CHRB will require racing journalists to be licensed to access backstretch areas

The California Horse Racing Board will begin to require full-time horse racing journalists to be licensed in order to access the backstretches of racetracks as of the end of August, according to a notice the CHRB distributed on Monday.

The licensing requirement is the first in the country for journalists. Typically, journalists are issued press credentials by the racetrack, which gives them various levels of access to the grounds, including the backstretch. The license will cost $75 and require a criminal background check.

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Mike Marten, a spokesman for the CHRB, said that the requirement arose out of a query related to an employee of a racing television network who sought an exercise license. The discussion evolved to the point where CHRB officials began reviewing the requirements of licensing, which includes a rule that states that “a person acting in any capacity within the restricted area of an inclosure (sic), simulcast facility, or auxiliary stabling area” is required to have a license.

“The rule has always been on the books,” Marten said.

The rule will not apply to “infrequent” visitors to the backstretch, who will have to sign in at the backstretch security gate as a “guest” of the racetrack. Marten said that the CHRB has not yet worked out a definition for “infrequent.”

The rule is likely to apply to only a handful of journalists, including several employees of Daily Racing Form.

Licensing requirements apply to nearly all employees of a racetrack, and the requirements are especially strict for those who work on the backstretch because of the ready access to horses.

Tom Law, the president of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, said on Tuesday that the organization sent a letter to the CHRB’s executive director, Scott Chaney, outlining their concerns about the new licensing requirement. The letter, which he provided to Daily Racing Form, also cited the state’s code of regulations to argue that journalists did not fall under any category for occupational licenses.

“Members of the news media, for decades, have been granted access to racetracks across the country through publicity departments and the Turf Publicists of America to conduct business without a license and/or required to pay a fee to do their jobs,” the letter stated. “The requirement by the CHRB for members of the news media to purchase a license sets an unnecessary and bad precedent for the racing industry besides the First Amendment implication of government licensing the free press.”

Law added in the interview that he believed that other states might follow suit. All racing states require licenses for backstretch workers, but most racetracks make exceptions for credentialed journalists and, in some cases, large touring groups.

“This is not something we want to see happen tomorrow in Kentucky or New York,” Law said.

The Breeders’ Cup is scheduled to be held at Santa Anita Park in Southern California next year, an event that usually draws racing journalists from around the world. Marten said that it is not clear yet whether those journalists will need to be licensed to enter the backstretch.

“There are clearly some things that need to be worked out,” he said.