Damon Thayer, who recently completed a 22-year tenure in the Kentucky State Senate, delivered the keynote address Tuesday at the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Convention in Safety Harbor, Florida. With a theme of “cooperation is always better than extinction,” Thayer's 35-minute address focused on the importance of horsemen in every racing jurisdiction building relationships with their state legislators.
“It's mind-boggling what a legislator has to absorb every day, and if an industry isn't aligned, the easiest thing for a legislator to do is to wash their hands of it and say, 'I'm a no,'” Thayer said. “But our industry [in Kentucky] got together quickly, because of this one truism: Cooperation is always better than extinction.
“Now, don't wait for a crisis,” he said. “Because there will be a crisis. A need. A break the glass, pull-the-fire-alarm moment. Build those relationships now, not just when you need something… When they're not in session, invite them to the racetrack, your farm, your training center, your vet clinic. They need to see the jobs. Tell them how many checks a month you write to vendors, to blacksmiths.
“And do not get complacent…. Because we have it now doesn't mean somebody isn't going to want to take it away. There are enemies of horse racing in Kentucky. You have to be vigilant. But you've got to build these relationships.”
Thayer also discussed his role as senior advisor to the newly formed Thoroughbred Racing Initiative, an industry collaboration, of which the National HBPA is part, which is working to defeat Florida's decoupling legislation.
“It looks like the skids are pretty greased in Tallahassee for [decoupling bill] to pass the House,” Thayer said. “So our goal is to kill the decoupling bill in the Senate. It's going to be a tough uphill climb. But we're all working together.”
Thayer said he believes the racing circuits that will survive and thrive in the next five to 10 years will be “states where the industry has great relationships with their legislators and legislature.” He cited Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Virginia, Indiana and Arkansas “just to name a few.”
He said horsemen must ensure lawmakers hear their stories, adding, “Racing has a great story to tell about the jobs, the tourism and preservation of land and green space, the taxes paid, reinvestment in the economy.”
Thayer also noted other positives he sees in the industry, including Tina Bond's “Heart of Horse Racing” high-tech marketing venture and Equibase pursuing a system of race ratings in America; the rebuilding of Pimlico and construction of a training center in Maryland even as Maryland and Virginia work together to create the beginnings of a Mid-Atlantic circuit; while New York put up $500 million to rebuild Belmont Park.
“And then what I'm particularly fond of, the Kentucky story, where every track figures to offer maiden races for Kentucky-breds being $80,000 or more,” Thayer said. “We're seeing billions of dollars being spent on facilities in Kentucky because of a couple of laws we passed that allow the industry to invest in itself.”
Discussing the National HBPA's challenge to the constitutionality of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, Thayer said, “HISA is a polarizing event in our industry. The bill snuck through in the dark of night in the budget reconciliation process by people I like and respect. I just disagree with them on this issue. I'm a state's rights guy. Tenth Amendment. The federal government should only do what the state's can't do for themselves…. I also don't think the federal government should foist on us an $85-million law and not pay for it. Why is it the states have to pay for a federal law?
“There are going to be states who decide they won't participate in HISA. They're going to forgo simulcasting rights under the Interstate Horse Racing Act [of 1978], and we're going to have less uniformity under that scenario than we had before the formation of HISA. There are a lot of people in my area code who are for it. I'd like to help be a voice to try to make it better or get it replaced with something better.”
Panels during Tuesday's opening session of the two-day National HBPA convention also included discussions on recommended steps trainers can take to diminish the chances of a horse's post-race drug test coming up positive for an impermissible substance and recommended actions to help mitigate potential sanctions if that positive finding occurs; as well as updates on the organization's challenges to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.
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