NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS

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The Gentilly Office will be closed on Independence Day Tuesday, July 4th.

If you have an emergency regarding WC, call Mike Fenasci at 504-473-9023.

The Louisiana Downs Bookkeeper (318-742-3986) will be open during racing. If you have an emergency regarding Bookkeeper, call Ed Fenasci at 504-812-8771 or Kristie Piglia at 504-919-3468.

If you have an emergency regarding the Medical Program, call Murray Woodward at 504-669-2254

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Industrial Laboratories Selected as State Chemist

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The Louisiana State Racing Commission (“LSRC”) has selected Industrial Laboratories of Denver, Colorado (“Industrial”) to serve as its state chemist, on an interim basis, beginning July 1, 2023. Industrial will conduct Post-Race, Out-of-Competition, Vets’ List, and TCO2 testing in the State of Louisiana. A longer contract for LSRC’s state chemist will be put out on public bid in compliance with state public bid laws.

Industrial is an independent, third-party, private testing laboratory. The company was founded in 1945, began drug-testing for performance sports animals in 1953, and currently conducts drug-testing for various states, racing jurisdictions, fairs, and other sporting events. Industrial specializes in analytical chemistry and microbiology and is accredited to ISO 17025, the pinnacle in third-party laboratory accreditation. Industrial is accredited by the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium (“RMTC”). Industrial provides state-of-the-art technical testing services coupled with outstanding quality to protect the interests of equine athletes, horsemen, and the wagering public.

Industrial is one of six laboratories approved by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (“HIWU”), which oversees the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s (“HISA”) Anti- Doping and Medication Control (“ADMC”) Program.

The LSRC would like to thank LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine for its loyal service and being a trusted partner for the last 36 years. The testing conducted by the Equine Medication Surveillance Laboratory, under the leadership originally of Dr. Steven Barker and then Dr. Levent Dirikolu, has played a pivotal role in the LSRC fulfilling its commitment to the public to ensure integrity and safety in the sport of horseracing in Louisiana. The LSRC and LSU have mutually and amicably agreed not to renew their contract for equine drug-testing.

Click here to download a copy of this press release

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$1 Million Claiming Crown Set for December 2 at Fair Grounds

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The 2023 Claiming Crown will be staged for the first time since 2011 at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans on Saturday, Dec. 2, announced Claiming Crown co-founders National HBPA and TOBA along with the Fair Grounds. The event will feature eight races totaling $1 million in base purses, headlined by the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel.

The 25th Claiming Crown marks the second straight year that the series has gone to a Churchill Downs Inc.-owned locale. The 2022 races were held for the first time at the company’s flagship track in Louisville after a 10-year-run at Gulfstream Park in Florida. The Fair Grounds staged a truncated version of the event in 2011, when the Claiming Crown moved from the summer to the late fall for the first time.

The Claiming Crown races are conducted under starter-allowance conditions, meaning they are restricted to horses that have competed at least once for a certain claiming level or cheaper during a designated time frame, in this case 2022 or 2023. Purses for the eight Claiming Crown races will range from $75,000 to $200,000 for the Jewel. Another $25,000 in each race will be available in purse supplements for accredited Louisiana-bred horses.

Conceived to be a Breeders’ Cup-style event for claiming horses, the Claiming Crown was created in 1999 by the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). The program gives thoroughbred racing’s workhorses, their owners and trainers a day in the spotlight in recognition of their importance to filling out race cards across the nation.

“Big Easy, here we come,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA, who was raised in the Pelican State…

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NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS

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The Gentilly Office will be closed on Memorial Day Monday, May 29th. 

If you have an emergency regarding WC, call Mike Fenasci at 504-473-9023. 

The Louisiana Downs Bookkeeper (318-742-3986) will be open during racing.  If you have an emergency regarding Bookkeeper, call Ed Fenasci at 504-812-8771 or Kristie Piglia at 504-919-3468. 

If you have an emergency regarding the Medical Program, call Murray Woodward at 504-669-2254

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Clear Creek Scholarship

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Clear Creek Stud Offers Scholarship for Students from Within the Louisiana Horse Industry 

With an eye toward the future of our industry, Clear Creek Stud will once again be making a $5000 Scholarship Donation in the name of their clients to a college student with Louisiana based connections to the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse Breeding and Racing Industry.  

Clear Creek Stud recognizes that for many of the people who perform the hard work of this industry day in and day out, the rewards are often not financial. “We want to help the children who come from these families who put in the long hours and hard work that are essential to keep our industry in operation,” says Val Murrell, general manager of Clear Creek Stud.  

The scholarship recipient will be chosen by the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (LaHBPA) and based on their opinion and evaluation of need and merit.  

Interested students should send a letter and resume to Eddie Fenasci at the La.H.B.P.A. office by end of business day, Friday, May 19, 2023. Letters can be mailed to La.H.B.P.A. attention to Eddie Fenasci 1535 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, La. 70119 or email to efenasci@lahbpa.org.  

The recipient will be named on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at the LTBA Awards Banquet at Evangeline Downs.

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ATTENTION LOUISIANA HORSEMEN

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House Bill 564 by Speaker Clay Schexnayder, to add Horse Racing to Sports Gaming is scheduled to be heard in the House of Representatives, today, Wednesday April 19, 2023, at 2PM.  This will put Horse Racing on an equal playing field with other sports like Football and Baseball.  This is not an expansion of Gambling.  Please contact your Representative and ask them to support the Horse Racing Industry this session and  ask them to please support and vote for HB 564. 

Click here for help to find your Representative and their office phone number

Thank you,
LAHBPA

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Clear Creek Scholarship

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Clear Creek Stud Offers Scholarship for Students from Within the Louisiana Horse Industry 

With an eye toward the future of our industry, Clear Creek Stud will once again be making a $5000 Scholarship Donation in the name of their clients to a college student with Louisiana based connections to the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse Breeding and Racing Industry.  

Clear Creek Stud recognizes that for many of the people who perform the hard work of this industry day in and day out, the rewards are often not financial. “We want to help the children who come from these families who put in the long hours and hard work that are essential to keep our industry in operation,” says Val Murrell, general manager of Clear Creek Stud.  

The scholarship recipient will be chosen by the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (LaHBPA) and based on their opinion and evaluation of need and merit.  

Interested students should send a letter and resume to Eddie Fenasci at the La.H.B.P.A. office by end of business day, Friday, May 12, 2023. Letters can be mailed to La.H.B.P.A. attention to Eddie Fenasci 1535 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, La. 70119 or email to efenasci@lahbpa.org.  

The recipient will be named on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at the LTBA Awards Banquet at Evangeline Downs.

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Attention Louisiana Horsemen

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US 5th Circuit Court issued the following rulings on Tuesday January 31, 2023: 

1.      HISA’s motion to vacate the previous unconstitutional decision was denied;

2.      HISA’s motion for rehearing of the 5th Circuit’s unconstitutional decision, based upon Senator McConnell’s Omnibus amendment to HISA was denied;

3.      HISA’s motion for a rehearing enbanc was denied;

4.      The Louisiana Federal case is mandated to return back to Federal court in Louisiana with the complete stay of HISA in place for Louisiana, West Virginia, and the named plaintiffs;

5.      Any additional action involving of the two suits brought back to the US 5th Circuit will be handled by the same panel of three judges, which made the rulings above. 

As a result of this opinion, we will proceed in court to have the other HBPAs, racetracks, and States included in our Louisiana Federal case to have the Stay of HISA, issued by the court to apply to all additional parties.  Further information will follow after the LAHBPA attorney, John Duvieilh, has discussed further action with the Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, Louisiana Solicitor Liz Murrill, and other Attorneys General that will now be included.  

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NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS

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The Fair Grounds updated the LAHBPA, at a meeting held on Thursday December 15, 2022, regarding the status of their turf course.   

Update from Gary Palmisano, Jr., CDI Director of Racing:

Myself and CDI Equine Medical Director Dr. Will Farmer met at FG today with the local team to look at the turf course.

We have made the determination to begin offering turf racing starting with 4 stakes races slated for next week. We will have 2 on Dec. 26 and 2 on Dec. 31. These races will be run with the rail at 34 feet, which will allow for a max of 8 starters. We met the the LAHBPA team this afternoon and discussed this plan and all are in agreement with this plan.

We’re diligently continuing to work on the inner portion of the turf course but progress has been slow. We will be bringing our out of town consultants back in the near future to see what next steps we can take for that portion of the course.

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Attention all Louisiana Horsemen:

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Please help protect Louisiana Horse Racing

If you have not called your US Senators and Representatives, DO SO NOW!

There is continued reports that Senator Mitch McConnell is promoting a “legislative correction” to the HISA laws now that a federal appeals court has concluded it is Unconstitutional.  Once again, McConnell plans to bypass the normal process that would allow hearing and debate on his legislation by attaching his “fix” to a “Must Pass” bill such as a year ending spending bill.  This path is like the way McConnell slipped the current law into Covid Relief legislation in 2020.     

The Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) has regulated horse racing in Louisiana for over a century.  The LSRC is in the unique position to know what is best for Louisiana racing and Louisiana racing participants.  The Commission and our Louisiana legislators work with industry participants to formulate laws and rules which protect our horses and jockeys and create a fair playing field for all participants.

The Louisiana HBPA urges all industry participants to contact your U.S. House Representative and your U.S. Senators (contact information provided below), IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO.  Voice your opposition to these “back room” deals that circumvent your right to be heard.  A phone call can be completed in about 3 MINUTES and will help fight this potentially devastating “fix”.  Specifically, ask your congressmen to block any effort by HISA for another quick fix that got us in this mess in the first place.  Our horsemen’s representative wants to work with ALL parties for new, sensible legislation that allows our jobs-heavy industry and related agribusiness to thrive and improve, rather than to choke from ill-advised legislation snuck through by a well-financed minority.

You can use this link to identify and contact your Representative:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Contact information for the U.S. Senators from Louisiana is:

Senator John Kennedy
https://www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/
416 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Office number 202-224-4623

Senator Bill Cassidy
https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/
520 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Office number 202-224-5824

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Attention all Louisiana Horsemen

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Please help protect Louisiana Horse Racing

Several news outlets reported yesterday that Senator Mitch McConnell is promoting a “legislative correction” to the HISA laws now that a federal appeals court has concluded it is Unconstitutional. Once again, McConnell plans to bypass the normal process that would allow hearing and debate on his legislation by attaching his “fix” to a “Must Pass” bill such as a year ending spending bill. This path is like the way McConnell slipped the current law into Covid Relief legislation in 2020.

The Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) has regulated horse racing in Louisiana for over a century. The LSRC is in the unique position to know what is best for Louisiana racing and Louisiana racing participants. The Commission and our Louisiana legislators work with industry participants to formulate laws and rules which protect our horses and jockeys and create a fair playing field for all participants.

The Louisiana HBPA urges all industry participants to contact your U.S. House Representative and your U.S. Senators (contact information provided below) and voice your opposition to these “back room” deals that circumvent your right to be heard. Specifically, ask your congressmen to block any effort by HISA for another quick fix that got us in this mess in the first place. Our horsemen’s representative wants to work with ALL parties for new, sensible legislation that allows our jobs-heavy industry and related agribusiness to thrive and improve, rather than to choke from ill-advised legislation snuck through by a well-financed minority.

You can use this link to identify and contact your Representative:
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Contact information for the U.S. Senators from Louisiana is:
Senator John Kennedy
https://www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/
416 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Office number 202-224-4623

Senator Bill Cassidy
https://www.cassidy.senate.gov
520 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Office number 202-224-5824

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NOTICE TO ALL HORSEMEN

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Those who believe HISA is fatally flawed and will be ruinous to the horse-racing industry should feel free to use any or all of the message below in emails we encourage you to send ALL your Congressional representatives ASAP. (Info below on how to send an email to your U.S. House Representative and your U.S. Senators.) You should feel free to use your own words. But let your federal representatives know how bad this has been. Your words are powerful!

"The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Act (passed when slipped into the year-end omnibus in 2020) is unconstitutional. I agree. HISA was created with an extremely expensive quick fix and the result has been not only a trampling on the Constitution and mass confusion but a serious threat to the existence of smaller racetracks and a likelihood of ruining many racehorse owners and trainers - as well as the small businesses that depend on horsemen — out of business. This new bureaucracy’s crushing costs are being passed on to tracks and horsemen with no transparency and no significant representation. An industry as complex and wide-ranging as ours cannot be done expeditiously. It must be done strategically and with input from the industry as a whole. Please block any effort by HISA for another quick fix that got us in this mess in the first place. Our horsemen’s representatives want to work with ALL parties for new, sensible legislation that allows our jobs-heavy industry and related agribusiness to thrive and improve, rather than to choke from ill-advised legislation snuck through by a well-financed minority. We appreciate your support." -- Eric Hamelback and the National HBPA

You can use this link below to identify and send an email message to your Congressional Representative: www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative. You can also call one of your Congressman and Senators’ offices and leave a message either as a voice mail or to a staffer that you oppose HISA and Congress should block attempts to salvage it with a "quick fix" which will not solve the problems.

Here’s a link to find and contact your two U.S. Senators: www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

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NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS

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The Fair Grounds updated the LAHBPA, at a meeting held on Tuesday November 30, 2022, regarding the status of their turf course and their ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the course. Fair Grounds assured the LAHBPA they are taking all actions necessary to return the course to operation as soon as possible, with the goal of resuming turf races before the end of December. Please check back for further updates.

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US 5th Circuit Court has ruled that HISA is Unconstitutional

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Attention Louisiana Horsemen

The 5th Circuit Court has ruled, and we are awaiting to review the opinion. Based upon discussions with the Attorney General and our LAHBPA counsel, the following has occurred:

1. The 5th Circuit ruled HISA Unconstitutional, apparently under the nondelegation doctrine.

2. The case filed in Louisiana has been remanded back to district court with the injunction reinstated in its entirety.

As a result of this opinion, we will proceed in court to have the other HBPAs, racetracks, and States included in our injunction. Further information will follow after the LAHBPA attorney, John Duvieilh, has received and reviewed the court decision with the Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and Louisiana Solicitor Liz Murrill.

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Notice

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The Gentilly HBPA office will be closed on Monday September 5, 2022 for the Labor Day Holiday and will re-open on Tuesday September 6, 2022.

The bookkeeper office at Louisiana Downs is open during racing hours and can be reached at 318-742-3986.

If you have an emergency regarding WC, call Mike Fenasci at 504-214-6873.

If you have an emergency regarding the Medical Program, call Murray Woodward at 504-669-2254.

Happy Holiday!

THANK YOU, LAHBPA

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