HIWU Rules Will Make Positives Known Sooner

Following the reimplementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program on May 22, it is unlikely that the public would not know about a positive test such as the one that Forte (Violence) allegedly had in the GI Hopeful S. for over eight months. That is according to a press release Wednesday outlining the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit's (HIWU) rules concerning the publication of violation information.

In a story published in the New York Times Tuesday night, Joe Drape reported that Forte had tested positive after the Hopeful S., but no information on the positive result nor the medication involved has yet been made public.

After May 22, according to HIWU, that will no longer be the case.

In the case of an overage of a permitted substance, the violation will be published on the HIWU site when the party in question waves their right to a B sample, when a positive B sample is requested by the party in question and returned, or following the admission of a violation, whichever is earliest.

While the details of the Forte Hopeful S. test are not known, the B sample is typically sent for testing when the A sample returns positive, in this case, back in September.

The rule reads that public reporting will occur at the earliest of these situations:

1. After the imposition of a Provisional Suspension (if applicable).
2. In cases where there is an Adverse Analytical Finding (“AAF”), i.e., a positive test, after the B sample confirms the AAF or the Covered Person waives the testing of the B sample, assuming no Provisional Suspension has been imposed.
3. In non-AAF cases, after the service of the Charge Letter, if no Provisional Suspension has been imposed.
4. Following the admission of a violation by the Covered Person, if the alleged violation has not already been publicly reported pursuant to a., b., or c.

The press release also indicates that the public would be made aware of the substance responsible for the finding.

In the case of all medication violations, the public disclosure will include the following information after the resolution of violations.

1. The name of the Covered Person who committed the violation(s) and any Covered Horse(s) implicated by the violation;
2. The rule(s) violated;
3. The Prohibited Substance(s) or Prohibited Method(s) involved, if any;
4. The consequences imposed;
5. Any final decision or a summary thereof; and
6. Any review rights available in respect of the decision.

HIWU is not required to publicly report a matter if it would risk compromising an ongoing investigation or proceeding.

All information listed above will be posted on HIWU's website and available for viewing at any time.

The complete rules are posted on HIWU's website, here: https://www.hiwu.org/