A horse racing association has responded to a scathing New York Times op-ed about the Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing industries in the United States.
The United States Trotting Association has denounced the New York Times guest opinion essay by Noah Shachtman that was published on Feb. 28 titled, "Dead Athletes. Empty Stands. Why Are We Paying Billions to Keep This Sport Alive?"
The response by the United States Trotting Association appears below. Further statements issued by industry associations will be added as received.
USTA Response To NY Times Opinion Column
March 3, 2025
The New York Times on Sunday, March 2 published a windy, one-sided opinion piece by former Rolling Stone editor Noah Shachtman entitled “Last Call for Horse Racing.” Below the title and photo of several Thoroughbreds in full stride, was a subheading. “Why are we paying billions for a sport that fans have lost interest in?”
It was meant to be a hit piece and, in that, Mr. Shachtman succeeded. It surely will be used politically by those groups and individuals dedicated to seeing harness racing eliminated.
The Times regularly takes aim at Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing, and Sunday’s essay followed the paper’s usual playbook of distortions, half-truths, and omissions when it comes to the industry. Mr. Shachtman’s lack of understanding of even the most rudimentary concepts of harness racing – did you know that our horses pull “single-seat chariots”? – is revealing, and the sarcasm present throughout his critique shines through. At one point, he mentions the horsemen, but not without signaling his derision and elitism. “Yes,” he snidely adds, “that’s what they still call themselves.”
Mr. Shachtman says a lot of things to fit his agenda. What he ignores pokes holes in it.
*In the United States, horse racing contributes $36.4 billion annually and supports 491,000 jobs across agriculture, tourism, and veterinary services. In New York, alone, horse racing generates over $3 billion in economic activity.
*Referring to the revenue-sharing agreements between racing associations and horsemen as “handouts” or “subsidies” is erroneous. These monies allow racing to reinvest in jobs, breeding, and rural economies. Taxpayers benefit from the revenue and employment horse racing generates. Were the sport to shut down, jobs, tax revenue, and economic activity all would be lost.
*The piece fails in several spots to differentiate between Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing, particularly in the area of catastrophic breakdowns and equine fatalities. These incidents are, thankfully, exceedingly rare in harness racing because of the Standardbred’s gait and physical constitution. Mr. Shachtman at one point reluctantly acknowledges this but goes on to cast aspersions on racing’s use of Lasix, of all things, a legal, preemptive medication that prevents incidences of Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage in racehorses. The medication is therapeutic and helpful to the horse, and its regulated usage has been standard in North American racing for decades. Mr. Shachtman either does not know or does not care about this, and is content instead to fire off a cheap shot innuendo and walk away from the topic.
*Racing gets no public money, so the comparison is not analogous, but Mr. Shachtman raises the issue of publicly funded sports stadiums, defending these huge subsidies by citing venues’ high onsite attendance figures. He just conveniently omits the costs. The “new” Yankee Stadium received $1.2 billion in public monies when it broke ground in 2006. Across town, Citi Field received funding for $650 million of its $850 million total cost. In Buffalo, the Bills’ new stadium was provided with $850 million in taxpayer funding. In contrast, horse racing contributes more in tax revenue than it receives in revenue-sharing incentives while often providing higher economic returns and generating more jobs.
*The piece asserts that “they pay their workers…with our money.” This is a falsehood. Horse racing is not a zero-sum game, and the government does not “own” the sport. Horsemen and caretakers are paid through private investment and not taxpayer dollars. Trainers are compensated by owners, and, in turn, pay their staff. This money comes from purses, training fees, and private investments, not state funding. Mr. Shachtman also fails to mention that public education in New York State already benefits from casino revenues, having realized more than $4 billion in funding since 2011.
Make no mistake. The U.S. Trotting Association stands firmly on the side of the owners, trainers, caretakers, officials, and, especially, the racehorses that deserve significantly more respect than the New York Times and Noah Shachtman have given them. The Association will continue to work with horsemen’s groups and legislatures to spotlight the truths about Standardbreds and the Standardbred racing industry.
(With files from USTA)