Jess Jackson Testifies Before Congressional Subcommittee

Curlin Owner Calls for Establishing Major League for Thoroughbred Horse
Racing, Ban on Drugs

WASHINGTON, June 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jess Jackson, majority
owner of 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, today asked Congress to support major
reforms in the thoroughbred horse racing industry, including the creation of a
national organization of thoroughbred horse owners to regulate the sport and a
ban on steroids and all non-therapeutic drugs on race horses.
Testifying before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer
Protection, Jackson said, the lack of central authority to create and enforce
uniform rules and regulations, along with a flawed business model, resulted in
bad industry practices that alienate fans, jeopardize the safety of the horses
and jockeys and threaten the long-term economic viability of the sport.
"A legitimate national owners governing body with federally sanctioned
authority to make and enforce consistent rules, regulations and standards is
desperately needed," he said. Jackson said such an organization could solve
most of the industry's central problems, which he said include a "lack of
transparency of medical records and ownership, uniformity, accountability and
enforceability (of rules)."
Jackson, owner of Stonestreet Farms and Stonestreet Stables, said the
formation of a national owners group would be aided by a simple two-word
deletion in Interstate Horseracing Act. He urged Congress to amend the law to
permit race horse owners to organize in the same manner professional golfers
were allowed to form the PGA.
Acknowledging that the industry "has a drug problem," Jackson said, "We
must replace inconsistent and unenforceable state standards with a uniform
national standard that is in accordance with international (zero tolerance)
rules." He said thoroughbred owners and others in the industry "are all
deeply saddened" about the deaths of race horses such as Barbaro and Eight
Belles, adding that "We need Congress to take an active interest in assuring
the integrity, safety and economic viability of this magnificent sport."
The industry's "broken business model" depends on profits from breeding
rather than racing, Jackson said, noting that current estimates are that horse
owners invest $4.3 billion a year for a chance to compete for approximately
$1.1 billion in purses. "There is every incentive to shorten horses' racing
careers, racing them too young and retiring them too soon, in order to get
them to stud sooner ... " he said. "We used to breed to race. Now we race to
breed."
Compounding the problem, he said, "The industry focuses excessively on
breeding horses for early, brilliant speed at relatively short distances.
Today too many breeders end up producing heavily conformed upper body muscled
horses with relatively fragile legs. It's like having Arnold Schwarzenegger's
body and Don Knotts' legs. We need stamina and durability as well as speed."
Because of the absence of transparency about the frequency and cause of
racing-related injuries and limited access to medical records, conscientious
breeders do not have sufficient information available to make fully informed
breeding decisions, Jackson said. "The careers of racing horses are too short
to provide much of a racing history on which to base predictions of the
performance of their offspring," he said.
Jackson, founder of the Kendall-Jackson Winery, bucked industry convention
and decided to race Curlin as a four-year-old, taking a risk that he would
lose millions of dollars in breeding fees if something happened to the horse.
He has said Curlin, winner of the Breeder's Cup, could set an example for the
thrills and excitement older horses can provide the fans and the media. He
told subcommittee members that the industry, fans and horses would benefit if
the emphasis shifted to racing older, stronger and mature horses. He is
actively acquiring foreign born horses bred for strength and stamina. "We're
trying to breed a superior product just as we have in our wine business,"
Jackson said.
Jackson said his lifelong passion for horses dates back 70 years to his
boyhood in California where he saw the great thoroughbred Seabiscuit run in a
race not far from his home. "That memory has stayed with me all these years,
and helped forge a strong affection for horses and a deep appreciation of
their beauty, power, elegance and athleticism."
Even though he has only recently returned to thoroughbred ownership,
Jackson said it has been apparent to him that major changes are needed. "The
vast majority of the people in this business are honest, good people and they
desire change," he said, "We need a national organization and commissioner to
improve revenue with better marketing to save this majestic and thrilling
sport."
About Stonestreet Farms
Owned by Jess Jackson, Stonestreet Farms and Stonestreet Stables currently
race several dozen thoroughbreds and maintain over 100 broodmares in their
breeding operations. Stonestreet Stables is the majority owner of Curlin, 2007
Horse of the Year. Together with his wife Barbara Banke, Jackson also owns the
world-class Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, the award-winning California maker
of fine wines.
SOURCE Stonestreet Farms

Caroline Shaw of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, Ltd., +1-707-529-0400; or David
Schneiderman of The Abernathy MacGregor Group, Inc., +1-206-437-9998, both for
Stonestreet Farms