Kentucky Horse Racing Commission
4063 Iron Works Parkway
Building B
Lexington, Kentucky 40511
Attention: Jennifer Wolsing
Re.: Letter in Support of Kentucky Racing Horsemen June 2, 2020
Dear Ms. Wolsing,
The North American Harness Horse Association (NAHHA) is an organization comprised of associations from across North America that have been established to represent the interests of participants involved in the breeding, training and racing of Standardbred horses. The NAHHA has as its core values the representation and protection of the individuals that have invested in, and participate in, those industries. All of the member associations are democratically elected by the members and have by-laws that govern the conduct of the Board of Directors. Directors are elected to serve a fixed term and members are able to stand for election if they wish to represent the members in those sectors. This arrangement ensures that it is the participants that have the ability to choose their representatives and a mechanism to remove those elected Directors if they feel that their actions are not in the best interest of the membership. This democratic arrangement provides the participants with a collective voice and ensures that the membership has the ultimate control of the actions and direction of their representative group.
The NAHHA meets regularly to discuss industry issues and compare best practices in order to provide the member associations with the knowledge and support required to effectively represent their membership. During the most recent meeting it was brought to our attention that a new group was lobbying to be acknowledged as a representative of the Standardbred participants in Kentucky. The Standardbred horse people in Kentucky recognize the Kentucky Harness Horse Association (KHHA) as their democratically elected representative and as such have entrusted that elected group of individuals to represent their best interests in protecting things like revenue sharing, racing dates and conditions, stake race scheduling and any other matter that affects the conduct of the breeding, training and racing industries. It appears that the efforts of this new group in Kentucky is enthusiastically supported by the racetrack operators and has minimal, if any, support from the industry participants.
One must question why racetrack operators would choose to support one fledgling group, with limited membership, and no evidence of participant support, over the established KHHA. A reasonable person can only conclude that the racetrack operators feel that the establishment of this new group would benefit their business, and most likely their profitability. This arrangement can be described as allowing the fox into the henhouse and can only be to the detriment of the racing participants and the racing industry.
One of our member associations has witnessed this same tactic in the Province of Ontario. The Ontario Harness Horse Association (OHHA) was the elected group representing members of the Standardbred community in that Province. Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), a racetrack operator, assisted in the formation of a new group to represent horse people that raced at their racetracks. In fact WEG made it a requirement that participants had to join the new group in order to participate at their tracks. WEG ultimately signed a contract with the new group, essentially negotiating with themselves and eliminating any influence that horse people had on any decisions made that would affect the racing participants. The contract included a clause that stated that WEG would make all decisions in all matters in their sole and absolute discretion. No longer would there be any input or influence on behalf of the participants on any matter that affects the ability to race and make a living. The contract also stated that the new group would support any race date application, regardless of how many dates were applied for and took away the associations right to represent its membership in certain regulatory or civil proceedings. In Ontario OHHA had negotiated and represented horse people for over 50 years. All of the important functions of the association were replaced by a contract that provided the racetrack operator with unimpeded and unquestioned authority to run racing as only it deemed appropriate. Despite lobbying for a vote to allow horse people to vote on their representative group, this arrangement continues today. Not surprisingly, although OHHA is supportive of a democratic process to allow participants to choose the representation they desire, the new group will not consent to a vote. The democratically elected group, OHHA, which has been the representative of the participants in racing for close to 60 years, has had all of their funding redirected to the new association putting the future of the horse peoples group and their representation in serious jeopardy.
If the individuals that are behind this effort in Kentucky are truly acting in the best interest of the participants they could simply run for election to the current board. There is no rational reason to have competing associations representing the same group of horse people. This will ultimately lead to participants having to choose one group over the other and create dissention and ill will amongst those participants. Ultimately horse people will be divided and without a strong, unified voice it will be easier for racetracks and gaming companies to control and manipulate. History shows that it can be done, and will be done again, without diligent efforts of associations across the continent.
We are asking that you give no consideration to this effort to undermine the hard working men, women and children involved in the Standardbred industry in the great horse state of Kentucky. We are counting on you to protect this important, labor intensive agricultural industry and to ensure that racetracks and gaming companies are not allowed to take over ultimate control of all aspects through backdoor efforts such as those being currently contemplated.
Cc: Marc Guilfoil
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