THA unveils new collaborative strategy after Alan Foreman’s departure
Alan Foreman’s exit has pushed THA toward a broader six-state coalition, but the group still has not said how it will change purse power, safety or governance.
Alan Foreman’s departure has pushed the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association into a rethink of its national role, and the group is now testing a broader, more collaborative model for the six-state coalition that speaks for more than 20,000 owners and trainers. The THA said July 14 that its board has begun exploring a new structure built around partnership, innovation and industry leadership, but it stopped short of explaining how that would work in practice.
That missing piece matters. The THA has long functioned as an umbrella for member organizations in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, while local horsemen’s groups continue to deal with purse levels, racetrack operations, racing dates and safety and welfare issues. The new initiative suggests the THA wants to be more than a lobby for those groups. It wants to become the place where breeder associations, racing offices, horsemen’s organizations and other partners sit down to solve problems together.
President Tina Bond, who also leads the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, framed the move as a response to a sport that has changed sharply over the last decade. Bond became THA president in March 2024 and was the first woman to head the organization. When asked for more detail, she had no further comment. That silence leaves the central question intact: if this reset works, will horsemen actually gain more leverage over the issues that affect their bottom line and their safety, or will it simply recast the THA’s branding without changing the balance of power?
Foreman’s exit gives the announcement extra weight. He spent more than three decades with the THA before leaving, and on July 2 he said the organization was in the process of disbanding. He also said he would keep working with the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and remain HISA ombudsman. Foreman became the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit ombudsman in September 2023.
Bond has already shown she favors coalition-building and message control. In October 2024, she launched The Heart of Horse Racing with FINN Partners to push positive stories about the sport, attract new fans and owners, and broaden racing’s public narrative. The new THA initiative fits that pattern, but it will be judged on whether it delivers real influence on purses, safety and governance, not on the language of collaboration alone.
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