ADMC Program

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) board of directors announced Monday an important change to a controversial aspect of the federal program's enforcement approach. The HISA board have requested that the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) limit the circumstances under which they issue provisional suspensions. These are the temporary suspensions imposed before a trainer or other allegedly guilty party has had a chance to argue their cause during a formal hearing and relate to cases associated with banned substances. The announcement states that the HISA board has determined...

by Jennie Rees, Jon Moss, Peter Ecabert "Eric Hamelback is only carrying out the democratically elected National HBPA board's wishes But no one is more passionate, tireless or bleeds and agonizes more about working for real solutions to our industry's complex problems than Eric." The following was written by Jennie Rees, Jon Moss and Peter Ecabert. The opinions expressed are their own. The National HBPA, of which Eric Hamelback is the CEO and which represents state HBPA affiliates, is virtually the one Thoroughbred entity that has stood up to challenge...

The nation's racetracks appear primed for compliance with the first set of uniform receiving barn cleanliness, maintenance and security regulations. Just how stringent these rules will be remains up in the air. Back in August, the TDN took a dive into the issues that stakeholders frequently raise about the nation's fleet of receiving barns. This included the potential for unclean stalls, or receiving barns in poor overall physical condition, to cause environmental contamination through left behind trace drug residues. Last month, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) issued for...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the HIWU "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 09/26/2024 Licensee: Miguel Hernandez, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on Sept. 27, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horses' Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)-related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, trainer Jonathan Wong has been suspended for two years and fined $25,000 for a post-race metformin positive from last June. Wong told the TDN he has appealed the ruling which could now go before the Federal Trade Commission, head to federal court, or both. He also said that he would seek a temporary injunction against the ban. Trainer Kari Craddock was issued a seven-day suspension...

All post-race test samples taken from contenders in the 2023 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park earlier this month have been cleared by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU). 2023 marked the first year the Breeders' Cup World Championships were run under the full jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority (HISA), including the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which took effect in May of this year and is implemented and enforced by HIWU. As was the case under Breeders' Cup's anti-doping and medication control...

Natalia Lynch, a Belmont Park-based trainer who has been licensed since 2020, has been penalized with a four-year suspension and a $50,000 fine after a Nov. 9 Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) arbitration judgment found her to be in violation of two separate anti-doping rules, one for the presence of a banned substance (Altrenogest) in a horse, and another for possession of a different prohibited drug (Thyro-L). Lynch's attorney, John Mac Hayes, told TDN Monday that the trainer plans to appeal the arbitration result to a Federal Trade Commission...

Dear Thoroughbred racing participants, I want to thank everyone in racing who continues to do their part to promote HISA rule compliance to help advance our sport. HISA is proud of and encouraged by the progress we have made in the first five months of our Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, as well as the safety improvements we've seen across the country under U.S. Thoroughbred racing's first-ever uniform regulations. We continue to make the sport safer for our athletes while also making the rules clearer and more efficient for...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has released its proposed budget for 2024, totaling $80.96 million, including $38.7 million earmarked for the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), the drug testing arm of the federal program. The total fee assessments for the states and racetracks come out to $78.5 million, but available credits potentially bring that number down to $59.8 million. HISA's 2023 total budget was initially set at $72.5 million. That number was subsequently revised down to $66.4 million earlier this year. The proposed 2024 budget was issued...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) will host a Town Hall webinar Sept. 7 at 12:30 p.m. ET to address questions about the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. It will be the first webinar in an anticipated series to connect industry participants with HISA leadership. Both HISA and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) leadership will be on hand during the webinar to provide clarity on the ADMC Program's rules, regulations, processes, and procedures. The webinar is open to anyone in racing. Registration is now open and...

Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lazarus and Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) Executive Director Ben Mosier released a statement late Tuesday to address the rights of Thoroughbred owners under HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The statement appears below in its entirety: "In response to recently published misinformation regarding owners' rights under the HISA Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, HISA and HIWU are compelled to again set the facts straight and reiterate our commitment to due process under HISA regulations. "Following an...

The most recent of five separate legal attempts within the past two years to derail the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) via alleged constitutionality claims hit a roadblock Tuesday when a federal judge in Arkansas denied a motion for a preliminary injunction that sought to halt HISA's oversight and its Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program. The plaintiffs, led by Bill Walmsley, president of the Arkansas Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), and Jon Moss, the executive director of the Iowa HBPA, had asked a judge in United States...