As horse racing faces questions about its social license to operate in the United States, the sport has the tools to be a positive influence – as long as those voices don’t get drowned out by selfish interests.
Jonathan Horowitz

Updated:Jan 2, 2025 // Original:Dec 31, 2024

Horse racing has been romantically called “The Sport of Kings,” but the United States was founded by rebelling against a king. So, I’d like to finish the year – and my five-year run with a monthly column for Paulick Report – by making the case that horse racing’s viability in America will come down to being “The Sport of American Dreams” rather than “The Sport of Kings.”

I enjoy a royal winner at Royal Ascot or the Dubai World Cup as much as the next horse racing fan. However, the appeal of horse racing in the United States – more than in other countries – has been strongest when the sport celebrates the horses that reflect the big dreams of the common man and woman.

The rags-to-riches stories of horses like Seabiscuit, John Henry, Charismatic, and California Chrome captivated the country at large. Even the blue-blood breeding of horses like Secretariat, Zenyatta, Barbaro, and Cody’s Wish became red, white, and blue as the people’s horses. Secretariat’s female breeder and owner shaking up the rich aristocracy, Zenyatta’s beating the boys, Barbaro’s fighting spirit in the face of tragedy, and the bond of the Codys were all inspirational and relatable.

The biggest challenge horse racing faces heading into 2025 is its social license to operate – the understanding that whether horses are acceptable for humans to use for their pleasure is based upon society’s approval for that to happen. As horse racing presents itself – not necessarily intentionally – as more exclusive or more reclusive, it’s harder to justify to a society that’s more sensitive to animal welfare issues that racing is intrinsic to a racehorse’s nature and that the horse racing industry can be a custodian for horses to lead a good life in racing and beyond.

2024 was a year of pissing matches, and someone has to be the kindergarten teacher to tell some of the sport’s loudest voices to knock it off. Some examples:

· Mike Repole, horse racing’s self-proclaimed commissioner, championed important causes like aftercare, transparency, and the viability of the California circuit, but the messages often got lost in his rants against other multi-millionaire owners like John Stewart and Coolmore. It may be good-natured and cute at times, but it’s hard to sympathize with whiny rich people.

· Racing’s leading big-barn trainers Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher, while returning to their alma mater of the University of Arizona as keynote speakers for the Global Symposium on Racing, used their platform to discuss how “helpless” they are when their horses fail drug tests or their stable’s balance sheets are stretched by having to pay minimum wage and the cost of work visas. These are legitimate concerns, but it’s hard to sympathize with the challenges of the wealthy that push the limits looking for an edge.

· Horsemen’s groups, most notably the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, have crusaded against federal regulations that, despite kinks that must still be worked out, are contributing to statistics showing that horse racing is safer and horse welfare is improved under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. It’s hard to sympathize with people that feel wronged by HISA when it is actually helping make the sport safer.

People don’t usually start working with horses because they needed something to do. At its root, there’s a passion that comes from being captivated by how special horses – particularly racehorses – are.

I know that first-hand as a horse race announcer that wanted to learn how to ride at the age of 30. In the decade since, I’ve competed in eventing horse shows with eight different racehorses – five Thoroughbreds and three Arabians. My wife, son, and I bought a farm five years ago and estimate that there have been about 50 former racehorses that have come through our farm. We even campaigned one of them in both sport and racing simultaneously.

Our lives are immensely complicated and often stressful. I can now empathize with the challenges and stress horse people face daily. It’s possible to lose sight of why we were all inspired to become involved with horses when the business and competition interests outweigh the passion and making-a-difference interests.

There’s a very small margin for error and zero-tolerance when mistakes are made. A moment of rage from jockey Paco Lopez that actually came after winning a race at Parx put horse racing in an ugly light. He struck National Law across the neck or face with his crop after the 2-year-old colt veered out in the homestretch of his maiden win. The entire industry faces the consequences of what one jockey does.

There’s a bizarre irony to Lopez’ anger being directed at a horse named “National Law” when many in the industry focus on repealing the “national law” that – whether you like it or not – was a response to horse racing’s untenable governing structure.

It’s also untenable when the trainer with the most Kentucky Derby wins and a keynote speaker at the Global Symposium on Racing tests positive for multiple drug violations, regardless of how much of a victim he thinks he is. The defense Baffert made in a statement after two of his stars tested positive for lidocaine in 2020 – “This is a case of innocent exposure and not intentional administration” – doesn’t matter because either reason puts the integrity of the industry and perceived welfare of the horses at risk.

Not keeping anger and self-interest in check, not taking accountability, and always playing the victim will be the demise of horse racing – because society will say it is. However, by keeping focused on the big-picture priorities that matter for society, horse racing can be a beacon to share about how special horses are with a world that remains as captivated as ever by horses. That’s my hope for the sport in 2025.

“A hundred years ago, everybody would have seen a horse every day of their lives,” David O’Connor, chief of sport for US Equestrian and one of leading advocates for the welfare of equestrian sports and their social license to operate, told me. “Horses were at their highest number in the United States in the 1920s. There were about 23 million horses in the United States in the ’20s. And everybody would have seen horses because they would have delivered the groceries and they would have delivered the beer. They would have been in the military. They would have done sport. And they would have raced and done all this kind of stuff. That kind of went away when the world became more mechanized.”

After the American horse population dropped to a low of approximately five million in the 1950s, it’s now back up to around seven million currently. While society is as mechanized as ever with a focus on the service and information industries and now the promises and challenges of artificial intelligence, there’s a desire to return to what the horse represents for society, thanks to increased interest in equine sport and recreation.

“People are looking for the relationship side, the sport side, so the species is growing because of sport, not despite sport,” O’Connor said. “They’re celebrating that relationship that we’ve had for 6,000 years in some ways, and it’s right underneath the surface of humans. It’s right there because that’s how we grew up.”

That’s been the evolution of my column for Paulick Report for the last five years, as well as my other roles as a horse racing broadcaster and administrator – to show how horses and humans can inspire each other and the issues they can tackle as they forge a relationship rooted in the evolution of each species that is now as important as ever.

This month, I published a mini-documentary called “AF Alwajel: The Comeback” about the most inspiring and captivating racehorse I’ve come across.

America’s Best Racing published a story with a similar behind-the-scenes approach about rising Kentucky trainer Jordan Blair.

Ty Garrett, a third-generation trainer having the best year of his career in the third decade with his own stable, just trained his first Grade 1 entrant with Valence in the American Oaks on Santa Anita’s opening day. He was even the groom for his filly.

These great stories are all coming against a backdrop of horse racing tackling big challenges that threaten the sport. These are the voices that advocate for horse racing’s social license to operate.

“To me, it’s an exciting time because as an industry we’re starting to do those things that help us really focus on the individual athlete and their particular ability to race and train safely,” Dr. Chris Kawcak, a leading researcher for equine welfare, said when I visited him at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. “There’s a part to that horse-human relationship that’s just unmatched in society. There’s a lot to learn from that.”

Immersing myself in horses has made me a better person, and I’m far from alone in feeling that way. Horse racing has a special opportunity to share with society at large about the positive relationships that can be forged with horses. That doesn’t mean there won’t be internal struggles, but a coordinated strategy of presenting its best attributes will give the horse racing industry a leg up on its social license to operate. The survival of an entire species and industry depends on it.