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Ahead of Kentucky Derby, worker shortage looms for trainers
Read full article: Ahead of Kentucky Derby, worker shortage looms for trainersThe Trump administrations immigration squeeze and the hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic threaten to leave the horse racing industry short of workers, racing officials warn as they prepare for a reconfigured Kentucky Derby. Pea argues that H-2B visa workers have less legal protection than their American counterparts. Low pay is part of the problem, contends Elisabeth Jensen, the executive vice president of the Kentucky Equine Education Project, an organization that supports the state's horse industry. To accommodate the number of horses with a limited supply of workers, trainers have to work with fewer horses. Laurie Mays, a project manager at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, is in charge of developing a local workforce for the horse industry.