HISA

Southern California-based trainer Milton Pineda has been banned for 15 years and ordered to pay a total of $195,000 in fines and legal fees after an arbitration panel found him guilty of seven rule violations under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Unit (HIWU)'s Anti-Doping and Medication Control (AMDC) program, according to a final decision dated Mar. 12. Between June 2 and July 4 last year, seven different Pineda-trainees tested positive for Diisopropylamine—a banned substance under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)—after running at Santa Anita and Los Alamitos. During...

Commissioner Doug Moore, the new Chair of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, made inaugural remarks Monday. Per a release from the ARCI, Moore called for unity amongst the racing industry along with reforms to HISA. Speaking about how penalties are assessed, Moore noted: "Previously, these fines varied from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, creating an illusion of inconsistent application of the rules. But the fact of the matter is that uniform fines are anything but uniform. Fines were and need to be assessed based on the financial structure of individual tracks....

Trainers Ron Moquett and Dale Romans joined Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) CEO, Lisa Lazarus, on the agency's virtual town hall Monday. Both trainers sit on the HISA Horsemen's Advisory Group. A good portion of the HISA Town Hall was spent emphasizing the role of the horsemen's advisory group as a vehicle for potential change and modification in HISA's regulatory framework, having driven tweaks to the federal authority's rules on things like pre-race electrolyte use and looser sanctions for positives related to human substances of abuse (more on that...

Trainer Jonathan Wong, who was hit with a two-year suspension by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) for a metformin positive, has resurfaced in Louisiana, where he has 15 horses at a private training center but has yet to visit the winner's circle. Wong sent out his first starter in Louisiana on Feb. 13. But the same trainer who had one of the biggest stables in Northern California has struggled there, sending out just five horses without a winner. The plaintiff states of Louisiana and West Virginia won a...

Like many of you, I read Rusty Arnold's open letter about his positive test with interest, and carefully considered the concerns that he identified. Also, like many of you, I am privileged to personally know, and respect Rusty, so I do not take his criticisms lightly. Rusty identified some of the challenges inherent in administering an equine anti-doping and medication control ("ADMC") program that is efficient, effective, and fair. However, it is important to note that those same challenges existed long before HISA and HIWU came onto the scene. In...

Trainer Rusty Arnold has been suspended seven days and fined $1,000 after the 2-year-old filly he trains, Figgy (Candy Ride {Arg}), tested positive for a metabolite of Tramadol. "I received notification and today am accepting the penalties for a horse in my care testing for a controlled substance under current HISA/HIWU regulations," said Arnold in a letter circulated by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. "To be clear," continues Arnold, "I have no issue that I have a positive post-race test. The problem is why it is a positive....

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 Daniel Franko has been suspended seven days after his trainee, Misty's Cat, tested positive for caffeine, when winning at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 1 last year. He was also fined $1,000. Caffeine is a Class B controlled substance under HISA. The case was resolved without a hearing.   NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through...

Edited Press Release The Annual Meeting of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) convened Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio, in the midst of an evolving regulatory structure for Thoroughbred racing and great uncertainty for what the future may hold. Outgoing Chair Tom Sage, the retiring Executive Director of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, gaveled the meeting to order saying, "One thing is certain, change is inevitable.   Whether the change is good or not so good, we shall see.  Regardless, the agencies that regulate this sport will adapt and continue...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) have opened an investigation into the University of Kentucky's Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory's performance, according to a joint statement Tuesday by the agencies. On the 16th of last month, HIWU stopped sending samples to the UK Lab. Prior to that, the laboratory had been one of six drug testing facilities used under HISA's anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program. Last week, Scott Stanley officially stepped down from his position as the UK Lab's director and has...

The Organization of Racing Investigators opened the final day of its Parx conference with another set of timely presentations. Topics included the impact of bush track racing, and a variety of legal and scientific case studies, which were all geared for the investigator's toolkit. With varied backgrounds in law enforcement and security, many attendees have experience growing up around horses. Investigators work for tracks and racing commissions, but they can never turn their backs on the chance to improve their techniques and plug into the ORI network fiber. Kassie Creed,...

The case of Jeffrey Englehart, who bought a horse at an OBS 2-Year-Old sale in June who had given Clenbuterol sometime before being purchased by Englehart, has renewed questions about the role of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and whether or not it would be in the sport's best interest for it to expand its jurisdiction to cover sales as well as racing. Currently, HISA has no authority over a horse until it has its first recorded public workout, which is when it becomes a "covered" horse....

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 Carlos Mancilla has been suspended for 15 days for a post-race Gabapentin positive from Sept. 10, and fined $1,000. Gabapentin, a Class B controlled medication, is an anti-seizure medicine for humans that is also used to treat complications from shingles. According to the final ruling by an internal adjudication panel, Mancilla said that the positive probably came about because of the horse, Cara...