PHBA Asks Governor to Facilitate Payments

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association has asked Gov. Tom Wolf to facilitate resumption of breeder and stallion awards payments that have been suspended since late March because of ambiguous language in a new racing reform law.

The awards last year totaled about $11 million for a 12-month cycle. The PHBA, in a July 29 letter to Wolf, said the "lengthy halt in breeder awards has crippled the Thoroughbred breeding industry in Pennsylvania and promoted a growing exodus of investors, breeders, and skilled workers from the commonwealth."

The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, which falls under the state Department of Agriculture, at its July 27 meeting tabled consideration of a request by the PHBA to make the payments based on current law. The breeders' organization hired a law firm to make its case that the awards can be legally distributed, but counsel for the PHRC said the issue needs more study before the next commission meeting.

"Hundreds of breeders are now waiting for $3 million to $4 million in held-up awards," the PHBA said in its letter. "And the total grows each week as their produce compete and succeed on Pennsylvania's racetracks. These breeders say that they don't know what they will do if the award money is not soon released."

The overall Thoroughbred breeding program is valued at up to $30 million a year. Purses for restricted races as well as money for owner bonuses that award up to 40% of the winner's share of a purse for eligible Pennsylvania-bred or -sired horses aren't an issue.

After a back-and-forth in the recent General Assembly session, legislation that would have fixed the language in the new law and possibly altered the percentages for breeder awards died in committee. The House indicated it's working on a compromise one legislator said will be addressed when lawmakers reconvene in September.