsemen and management, Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association affiliates at two West Virginia racetracks have decided to send their signals to the Oldsmar, Fla., racetrack.
In a statement released March 20 in response to an ongoing situation involving Tampa Bay Downs, National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association president John Roark said the relationship between horsemen and racetrack management must be based on "fairness, mutual respect, and a desire to work toward common goals."
In a deal that has put some horsemen's associations on edge, the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has agreed to reinstate signals from Kentucky racetracks to Tampa Bay Downs in exchange for dismissing its complaint for declaratory judgment against the Florida track.
The Virginia Racing Commission on Feb. 20 approved a contract between Colonial Downs and the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, and also discussed a decline in handle at off-track wagering facilities in the state.
California horsemen could be facing a hefty increase in the amount they pay toward workers' compensation insurance if they are unable to reach an agreement with a new high-risk policy carrier by the time contracts expire with their current representative March 1.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association is polling horsemen to get their opinions on the state's medication policies, which include a ban on all Class 1, 2, and 3 drugs within 48 hours of a race, and use of anti-inflammatory anti-bleeding medications on race day.
The Arkansas Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has officially withdrawn from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. The horsemen's group intends to stay out of the NTRA as long as Oaklawn Park, the state's only Thoroughbred racetrack, is not a member.
<i> By Mike Henry</i>-- The desires of Tampa Bay bettors and a majority of horsemen are being undermined by the actions of a few local horsemen and those from other states.
The initiative to get alternative gaming--likely slot machines--in Kentucky has received a major boost with a published report saying that the Keeneland Association will support the effort.
Representatives from the Tampa Bay Downs Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association met with Tampa Bay president Peter Berube Dec. 4 in an effort to resolve a dispute over stalls that threatens the track's ability to receive out-of-state signals when the live meet begins Dec. 15.
In what could be a major test for control of simulcast signals, horsemen's groups from a number of states were considering withdrawing their approval for the transmission of signals into Florida beginning Nov. 12.
Following four hours of intense discussion early Sunday morning, Rockingham Park management and the New England Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association reached a two-year agreement on a contract.
Jay Hickey, president of the American Horse Council, will be honored by the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association as its "Man of the Year" for 2000. Hickey will be feted March 19 at the organization's annual awards dinner in Erlanger, Ky.
A settlement has been reached between Hialeah Park and the Florida Horsemen Benevolent and Protective Association in the dispute regarding underpayment of purses. The FHBPA had filed suit against Hialeah, claiming that the track shortchanged horsemen by about $500,000 in 2000 purses. Hialeah management asserted that, if anything, purses were overpaid from the agreement reached in March 2000 with the horsemen.
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association may attempt to form a coalition of all horsemen's groups in the country to work toward common goals, one of is which is protection of the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978. Some horsemen believe racetracks have formed cooperatives not only to secure favorable simulcasting rates, but to undermine the federal law that requires horsemen's consent when signals are transmitted.
Tampa Bay Downs Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and the track's management reached an agreement on a purses contract on Saturday afternoon, ending the second bitter contract dispute between the two parties in the last two years.
