The Department of Homeland Security has authorized the issuance of 30,000 additional H-2B visas, a source of labor for many trainers on U.S. backstretches, the department announced on Friday.

On Thursday, the California Horse Racing Board voted to suspend the authorized thresholds for 11 medications, a variety of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs that are commonly administered to horses around the world. The threshold suspension is part of a plan to address a spate of deaths this winter at Santa Anita Park and the fierce backlash to the breakdowns from within and outside the racing industry.

So what exactly does that mean for trainers, veterinarians, and horses?

The Jockey Club has released a report outlining its support for changes in racing regulations and medication practices, saying that the changes will help the industry avoid spates of deaths like those at Santa Anita this year that have drawn widespread negative attention to the sport.

A committee of The Jockey Club has released a list of four recommendations for the racing industry to adopt in order to address mounting concerns over racetrack injuries that includes the “avoidance” of the use of bisphosphonates and the hiring of equine medical directors in all racing jurisdictions.

A comprehensive collection of Thoroughbred racing organizations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic has endorsed a plan to put in place best practices at racetracks and better monitor racehorse injuries as part of an effort to reduce breakdowns.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – No raceday Lasix in Dubai, home of the $12 million Dubai World Cup?

For U.S. trainers, no problem.

Horses were allowed to resume entering and leaving the Golden Gate Fields backstretch on Tuesday evening after a short lockdown due to the death of a horse over the weekend that tested positive for the highly contagious equine herpesvirus.

Thoroughbred constituencies and racing regulators in the mid-Atlantic region are united behind an effort to ban the use of bisphosphonates in horses younger than 4 years old and will push national organizations to adopt rules prohibiting off-label use of the drugs over the next few months, the groups said.

Calling it “a dream job,” David O’Rourke said he’s excited to tackle the challenges that lay ahead as the new president and CEO of the New York Racing Association.

O’Rourke on Tuesday was appointed as the president and CEO of NYRA, replacing Chris Kay, who was forced to resign in January after the board of directors was made aware that Kay had used NYRA employees to do private work on the house he owns in Saratoga, which is considered a breach of company policy. That home is now up for sale.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Lexie Lou, the 2014 Canadian Horse of the Year, is among the 30 horses and people that have been selected to appear on the voting ballot for induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame this year. A 20-person election committee for each breed (Thoroughbred and Standardbred) will determine the winners in the respective categories. The results will be announced on April 9.