HISA

Billed as an intensive, premier forum for industry insiders and stakeholders, but also for patrons of sport, the 2024 Racing and Gaming Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York is set for Aug. 12-14. Once again, session master Patrick Brown, who possesses a diverse background in government, the law and gaming, has put together an ambitious slate, and he spoke with the TDN to discuss how this year's conference is rounding into form. TDN: Pat, what is different about this year's Racing and Gaming Conference? I always think that each time...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) will host the next virtual webinar in its Town Hall series July 8 at 2:00 p.m. ET to discuss the updated Racetrack Safety Rules recently approved by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which will take effect that day, the organization said in a release late Thursday. The one-hour, live webinar will include an overview of some of the major rule changes, along with a Q&A session, and will be open to racing participants and the general public. HISA will also be hosting veterinary...

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 Jim Lewis was suspended two years and fined a total of $20,000 (including the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Unit's arbitration costs), after his trainee Hughie's Holiday tested positive for clenbuterol after winning at Ruidoso Downs on July 8 last year. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator with known performance enhancing properties. Clenbuterol will typically be detectable in the blood for about three to four days after administration,...

Scott Sander had an idea for a rom-com movie floating around in his head, but wasn't quite sure what the setting should be. Then it hit him. Why not horse racing, and specifically the breeding industry? That's the story behind the story when it comes to the movie Sander is working on, "Breeders." "I thought I had what was a really good idea for a big, fun romantic comedy," said Sander, who was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the Thoroughbred Daily News Writers' Room Podcast presented...

Santa Anita Park concluded the six-month 2023-24 Winter-Spring season on June 16 which, when combined with the six-week Autumn Meet from 2023, produced a 99.97% safety record, making the 1/ST Racing facility the safest track in North America among those with a comparable volume of racing and training according to a release from the track Monday. Since the Opening Day of the Autumn meet on Sept. 29, 2023, through the Closing Day of the Hollywood Meet on June 17, 2024, 6,678 horses ran in races over Santa Anita's main track...

You have to root for the people who strive so hard to make a go of racing in Northern California after Golden Gate Fields shut its doors for good June 9. Racing has a rich history in Northern California and there are hundreds of people, from hotwalkers to grooms to trainers to breeders, and everybody in between, who depend on the sport to put food on the table. They deserve better than the uncertainty that has left most everyone worrying about their futures after The Stronach Group announced it was...

I have enormous respect for TDN writer Chris McGrath and Wayne Lyster. One's an outstanding journalist and eloquent writer who works for an essential trade publication; and, the other's built a highly-successful breeding operation. I, nevertheless, must respectfully disagree with their characterization of calls for replacing dirt tracks with synthetic surfaces as "hysterical." While I cherish racing's dirt traditions (my goodness, Man o' War is my favorite horse of all-time), I'm also mindful of existing data that explicitly show that synthetic racing is the safest surface in the U.S. Numbers...

Tickets are now on sale as the Horse Racing Women's Summit returns to Saratoga Springs, New York, for an educational networking event to be held Tuesday, July 23 at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, the volunteer organization said in release on Friday. The proceedings include a keynote conversation with Lisa Lazarus, CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), hosted by NBC Sports's Donna Barton Brothers. Following the keynote, two panels focused on horse safety and aftercare are scheduled. Finally, Jane Lyon, owner of Summer...

Monday, HISA announced four new members to its Horsemen's Advisory Group, replacing six outgoing members. The advisory group was formed in 2022 to provide feedback to HISA from the boots on the ground in the racing industry. It is comprised of 18 members, representing a variety of viewpoints across the industry. We sat down with outgoing member David Ingordo to talk about how the group operates and what the experience was like. SF: Can you explain how members are chosen for this group? Is there a committee who picks them?...

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 Adolfo Macias has been suspended 18-months and fined $12,500 for the possession of levothyroxine, a banned substance under HISA. Levothyroxine is a synthetic thyroid hormone used to treat ailments like hypothyroidism. Due to its metabolic properties, levothyroxine is believed to aid recovery in performance horses and help weight loss. There is also a possible link between levothyroxine and equine sudden cardiac death. There is currently no detailed...

On the heels of a clean Triple Crown season, the first quarter of 2024 (Jan. 1-Mar. 31) witnessed an approximate 38% decrease in racing-related fatalities year-over-year, according to a new Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) metrics report, which the organization released on Wednesday. The reduction by over a third took place at racetracks operating under HISA's rules. During this year's first quarter, tracks reported 0.84 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts, compared to 1.35 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts in the first quarter of 2023. Excluding Rillito Park...

Craig Bandoroff, proprietor of Denali Stud, D J Stables' Jon Green, L&N Racing racing manager and part-owner Michael Levinson and trainer Todd Pletcher have been added to the HISA Horsemen's Advisory Group, the organization said Monday. The new members replace the outgoing Mark Casse, Tom Drury, Jr., Linda Gaudet, Fred Hertrich III, David Ingordo and Tom Robbins. The Horsemen's Advisory Group is a group of racing industry participants formed in 2022 to provide formal feedback to HISA's executive team and Standing Committees. "I want to thank all of the members...