Rail Talk Episode 106: Unpacking the Budget

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green sit down with HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus to answer horsemen’s questions about the regulator’s proposed $78 million budget for 2026. How much is going to drug testing? What are some ways we can be more efficient going forward? And what is the intrinsic value of racing on a more level playing field compared to the cheater-infested landscape we had pre-HISA?The boys then react to Baeza getting his well-deserved Grade I in the Pennsylvania Derby and look ahead to a phenomenal Breeders’ Cup Classic. Joe and Jon also discuss the New York stewards’ latest colossally infuriating screwup over the weekend that put bettors in a terrible spot, and Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale leaving the game.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content—be sure to join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods! Thanks to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, The Green Group and Epic Insurance for their support.