The past, present and possible future of the horse racing industry in the United States – which is still, by many measures, the biggest in the world – were summed up in a few sentences by trainer Jena Antonucci earlier this year, a few weeks after she became the first woman to saddle the winner of the prestigious Belmont Stakes.
Asked for her views on the recently launched Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (Hisa), a federal-level body to oversee both racecourse safety and anti-doping measures, Antonucci did not hold back. “It isn’t a secret that there’s different availabilities at different levels,” Antonucci said. “Different pharmaceuticals, different really smart chemists, people looking to gain an edge that you guys [Hisa] have worked so hard to try and neutralise.
