The open forum of the 56th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities, organized by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, will be available on the IFHA’s website beginning at approximately 10:30 a.m. CEST (4:30 a.m. ET) Oct. 3 via live stream. A replay of the conference will be posted in the days following the event.

This year’s event is the first in-person conference in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This event convenes at a critical junction of our industry as we examine the key reforms and issues impacting the sport and look forward to the key opportunities and challenges ahead,” said IFHA chair Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, who will deliver the conference’s opening and closing remarks. “I personally look forward to the sharing of ideas that the conference will bring, and for us to connect in person once again.”

Topics to be covered include the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority in the United States, which launched its safety initiatives July 1 and will roll out its medication testing and enforcement programs Jan. 1. Also on the agenda are broadening horse racing’s appeal globally, addressing climate change through sport, and a review of what was learned during the pandemic.

The first session will feature Stuart S. Janney III, chairman of the U.S. Jockey Club, and Lisa Lazarus, CEO of HISA. Later, a pre-recorded interview by Rishi Persad with Tony Parker will focus on fan engagement. This topic also will be addressed by Emmanuel Vacher, the chief marketing officer of the Pari Mutuel Urbain (French state-controlled betting system), and Julien Levilain, manager director of Buzzman, the ad agency responsible for a number of PMU campaigns.

A presentation on climate change will be made by Clarisse Magnin-Mallez, senior partner at McKinsey; and, Brant Dunshea, the British Horseracing Authority’s chief regulatory officer and project executive sponsor for the report on Environmental and Sustainability in British Horseracing. 

The impacts of COVID-19 will be discussed by Masayuki Goto, president and CEO of the Japan Racing Association; Vee Moodley, CEO of The National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa; and, Daniel Krüger, managing director, Deutscher Galopp e.V. (Germany). Carly Dixon, executive general manager for Stakeholder, Customer & Corporate Affairs, Racing Victoria, will then present on the upcoming 39th Asian Racing Conference, which will be held in Melbourne in February 2023.

The first International Conference of Horseracing Authorities was organized and hosted by the Société d’Encouragement in Paris, France, Oct. 9, 1967. Since 1994, the annual conference has been organized by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities at France Galop. In 2019, the last year the conference was held in person, delegates from more than 50 different countries convened along with a number of other racing executives and media members. The JRA became the official partner of the conference beginning in 2021.

The IFHA is the global leader in the international sport of Thoroughbred racing, seeking to promote all facets of the worldwide sport; protect the welfare of the equine and human athlete, and protect and grow its global social and economic significance for current and future generations.

Major areas of the IFHA’s activities include:

• Making and amending the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering (the IABRW)
• Policy development relating to welfare and safety of horses and riders
• International race planning and grading (“black type”)
• World rankings
• The fight against equine prohibited substances and practices
• Harmonization of racing rules
• Certification of IFHA reference labs
• Fostering commercial development of the racing industry globally

This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.