ADMC

With the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) first pending rulings for medication and anti-doping related violations having just been made public, the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) issued a reminder Thursday of the possible sanctions under this new federal framework. As the THA points out, taken as a whole the penalty scheme under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is significantly more stringent than that imposed previously by state commissions. These new sanctions pertain to medication positives and other anti-doping related infractions that come after May 22, when HIWU's...

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) and RealResponse relaunched its anonymous whistleblower platforms to enable Thoroughbred racing participants to submit tips regarding potential violations of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) and Racetrack Safety Programs. At the time of the original Program launch Mar. 27, 2023, the platforms were only accepting tips related to ADMC Program violations. Contacts to submit a tip: Phone Line: (888) 714-HIWU (4498) Text Line: (855) 901-TIPS (8477) Email: hiwutips@hiwu.realresponse.com "Opening up HIWU's anonymous whistleblower platforms to those seeking...

After a series of false starts, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) signature anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program is now set to go into effect Monday. On Friday, TDN spoke with HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus on a variety of topics including the launch of HISA's signature drug control program, operational expenses, the Forte situation, Kentucky Derby week and Texas. The following is a very lightly edited version of that interview. TDN: Last week, the TDN published a story on the headwinds facing the Texas racing industry. In it,...

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU)'s website has a number of educational materials to assist with the relaunch of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety (HISA) Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which is slated for May 22. Among the downloads available are: Out-of-Competition Testing Dietary Supplements Differences in testing processes for routine timed workouts versus workouts to be released from the Vets' List Processes for retiring/unretiring a Covered Horse from the testing pool Withdrawal Guidance Advisory from the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium Prohibited Substance Lists for Banned...

The Texas judge handling the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) constitutionality lawsuit that is trying to halt the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) on Wednesday refused to grant an injunction that would delay the May 22 implementation of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program. In issuing his order, United States District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas (Lubbock Division) pointed out that it is the second time in two weeks that he has informed the plaintiffs in a court order that...

Not even 24 hours after the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged links between the sport's recent adverse headlines and the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA)'s request to delay the May 22 implementation of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program, the NHBPA fired back with a response that stated the fatalities of seven horses during GI Kentucky Derby week shouldn't be used as a means to make legal arguments in the 2-year-old lawsuit. "The Horsemen will not exploit the...

Lisa Lazarus, the CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), has written an open letter to industry participants, addressing the measures HISA plans to implement in the wake of a spate of fatalities during the first week of the Churchill Downs meet leading up to and including Kentucky Derby day. The statement, in its entirety, reads: Fellow racing participants, I wanted to take a minute of your time to share an update on HISA's role related to the events of last week along with a perspective on what's...

Following a launch March 27, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) plans to resume enforcement of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program May 22. The program seeks to implement the following: Transparency: The ADMC Program requires public disclosure of alleged Anti-Doping Rule Violations once the Covered Person has been notified of the violation and Provisionally Suspended. The alleged violation will be reported by HIWU on its website, and the public information disclosed will include the date of the collection, the name of...

In two separate court filings Thursday, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) both sharply criticized the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA)'s decision to seek an injunction that would delay the May 22 implementation of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program. What stood out was that neither the HISA Authority nor the FTC shied from trying to link the NHBPA's desire to maintain the "status quo" to the grim headlines that have dominated the sport over the past week. "Seven...

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...

Even as the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) is trying to halt the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) for good, its attorneys filed a response in federal court Thursday that criticized the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)'s Apr. 27 order that mandated the third delay in nearly a year for the implementation of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program, this time from May 1 to May 22. The NHBPA told the court that the FTC's issuance of the order to delay the program without first providing a...

A federal judge in Texas has issued a 30-day waiting period before the rules of HISA's Anti-Doping Medication and Control (ADMC) can take effect. Those rules initially went into effect Monday, Mar. 27, but will now be suspended until May 1. During the month of April, therefore, HISA will turn back the job of collecting samples and testing back to the states, said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus on a Friday night media call. The ruling, issued Friday, was the latest in a long back-and-forth bitter struggle between pro-HISA and anti-HISA...