Dan Patrick

Lieutenant Governor of Texas

President of the Senate

December 01, 2015

Robert Schmidt, M.D.

Chairman

Texas Racing Commission

P.O. Box 12080

Austin, Texas 78711

Dear Chairman Schmidt:

Thank you for your service to the State of Texas and your work on the Texas Racing

Commission.

I am very hopeful about your upcoming Commission meeting scheduled for December 15,

2015, because you and your fellow Commissioners have an opportunity to address an important

issue.

As I have previously stated, I believe the decision to publish rules for the implementation of

historical racing was not an appropriate action for the Commission. The move runs afoul of the

Texas Constitution and the express desire of many members of the Texas Legislature, including

me.

I ask that you take this opportunity to unwind historical racing and return the Commission

to its statutory purpose of enforcing the Texas Racing Act and its rules to ensure the safety,

integrity, and fairness of Texas pari-mutuel racing. Additionally, I am committed to gathering

stakeholders together – horse breeders, trainers, and other associated and affiliated agri-business

– to find ways to improve opportunities outside of expanding the gambling footprint in Texas. I

want to restore certainty and predictability to the industry and allow them to prosper moving

forward.

The equine industry has a long and storied history in Texas, and I look forward to this

opportunity to work together to ensure their long term success.

For Texas,

Dan Patrick

Lieutenant Governor of Texas

DP/cc

cc: Vice Chairman Ronald F. Ederer

Gary Aber, D.V.M.

Gloria Hicks

Michael F. Martin, D.V.M

John T. Steen III

Vicki Smith Weinberg

Honorable Glenn Hegar

A. Cynthia Leon