TAA-Facilitating Effective Aftercare

A Kentucky, New York and Pennsylvania Thoroughbred owner and breeder, Nelson Clemmens owns AmWest Entertainment LLC headquartered in Prospect, Kentucky. Alongside managing the company and the wagering platform, AmWager, Nelson Clemmens has been involved in different groups, initiatives and organizations, including a prior role as the advisor for the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA).

The HBPA works to improve racing by negotiating racing contracts and providing benevolence for horsemen in need. One of the HBPA’s initiatives is the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA).

Thoroughbreds deserve a safe exit from racing after their service. The TAA, orchestrated by Kentucky HBPA member Jack Wolf in 2012, ensures this through accrediting and funding aftercare organizations involved in racehorse retirement, retraining, and adoption programs. TAA sources these funds from racing and breeding industry stakeholders such as owners, stallion farms, race tracks, sales companies, horsemen groups, veterinarians, and other groups.

To qualify for aftercare grants, TAA first vets the applying aftercare organization. The organization must be a not-for-profit or charity, should have been in operation for a minimum of three years, have a euthanasia policy consistent with the American Humane Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners euthanasia guidelines, amongst others.

After application and checklist review, TAA assigns representatives for a site inspection to determine the organization’s aftercare capability. If accredited, the TAA committee reevaluates the organization to determine the ultimate grant amount based on the total number of grant applicants and the available funding. Since its inception, TAA has granted more than $20.7 million to more than 80 accredited organizations.

What Is Historical Horse Racing?

With a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Western Kentucky University, Nelson Clemmens owns AmWest Entertainment LLC and the online wagering platform AmWager. Also an ardent Thoroughbred owner and breeder, Nelson Clemmens is deeply involved in racing and gaming matters, including pushing for the adoption and legislation of historical horse racing in Kentucky.

Historical horse racing (HHR), also known as instant racing, is a competitive alternative to traditional gambling games. However, in traditional games, the results are random, and the operator or the house has a chance to win. In contrast, with HHR, players bet on previously run races, and like a true parimutuel, the house does not have a stake in the outcome. Instead, the winnings are pooled from all the players who bet.

To play, the player predicts the order of finishers of past races, with the option of manually handicapping the auto-picked order according to the provided information. If multiple people have bet on the winner, the total prize money pooled from the losers is shared among the winners. Unlike traditional games, this means you cannot estimate your actual payout until the number of total winners is determined.

HHR is played on cabinetry-like machines akin to many traditional games, with terminals and coin-operated features. However, the function is the same as placing an actual wager on an off-track betting kiosk or racetrack facility. The screen displays both a representation of the past horse race result, mostly in graphical format, and the racing simulation, as you would see with traditional games. However, since it is a past event, you do not have to watch the whole race. You can skip to the end for the results.