Letters: TOBA Supports Florida Battle vs. Decoupling

TOBA Supports Florida Horse Industry in Battle Against Decoupling The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association fully supports the Florida owners, breeders, and horsemen's stand against the decoupling of live horse racing from the ability of a racetrack to conduct alternative gaming in Florida. Thoroughbred racing and breeding support a far-reaching agricultural ecosystem and preserve greenspace. Beyond the Thoroughbred farms and training centers are tack and feed suppliers and the farms that grow the feed, equine services and products, professional services, hospitality, construction and farm equipment, and transportation businesses all supported by Thoroughbred breeding and racing. This agricultural ecosystem needs racetracks and live racing to exist and vice versa. Decoupling incentivizes racetrack operators to end live racing and break the relationship between farm and track thereby causing great harm to the agricultural economy. A healthy Florida Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry is not only important to those owners, breeders, and horsemen in Florida, but nationwide. Any harm to the Florida Thoroughbred industry brought about by decoupling will be acutely felt throughout the United States Thoroughbred industry and therefore TOBA is opposed to decoupling. The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Lexington Lazarus Lauds Safety Stats and PA Investigation Last month, we announced a historic milestone: for the first time ever recorded, the racing-related equine fatality rate at tracks subject to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's rules has dropped below 1.00 per 1,000 starts, landing at 0.90. This achievement reflects the commitment of so many across our sport who share our dedication to equine welfare and rider safety. The progress we have made together in such a brief period is nothing short of remarkable. Since the launch of HISA's Racetrack Safety Program in July 2022 and the implementation of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program in May 2023, the racing-related fatality rate has dropped 28%, definitively showing the industry has embraced new standards that are making Thoroughbred racing safer and fairer. We also took another significant step forward last month in protecting the integrity of our sport. Thanks to enhanced uniformity of rules and extensive collaboration between HISA, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, and the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, we uncovered an alleged scheme among a veterinarian and several trainers involving the training and racing of covered horses in violation of HISA's intra-articular injection stand-down rules. These alleged violations impacted over 100 horses across 10 racetracks in six states. HISA and HIWU are actively pursuing cases against these individuals. By standardizing record-keeping and improving coordinated procedures across jurisdictions, we are holding bad actors accountable and sending a clear message: those who endanger the welfare of our horses and riders and the fairness of our sport will face swift and appropriate action. Our work is far from over. We remain focused on strengthening safety and welfare at every level of our sport. This month, we will release our 2024 Annual Report, which, for the first time, will include training fatality data. Transparency drives progress, and, by sharing this data, we aim to push for meaningful change and will continue to use science and collaboration to protect our athletes. Yours in racing, Lisa Lazarus, CEO, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (From the March 3 HISA newsletter)