Piece originally was published at the Thoroughbred Daily News on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Hosted by the Keeneland Association, the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) annual training and networking conference is marked for Sunday, Mar. 2 through Wednesday, Mar. 5.
Central to ORI’s mission is the pursuit of integrity and education for its members. By sharing best practices, interactions among investigators creates lasting relationships between jurisdictions. Representatives from every state racing entity will be in attendance, as well as regulators from national and international entities.
With sponsors such as the AQHA, Breeders’ Cup, NYRA, Parx Racing, PENN Gaming, The Stronach Group and Woodbine, this year’s conference in the Bluegrass boasts topics which will cover a range of hot button issues. Both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse case studies are on the agenda as members will look to expand their own toolkits.
The 2025 ORI meeting is chaired by Dr. Stuart Brown, who has served as Keeneland’s Vice President of Equine Safety since 2020.
“ORI’s annual conference brings together investigators from across the sport of horse racing as guardians of the integrity of this global industry,” said Dr. Brown. “The aim is to bring a dynamic program of speakers that will share their perspectives on many of the issues facing these investigators each and every day. We are excited to be able to host this year’s conference at Keeneland.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the following:
- Regulation of Horse Racing in France: Samuel Fargeat, Head of Raceday Stewarding & Integrity Section, France Galop;
- Update on the EIA Cases in Quarter Horse Racing: Angela Pelzel-McCluskey, National Equine Epidemiologist, USDA Inspection Services;
- Present Day Threats on Wagering Security–Update on CAW’s: Pat Cummings, Executive Director, National Thoroughbred Alliance;
- Biometric Sensor Technology & Timing Devices: Kyle McDoniel, President & Chief Operations Officer, Equibase;
- USTA Integrity Initiatives: T.C. Lane, Chief Operations Officer, United States Trotting Association;
- Integrity Programs in Quarter Horse Racing: Janet VanBebber, Chief Racing Officer, American Quarter Horse Association;
- Role of the Investigator on Big Days in Racing: Dora Delgado, Executive Vice-President, Breeders Cup and Will Farmer, Equine Medical Director, Churchill Downs;
- Jockey Health and Wellness Programs/Research Approach to Jockey Safety: Matt Ward, Paramedic, Alpha Event Medical and Kimberly Tumlin, University of Kentucky, SMRI;
- Livestock Investigators Toolkit: Sarah Coleman, Executive Director, Kentucky Horse Council;
- Jockey Club Traceability Programs: Kristin Werner, Deputy General Council, The Jockey Club;
- Update on Equine Drug Testing in North America: Michael Hardy, Executive Director, Racing Medication Testing Consortium;
- Veterinary Forensic Investigations in Horse Racing: Alina Vale, Consultant in Veterinary Forensic Investigations;
- Southern District of New York Servis & Navarro Investigation: Shaun Richards, Director of Intelligence and Strategy, HIWU;
- Keeneland Integrity Protocols on Raceday: Pat McBride, Assistant Director of Security and Mike Keyser, Training Manager of Security, Keeneland Association;
- Keeneland Barn Surveillance System: Kassandra Creed, Equine Safety Compliance, Keeneland Association and TJ Dooley, Limitless Integrations;
- Reputational Risk for the Equine Investigator: Laura D’Angelo, Esquire Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.