ARCADIA, CA - Noted
equine health researcher and Pennsylvania Racing Commissioner Dr. Corrine
Sweeney, DVM, is the new Chair of the Association of Racing Commissioners
International (ARCI). In addition to serving on the commission
since 2008, Dr. Sweeney is Associate Dean at the New Bolton Center at the
University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and one of the authors
of the 2014 Consensus Statement of the independent American College of
Veterinary Internal Medicine entitled “Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage in
Horses”.
During her remarks last week
at the ARCI annual meeting on equine welfare and racing integrity, Dr. Sweeney
stated “Caring for and advocating for horses and doing research on how to
improve the health of horses has been my life’s work. The concept that any of
us would support a sport that would be detrimental to the horse dismays me.”
Tom Sage, the Executive Director
of the Nebraska State Racing Commission and former Chair of the Organization of
Racing Investigators was elected Chair-elect/ Secretary.
Commissioner Robert Lopez of the Washington State Horse Racing Commission was
named Treasurer. Outgoing Chair Maryland Executive Director Mike Hopkins
remains on the Board and Executive Committee.
Elected to the ARCI Board of
Directors were: Rick Baedeker, executive director of the California Horse
Racing Board, Charles Gardiner, executive director of the Louisiana State
Racing Commission, Charles Moore, Executive Director of the Wyoming
Pari-Mutuel Commission, Edward Menton, Chair of the Mobile County (Alabama)
Racing Commission, Marc Guilfoil, director of the Kentucky Horse Racing
Commission, Judy Nason, director of the New Jersey Racing Commission, John
Wayne, director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission,
Tom Di Pasquale, executive
director of the Minnesota Racing Commission, Dave Lermond, director of the
Virginia Racing Commission, and Kelly Cathay, director of the Oklahoma Racing
Commission.
Those elected at the meeting
will join West Virginia Assistant Attorney General Kelli Talbot, New York
Gaming Commission Director Rob Williams, Director Louis Trombetta of the
Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, and Brent Stone, Director of
Regulatory Compliance at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
The ARCI Board also voted
unanimously to extend the employment contract of the Association’s President,
Ed Martin, for another three years upon expiration this August.
