HISA

by Beau Lane Rumor has it that Mike Repole said he was going to get out of the business if things didn't change. Well, I can see how Mr. Repole could feel that way; he's had some real kicks in the behind this year. But the racing industry needs more people like Mike Repole. He goes to the sales, buys nice horses, goes to the races, and takes his chances. He spends more than most and has Todd Pletcher for a trainer (there is no better), and so his chances...

Edited Press Release A mobile HIWU (Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit) app to assist stakeholders in the Thoroughbred industry with the components of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program has been launched, the organization has revealed. The free app is highlighted by a Prohibited Substances database, through which users can look up any of the substances that comprise HISA's Prohibited List of more than 1,300 banned substances and controlled medications. Each substance listing is populated with information about the substance such as HISA...

Racing will return to Churchill Downs as scheduled for the track's regularly scheduled meeting beginning Sept. 14. The announcement comes following an "evaluation of existing safety protocols and a thorough assessment of industry best practices," according to a release from the track. Operations at the Louisville oval were suspended in early June following a rash of breakdowns during the first month of the meeting that began only a few days prior to the running of the GI Kentucky Derby. The balance of the Churchill spring meet was run at Ellis...

The Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has changed their provisional suspension policy regarding banned substances and will now wait to suspend a trainer until the split (B) sample is returned, according to a press release from HISA Friday morning. "Last Friday, HIWU was informed that a split (B) sample did not confirm the original laboratory finding, and, accordingly, pursuant to the ADMC regulations, HIWU dismissed the violation against a trainer who had been provisionally suspended 20 days earlier," the statement read. "This raised concerns regarding the imposition of...

by Brent J. Malmstrom I am the owner of a small stable with 35 horses in training split between multiple states. I wanted to share my first-hand experience on what happens when your trainer has been provisionally suspended, as well as my own thoughts on what is happening within our beloved industry. HISA/HIWU testing and enforcement went live roughly 60 days ago. Every week, there is news in the trade publications of trainers who have been provisionally suspended or have had an unfavorable test result. The rules continue to be...

As the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) drug and medication control program has rolled out over the past couple of months, various questions have been raised over the mechanics of the new law. As such, the TDN has decided to maintain a Q&A on this new program comprising questions raised by readers, and answers fielded by representatives from either HISA or the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), which implements HISA's anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program. The first set of responses can be read here. The second set of...

After Sunday's announcement that The Stronach Group (TSG) will close at the end of the year its flagship Northern California racetrack, Golden Gate Fields, the company at the helm of the sale has gone silent, ignoring all of TDN's requests for comment this week. To bring much-needed illumination on this seismic decision, the TDN spoke Thursday morning with Greg Ferraro, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) chairman. Among several points raised, Ferraro shared his thoughts on the need for a fixed hub of racing in Northern California to secure the...

The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) has updated its list of trainers that have been provisionally suspended after their horses have allegedly tested positive for banned substances, and the new names are Natalia Lynch, David Reid, Javier Morzan and Mary Pirone. Lynch, who is based in New York and had a winner Sunday at Saratoga, was sanctioned for allegedly having a horse test positive for Altrenogest. According a 2018 press release from the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), Altrenogest is a progesterone receptor agonist used to control estrus...

Ten days after a federal judge denied a motion for a preliminary injunction that sought to halt the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and its Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program, the plaintiffs in the case, who are representatives of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) chapters in Arkansas and Iowa, appealed that denial to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Led by Bill Walmsley, the president of the Arkansas HBPA, and Jon Moss, the executive director of the Iowa HBPA, the July 21...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. The TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from the same week. These will include decisions from around the country. New York Track: Saratoga Date: 07/12/2023 Licensee: Tyler Gaffalione, jockey Penalty: Three-day...

HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss recent developments with HISA's Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit.

The North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians (NAARV) is arguing for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to overturn the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) on constitutional grounds because the law allegedly "places the racetrack veterinarians at a greater risk than other covered persons" from a due process standpoint. Chief among the assertions made by the NAARV in a 51-page "friend of the court" brief filed July 14 are that "initial findings of wrongdoing by a member of NAARV, pursuant to HISA, result in a...