ARCI Board Endorses Compact Plan for Racing

[ALostTexan]

I am surprised that nobody is talking about this so I will bring it up. One of the #1 complaints by horsemen, racetracks, and horseplayers is the lack of "uniform rules" for racing, citing that every state has different rules and nobody is on the same page out there.

Well, this is a huge step in the right direction for this to actually happen. It seems that everyone wants the same rules everywhere but nobody knows how to actually get there. Interstate compacts are probably the only way that this can happen, allowing states to keep control of their business but allowing a legal authority to put many things under one umbrella.

Interstate compacts are used as a way to make happen projects like bridge construction on borders between two states. The compact allows the two states that have their own construction codes on each side to enter into an agreement to allow a uniform set of rules for the construction of that bridge.

Racing can have something like this. You can have claiming rules, for instance, be regulated by individual states but allow them to forgo some of their authority when making rules for drugs.

I think that this is a huge, huge step in pulling racing together as a sport.