On this week’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod, whiskey entrepreneur Amir Peay is joined in Lexington, Ky., by Leon Nichols of the Project to Preserve African American Turf History and Allen Carter from Silver Springs Farm to talk about the legacy of long-ago horse owner and distiller James E. Pepper and his role in diversifying sports like racing and boxing more than a century ago.

From Las Vegas, National Thoroughbred Racing Association CEO Tom Rooney discusses the rise in popularity of handicapping contests like the National Horseplayers Championship as well as the rollout of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act.

Horse Racing Nation’s Ed DeRosa handicaps weekend races, including graded stakes at Oaklawn and the start of a Pick 6 with a mandatory payout at Charles Town.

There also is listener feedback from comments on Twitter about recent HRN stories.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher as well as HorseRacingNation.com.