Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Iowa Horsemen Push For Changes

March 9, 2010

Iowans who race standardbreds face a cutback in both the number of racing days each year and in the purse available for those races.

The Iowa Harness Horse Association will rally at the Iowa Capitol today.
The association, led by Royal Roland of Grinnell, intends to push for legislation they favor that would make changes to purse money.

The horse association has retained former state lawmaker Jeff Lamberti as their lawyer, according to a news release. Lamberti served as a state senator from 1999 to 2006, and was Senate President for the last two years. During that time period, there were debates about taxing levels for racetracks and casinos.

“I negotiated with every entity out there on the issue, and in the end, we found resolutions beneficial to everybody,” Lamberti said in a written statement.

Standardbreds, also called harness horses, face rules now that weren’t necessarily the Legislature’s intent in 2004, Lamberti said. In the news release, Lamberti said he is seeking “long-term solutions that are mutually beneficial to all groups involved.”

The horse association backs House File 2507, but it did died this session for lack of support. The bill concerned purse agreements for races of standardbred horses at county fairs.

It would have provided that “agreements concerning horse racing between the horse racetrack in Polk County (Prairie Meadows) and representatives of standardbred horses shall include a supplemental amount for standardbred races held at county fairs which amount shall be included in determining the total amount of horse purses that is required to be paid,” the bill says.