Racing Integrity Teams visiting Quarter Horse tracks
The American Quarter Horse Association announced Thursday it has been teaming with racetracks and racing commissions to send “Racing Integrity Teams” to Quarter Horse racing events. The teams’ tasks vary and include performing searches of barns, stalls, or cars, surveillance of horses, sharing intelligence, and other integrity-oriented duties.
Sam Houston hosted one of the teams during a recent weekend, and it was made up of investigators from five racing jurisdictions and the Texas Animal Health Commission.
“Our efforts are to partner with both the commissions and the tracks to help enforce all rules of racing,” Janet VanBebber, chief racing officer for the AQHA, said in a press release. “This can include monitoring proper licensing, checking for the presence of prohibited substances, searches for illegal equipment, and even keeping an eye out for possible human drug use. Assisting each jurisdiction in implementing its own Integrity Team will help serve as a valuable deterrent for improper and illegal activity at racetracks.”