Beginning in the third quarter of 2019, the Association of Racing Commissioners International and the University of Arizona’s Racetrack Industry Program will launch an educational program for horse racing investigators employed by racing commissions and tracks.
No such program currently exists, and the effort will complement the work of the Organization of Racing Investigators and the Racing Officials Accreditation Program.
Modeled after the ROAP, it is anticipated that racing commissions will phase in a requirement that racing investigators complete the course as a condition of employment and be required to participate in continuing education programs like the annual ORI conference.
“The RTIP welcomes the opportunity to partner with the ARCI in ensuring that those seeking employment as racing investigators have the necessary educational foundation to perform effectively,” said Wendy Davis, director of the Racetrack Industry Program.
“As one who recruited and built a staff of effective racing investigators, I can attest that a good investigator not only must have investigatory and interrogation skills, but also have a keen understanding of how racing works as well as a feel for the backstretch community and what to take notice of,” said Ed Martin, ARCI president.
The program’s steering committee consists of Davis and RCI board members Tom Sage and John Wayne, both seasoned investigators.
The date for the first certificate program has yet to be finalized, but it is being planned for the third quarter of 2019. Further information will be disseminated as it becomes available.
The Race Track Industry Program offers Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees centered on the racing industry. It offers two paths of study; one preparing students for racetrack management, regulation or pari-mutuel racing organizations, the other preparing students for employment in areas dealing with racing and breeding animals.
The ARCI is the umbrella group of the official racing regulatory authorities that enact and enforce the rules and are ultimately responsible for detecting and prosecuting those who violate the rules of racing.
(ARCI)