It replaced the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America as the sponsor of the American Horse of the Year awards in 1998.

The NTRA had been a key lobbying team behind the new legislation,[5] and the IHA Amendment was signed by President Bill Clinton on December 22 and clarified that the US horse racing industry could conduct interstate simulcasting and "commingling of pools and account wagering," so long as the states where the activity occurred permitted such activity.

[5] Separate gambling legislation known as the Federal Wire Act that historically prohibited any betting over state lines via technology stayed intact, with horse racing becoming the sole exemption for federally recognized online gambling in states that authorized the activity.

[9] In 2006 the NTRA lobbying team secured an additional exemption for horse racing in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, signed by President Bush on October 13, 2006.

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