The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced Tuesday that
Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey, has been fully accredited by the NTRA
Safety and Integrity Alliance following a complete review of all racing
operations at the facility. Monmouth Park is the sixth racing facility to be so
designated by the Alliance. Churchill Downs and Keeneland were accredited in
April; Belmont Park received accreditation in May; and Delaware Park and
Hollywood Park were accredited earlier this month. Pimlico Race Course was
granted provisional accreditation in May.
The accreditation of Monmouth Park was the culmination of a lengthy
certification process that began with the track’s completion of a 48-page
written application and continued as Monmouth Park hosted several meetings with
Alliance officials. The on-site review included inspections of all facets of the
racing facility, and interviews with track executives, racetrack personnel,
jockeys, owners, trainers, stewards, regulators and fans. The inspection team
was comprised of Ronald Jensen DVM; racing official Richard Lewis; and Mike
Ziegler, executive director of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance.
“Monmouth Park was reviewed on July 9-10 during its current meeting,” Ziegler
said. “The inspection went very well, with Monmouth surpassing recommended
Alliance benchmarks in several areas and maintaining best practices in pre-race
veterinary inspections and the compilation and maintenance of jockey health
information.”
“We’re proud to have passed the NTRA’s accreditation process,” said Bob
Kulina, vice president and general manager of Monmouth Park. “In our long
history, we have always followed best practices for racing safety and integrity
for all human and equine athletes, and today’s accreditation is a testament to
those practices.”
The Alliance, formed last October with the goal of establishing national
uniform standards in the areas of safety and integrity, includes 55 racetracks
in North America and every major national horsemen’s organization. Alliance
certification standards cover five broad areas: injury reporting and prevention;
creating a safer racing environment; aftercare and transition of retired
racehorses; uniform medication, testing and penalties; and safety research.
Within those five categories, specific standards focus on areas including:
| * Systematic reporting of equine injuries |
| * Aftercare of racehorses |
| * Pre- and post-race veterinary examinations |
| * Post-mortem examinations |
| * Health and safety of jockeys |
| * Riding crops and their use |
| * Horse shoes and hoof care |
| * Safety research |
| * Safety equipment for jockeys and horse handlers |
| * Exogenous Anabolic Steroids |
| * Alkalinizing agents (TCO2) |
| * On-track emergency medical care for humans and equines |
| * Out-of-competition testing |
| * Freezing and retrospective testing of post race samples |
| * Continuing education |
| * Security assessment and training |
The accreditation program initially will focus on human and equine safety,
but will be expanded to cover additional areas, including wagering security.
Arlington Park, Calder Race Course, Del Mar and Saratoga Race Course are
among the next racetracks that will undergo Alliance review.
The NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance is a standing organization whose
purpose is to establish standards and practices to promote safety and integrity
in horseracing and to secure their implementation. Information on the Alliance,
including the Alliance Code of Standards, can be found at www.NTRAalliance.com.