Nebraska's Sage Back as ARCI Chair

Tom Sage, executive director of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, is the new chairman of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, the umbrella organization of governmental regulators of horse and greyhound racing.

While ARCI chairs serve one-year terms, Sage has experience in the board's top spot. He first served as chairman in 2020. But with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the industry, Sage was awarded a subsequent term—another that promises to be unprecedented and eventful.

This time, the racing industry faces seismic changes under the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act and its Authority, which faces multiple legal challenges to the federal law that cedes to the Authority some key roles previously the domain of state regulators. The court cases include a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the initial legislation that launched HISA unconstitutional while the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals last week ruled it constitutional.

In addressing ARCI, Sage said he was "not so sure" HISA can work. He noted that his state of Nebraska is not currently simulcasting Thoroughbred racing out-of-state rather than proceeding under the Authority's oversight.

Sage thanked outgoing ARCI chair, Louisiana Racing Commission executive director Charles Gardiner III, along with the ARCI staff and the Nebraska commission and staff.

"This organization has been a beacon of animal wellness and integrity in our sport," he said. "We consistently work to get it right, and never assume that improvements cannot be made. ... We rise above the politics of the industry, and we are respectful for giving a fair assessment for every issue we encounter. Unlike some other organizations, everyone has a seat at our table."

Under the ARCI, the board votes on a chair-elect, who assumes the chairmanship. The new chair-elect is Doug Moore, who was appointed to the Washington Horse Racing Commission's board after retiring as its executive director. Anthony Salerno of the Pennsylvania Racing Commission was selected treasurer, which puts him in line to be the next chair-elect.

Sage's career in horse racing began as a security officer in 1988 at Omaha's long-shuttered Ak-Sar-Ben. He graduated in 1991 from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelor's of science in criminal justice, going to work for the Nebraska Racing Commission in 1993 as an investigator. A 1995 Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center graduate, Sage was promoted to director of investigations in 2003, taking over as executive director of the racing commission in 2008.