The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has sent a notice of numerous alleged violations of its safety rules to Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Ariz., with the threat that the track will lose its ability to send its signal out of state if the track does not come into compliance.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority argued in supplemental briefs filed Thursday to a U.S. Circuit Court that recent congressional action has nullified any legal concerns about its constitutionality, while opponents of HISA argued in their own briefs that the court still needs to consider additional claims challenging HISA’s role in regulating the racing industry.

Robert Hutt, a horse owner and breeder based in Pennsylvania, has been elected president of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, which represents owners and trainers who race at Parx Racing outside Philadelphia.

Total wagering on U.S. races in 2022 was down slightly, by 0.9 percent, compared to 2021, according to year-end figures released on Thursday by Equibase.

A U.S. appellate court that has heard oral arguments on the constitutionality of the legislation that established the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has asked both sides to file additional briefs in the wake of the passage of a federal bill amending the legislation.

Carl Hamilton, the president of The Jockey Club Information Systems since 1994, has retired, according to The Jockey Club, and his roles in the job will be overtaken by existing company personnel.

Hamilton, whose retirement was effective on Dec. 31, was appointed president of TJCIS four years after joining The Jockey Club as a vice president of its consulting division in 1990. TJCIS maintains and administers software that is used by racing offices, horsemen, farms, and sales companies.

Thomas A. “Tad” Davis, an influential horse-racing lobbyist and lawyer, died on Dec. 28 of complications related to Parkinson’s Disease at his home in Alexandria, Va., according to the lobbying organization he helped found, the American Horse Council. Davis was 84.

Irad and Chad. Chad and Irad. There are no need for last names when it comes to the jockey and trainer at the top of the earnings lists in 2022. 

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and trainer Chad Brown led their respective lists in North American earnings, showing once again why those in the Thoroughbred world are on a first-name basis with them.

Ortiz earned $37,075,772, according to Equibase, followed by Flavien Prat ($29,832,252) and 2021’s leading earner and Eclipse Award rider Joel Rosario ($29,250,139).

Trakus, a timing and tracking system employed at many tracks over the last decade, will cease operations this weekend, Barry Weisbord, chairman of the company, said Wednesday.

Many tracks that utilized Trakus will now switch to an Equibase GPS system (E-GPS) created by a European-based company called Total Performance Data.

“Basically, Equibase backed a lower-cost service and we couldn’t make it work,” Weisbord said. “It was costing us a fortune and we were just losing money. There was no path forward. We offered Equibase to take it over, they opted not to.”

Following the Senate’s lead, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an omnibus spending bill on Friday containing a one-paragraph amendment that supporters of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority hope will address legal issues surrounding the authority’s enabling legislation.