Contact: Joan Lawrence, NTRA Communications, (646) 335-6833, jlawrence@ntra.com
Contact: Jeff J. Maday, Media Relations Manager, Canterbury Park 952-496-6408, JMaday@canterburypark.com
CANTERBURY PARK EARNS REACCREDITATION FROM NTRA SAFETY & INTEGRITY ALLIANCE
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 23, 2017) – The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that Canterbury Park has earned reaccreditation from the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance. Canterbury Park received its initial Alliance accreditation in 2010. All accreditations and reaccreditations carry an effective period of two years.
“Earning re-accreditation from the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance assures all Canterbury Park participants that we are in line with, and in many cases, exceed industry standards for safety. We value highly the safety of jockeys, employees and the horses. At Canterbury Park safety and integrity are, and always have been, a top priority,” said Randy Sampson, President and CEO, Canterbury Park.
Canterbury Park is to host the 16th annual Track Superintendents Conference, June 11-13. Biosecurity, racetrack geometry, equipment setup, best practice race rail installations, and race-day injury management protocols are among topics to be discussed. Participants earn credit toward the Safety Training and Continuing Education component of the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance’s Code of Standards. Plus, eligible participating officials gain eight hours of Racing Officials Accreditation Program credits.
Complementing its annual summer Thoroughbred racing season, Canterbury hosts year-round simulcasting and operates a card casino. In addition, Canterbury Park is a proud supporter of their local community. As a member of the Minnesota Keystone program, Canterbury Park pledge to return 5% of pre-tax profits to the community annually.
The reaccreditation of Canterbury Park was the culmination of a lengthy process that hosted several meetings with Alliance officials. An on-site review included inspections of all facets of the racing facility. Interviews were conducted with race track executives, racetrack personnel, jockeys, owners, trainers and stewards. The inspection team was comprised of Dr. Ron Jensen, DVM, former equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board; Mike Kilpack, security and integrity consultant and past chairman of the Organization of Racetrack Investigators; Dan Fick, racetrack operations consultant and vice chairman of the Racing Officials Accreditation Program; Jim Gates, racetrack operations consultant, former general manager of Churchill Downs; and Steve Koch, executive director of the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance.
Canterbury Park is one of 23 racing facilities fully accredited by the Alliance that together host 90 percent of graded stakes and generate 75 percent of North American pari-mutuel handle. The others are Aqueduct Racetrack, Arlington Park, Belmont Park, Churchill Downs, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Finger Lakes, Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Indiana Grand, Keeneland, Kentucky Downs, Laurel Park, Los Alamitos Race Course, Monmouth Park, Pimlico Race Course, Santa Anita Park, Saratoga Race Course, Suffolk Downs, Sunland Park, Turfway Park and Woodbine.
The NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance is horse racing’s key mechanism for implementing racetrack safety and integrity initiatives on a uniform basis nationwide. Information on the Alliance, supported by the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and Insurance Office of America can be found at NTRAalliance.com.
About the NTRA
The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, NTRA.com, the Eclipse Awards, the National Handicapping Championship, NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program, and Horse PAC, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).
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