Letter: Practical view of HISA from a USTA Director

Let me begin by making it clear that the vast majority of United States Trotting Association (USTA) Directors are dead set against the passage and implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and believe it will do more harm than good to the harness racing industry.

I am one of the few directors who do not agree with this position. I believe that the almost $1 million spent to date fighting this initiative is not the best use of the Association’s monies, nor do I believe that it is the best use of the time that our Executive Director, Mike Tanner, and other staff members have devoted to this issue.

Unfortunately, the USTA’s “newsroom” has become both a true newsroom for reporting the facts, as well as reporting the opinion of our President, Russell Williams. I truly wish they kept the facts and editorial separate, so our membership would not get confused between the two (fact and opinion).

The primary reason I think the USTA continually errs regarding this legislation is that it fails to think properly about protecting the many legislative achievements the various horsemen’s groups have attained in the so-called slot states.

More than 90% of the purse monies come from these favorable arrangements, and given the level of corruption (drugs) I believe exists throughout the industry, HISA has a much better chance to address this major issue than the status-quo, which is a joke. If the FBI and Five Stones investigation and subsequent convictions does not tell you that, then go ahead and befriend the ostriches with their heads in the sand.

It is now time to get realistic and face facts. HISA is here, at least for now. The Standardbred industry is in the envious position to watch and learn. Lasix, for example, is still permitted in all but a limited number of races. Therefore, we can all watch and see what happens and what scientific studies have to say over the next couple of years.

We will get to see how well HISA battles corruption in the Thoroughbred industry and how effective it is in improving track and jockey safety (not really an issue for Standardbred racing, but still very useful to see how effective HISA is working). We will get a better understanding of costs and most importantly the cost-benefit of the entire program.

I think many of our directors and horsemen do not understand or remember that we are in such a better position than our Thoroughbred brethren. They will have to learn from, and fund, the mistakes that occur with any new enterprise.

We Standardbred supporters have the luxury to ride the coattails of their experiences with none of the costs associated with the bumps that will come along the way.

So, while the USTA continues to utilize financial and human resources to fight HISA in the courts, I can only hope that those who influence our directorship do take this time to watch and learn.

On the chance the efforts to fight end up in failure, the Standardbred industry is in a position to intelligently phase us into the program in the best possible way when the time comes.

by David Siegel