It’s always encouraging when the people steering the ship decide to gather on deck and look at the water.
Aron Wellman hosted a Zoom today following his letters to the Thoroughbred Daily News supporting Mike Repole’s call for accountability from The Jockey Club. Pat Cummings and Anita Motion participated. From what I could tell, Craig Bandoroff attended on behalf of the establishment aka The Jockey Club.
The tone was civil. The conversation was serious. And the focus — rightfully — centered on aftercare. In many respects, it was a necessary conversation. In some respects, it was a familiar one.
When the Vocabulary Changes, the Climate Has Already Shifted
Pat Cummings addressed two of the 20 reform points he and Repole outlined: compassion fatigue and the chilling effect many rescues feel under TAA accreditation structures. Compassion fatigue is not theoretical. It is what happens when the same handful of people absorb the emotional and financial weight of an industry year after year while others discuss optics.
The censorship question — more politely framed as “non-disparagement dynamics” — is more nuanced but no less real. When funding, accreditation, and access intersect, candor can become complicated. That tension was acknowledged.
That matters.
Because once language like that enters the room openly, it becomes harder to pretend it doesn’t exist. Conversations that were once whispered are now being discussed on record. That doesn’t happen by accident.
The Numbers That Don’t Care About Public Relations
Some figures shared during the call should give anyone who loves this sport pause:
- The slaughter pipeline reportedly up 25%.
- Thoroughbreds estimated at 6–10% of that increase.
- One rescue pulling 75 horses from kill pens in the past year alone.
Seventy-five. That isn’t a system functioning smoothly. That is a system relying on triage.
Governance and the Closed Loop
The discussion also moved, as it inevitably must, toward the structural overlap between The Jockey Club, Keeneland, and the Breeders’ Cup. Concentrated governance. Interlocking leadership. Perceived conflicts. These are not new questions. They are foundational ones. Hearing them addressed in a forum with decision-makers present is progress. But progress is not measured by discussion. It is measured by structural change.
Holding The Bag
Both Pat and Aron pointed out how between the Breeders’ Cup (100 million) and The Jockey Club (40 million) there is money available for funding, but the only ones who realize the industry is in crisis are not the ones holding the bag.
The Difference Between a Step and a Shift
Was the meeting positive?
Yes.
Was it consequential?
That depends on what happens next.
The industry has reached a point where acknowledging concerns is no longer sufficient. Reform, transparency, and measurable accountability are the bar now — not polite consensus. There is a moment in every cycle where the conversation catches up to the documentation. We, and only Past the Wire has been fairly documenting all this, and it is good to see them being acknowledged in an open forum led by Pat Cummings.
When that happens, two things are usually true:
First, the issues were real. Second, someone had already been writing about them. The sport doesn’t need applause lines. It needs courage. If this was the beginning of sustained reform, it will be remembered as such. If it was merely an airing of concerns in a controlled setting, that too will become clear with time. Change in Thoroughbred racing never begins in the center of the room. It starts on the edges — where uncomfortable questions are asked before they are fashionable. By the time those questions reach the middle, the shift is already underway.
Now the negatives. Personally, I was disappointed to see in the comments profiting from aftercare being brought up. I really do not want to get into all that now, I just thought it was the wrong time and wrong place. Perhaps that and what I’ll mention next were just me perception. I think it was good Aron hosted the meeting and provided the forum. I just heard Eclipse and Partners a few too many times for my comfort. Maybe I’m off base, perhaps a little harsh, I’ll give him a pass. Overall I think it went well.
We’ll see what moves next.
