Move comes after a January 31 ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

© Coady Photography

HOUSTON, TX–FEBRURY 2, 2023–Sam Houston Race Park will resume domestic simulcasting Feb. 3. Racetracks in Texas have been without out-of-state simulcast export of its signal since its since last summer amid opposition of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority by the Texas Racing Commission.

The announcement came after a Jan. 31 ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that denied a request by HISA and the Federal Trade Commission to put the brakes on the appellate court's ruling that HISA is facially unconstitutional.

Due to Tuesday's decision, a preliminary injunction against enforcement of HISA rules issued by a federal district court in Louisiana, an injunction that had been partially stayed by the Fifth Circuit until it held HISA unconstitutional in November will remains in effect.

"Now I'm grateful to have some legal backing to say it doesn't apply in Texas now, and we can allow our horsemen and tracks to export the signal," TRC executive director Amy Cook said and letter released Wednesday.

Dwight Berube, vice president and general manager at Sam Houston, expressed relief at the resumption of simulcasting, noting that betting on Sam Houston is down "probably 90% since last year, but that was understandable and exactly what we anticipated when we lost the export signal."

Simulcast wagering accounts for the vast majority of betting at Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred meets in Texas..

Wagering also dropped sharply in July at Lone Star Park when simulcasting handle ceased. Over the second half of last year Quarter Horse racing, a breed does not fall under HISA oversight.

HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said in early January before the latest HISA court ruling that if the TRC did not allow its state racetracks to export their signal, they would not fall under HISA's authority, still suffered in handle at Texas tracks unable to send out their signals. .

Sam Houston will continue to begin its afternoon cards at 1 p.m. (CST) this week from Feb. 3-5 but could shift to "the later part of the day" going forward on Fridays, potentially starting Feb. 10, Berube said.

"We'll probably request that of the commission by tomorrow," he added.