Alan Foreman

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...

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...

Just last week, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority released its latest safety figures, showing a four-quarter consecutive decline in equine fatalities. Indeed, in the second quarter of this year, tracks operating under HISA reported 0.76 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts--significantly lower than the perennial national average. But on the flip side of these statistics is an ongoing concern among stakeholders that the enforcement arm of the national program is in certain areas proving too onerous, and that the penalties aren't always an appropriate response to the...

As expected, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed a bill Thursday that calls for Pimlico to be rebuilt and for the track to be donated to the state. Under the law, $400 million in state bonds will be used to tear down and rebuild the dilapidated grandstand. While Pimlico is being rebuilt, racing will move to Laurel. Once the new Pimlico is up and running, Laurel will be closed for racing. Because of the eventual closing of Laurel, there will be a need to open a training center since Pimlico alone...

The Phil Schoenthal pair of methamphetamine positives at Laurel Park, announced by HIWU on April 9, have been resolved with a 15-day sanction for the trainer, eight days of which have already been served, according to HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. Schoenthal was issued a provisional suspension after two of his horses, Prodigy Doll and Determined Driver, tested positive at Laurel on January 28 and February 9. "I was informed today by HIWU that they took all of his evidence into consideration," said HISA chief Lisa Lazarus, who said that the...

A bill to radically reform Maryland's racing industry has passed both chambers of the state legislature, with the House voting 105-32 Monday night to approve a project that will see among other things ownership of Pimlico Race Course transferred from 1/ST Racing and Gaming to the state and the establishment of a year-round training facility for Maryland's horsemen and women. After the Maryland House of Delegates initially passed the legislation unanimously, the bill was subsequently amended by the Senate. This amended bill was then sent back to the House for...

Trainer Mike Lauer is now a month past serving what he believes was an unjust 75-day suspension because a Thoroughbred under his care at Horseshoe Indianapolis tested positive last summer for metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes in people. With more 20 million patients taking it, metformin ranks as the nation's third-most-prescribed human medicine, according to the consumer healthcare website Healthgrades. Before Lauer's case made it to an official arbitration hearing, the 72-year-old conditioner with five decades of licensure was able to present enough evidence to the Horseracing Integrity...

I appreciated Bill Finley's conversation with Alan Foreman on TDN Writers' Room. Your question to him about trainers who are not guilty of cheating hit home for me. As a trainer who is dealing with this same issue prior to HISA in the state of Florida, I was hoping to make a brief comment. The banned substances provisions are more complicated than they want it to be in an era where the testing has become so fine any trainer can get a banned substance positive at any time no matter...

Alan Foreman is an equine law expert in Maryland, and he's also the HISA Ombudsman, helping horsemen navigate the new laws under HISA. He joins the TDN Writers' Room this week with both hats on, talking about changes going on with HISA and in Maryland as a new structure takes shape for racing there.

To avoid any potential conflict-of-interest issues, Tom Rooney, an appointed voting member of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA), has recused himself from any further decision making in the selection of a year-round training center, said Alan Foreman, another voting member of the non-profit. The new organization is positioning itself to assume control of day-to-day racing operations in Maryland, pending legislative approval. In a proposed plan, The Stronach Group, which owns Pimlico Race Course, would turn over ownership and daily operations of the track to the state and to...

Acknowledging that there are differences of opinion about specifics of the "Pimlico Plus" plan that envisions a publicly funded future of racing at a state-owned, modernized track in Baltimore, the construction of a new training facility elsewhere, and a non-profit operator taking over day-to-day racing, the leaders of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) on Thursday asked stakeholders not to let quibbling over details derail the larger goal of getting the ambitious plan approved by the legislature so that horsemen can control their own destiny. "There are a lot...

An online community meeting for members will be hosted by the Board of Directors of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the reports recently released on behalf of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). The MTROA has been examining options for the future of the Thoroughbred racing and breeding in the state, specifically facilities and operating models. The reports are to be considered by the Maryland General Assembly, which begins its 2024 legislative session Jan. 10. MTROA Chair Gregory...