Just one week after the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority released incredibly positive news about significant improvements in the safety standards of our game, editors at the New York Times decided it was an opportune moment to publish what can only be considered a hit piece on Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing. It seems like we’ve been down this road before.

The guest essay, published in the Opinion section of the Times, was written by Noah Shachtman, the former editor at Rolling Stone who was at the center of a controversy when the publication ran a story about an FBI raid on a journalist’s home, omitting key details about child pornography being the reason for the raid.

Shachtman interviewed numerous industry people for his horse racing commentary, from the stable area to executive suites. Industry people who had spoken with him expected the piece to be published last summer or fall, but apparently the Times editors wanted to wait for the right time.

So, one week after the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority announced a dramatic drop in fatal injuries from 2023 to 2024, hitting a historic low of 0.90 deaths per 1,000 starts, the so-called “paper of record” dropped a commentary under the headline: “Dead Athletes. Empty Stands. Why Are We Paying Billions To Keep This Sport Alive?”

Shachtman rattled off a series of grievances, primarily focusing on how racetracks and purse monies have been supplemented by revenue from slot machines, casinos, or historical horse racing machines. He conveniently forgot to say that when these deals were made with legislators in numerous states, there was general recognition that without a slice of the revenue from slot machines and casinos (many of them built on racetrack grounds), they would be jeopardizing the future of horse racing, threatening jobs at racetracks, the farms where horses are bred, raised and trained, and at the many ancillary businesses horse racing and breeding directly or indirectly support.

A 2023 Economic Impact Study from the American Horse Council shows the extent of those jobs and the contribution horse racing makes to the economy from coast to coast.

– Of the estimated $177 billion from the horse industry added to the U.S. economy, $36.4 billion comes from racing, including $16 billion in direct value to the economy.

– Of the 2.2 million jobs stemming from the horse industry, nearly 500,000 are a result of racing.

– There are 12.5 million acres of land owned or leased for horse related purposes, hosting 6.65 million horses, according to the AHC.

These are not insignificant numbers.

Shachtman also complains that “owners and trainers run races on tracks we own. They pay their workers … with our money.”

What a crock. Yes, there are a handful of racetracks owned by states for strategic purposes. The New York Racing Association opted to work with the state rather than fight them, turning over the deed to racetrack properties as part of a complex agreement involving a casino, racing and the renewal of NYRA’s franchise. The state of Maryland was gifted Pimlico Race Course in order to guarantee the future of one of the state’s signature events, the Preakness Stakes. And California’s agricultural districts have owned racetrack property for decades, most notably the Del Mar fairgrounds, which is leased to track operators.

To say owners and trainers are paying salaries with Mr. Shachtman’s hard-earned dollars is equally absurd. Pre-agreed revenue from slot machines, casinos or historical horse racing is not coming out of his pocket or any state’s general fund.

I would venture to say that the sweetheart deals many states have made to build professional sports stadiums for billionaire team owners has a much lower return on investment than any money that comes out of a state’s budget to support horse racing. While new stadiums may produce temporary construction jobs, the economic impact in terms of full-time jobs is not worth the investment, unless you put a premium on the pride of a city or state having a professional sports team.

Horse racing is a sport as old as this nation. It is far from perfect and still a work in progress – witness the creation of HISA, the game’s first national regulatory oversight body that is making the sport safer. While he was misguided on many counts, Shachtman did raise one industry issue that needs attention: the stable area at many racetracks, and both the working and living conditions for the people who care for the horses. But that is not enough reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Racing can justify its existence, from both a societal and economic standpoint.

That’s my view from the eighth pole.