HISA

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)-related rulings from around the country. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the HIWU "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 10/09/2024 Licensee: Phillip Capuano, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: Medication...

by Jennie Rees, Jon Moss, Peter Ecabert "Eric Hamelback is only carrying out the democratically elected National HBPA board's wishes But no one is more passionate, tireless or bleeds and agonizes more about working for real solutions to our industry's complex problems than Eric." The following was written by Jennie Rees, Jon Moss and Peter Ecabert. The opinions expressed are their own. The National HBPA, of which Eric Hamelback is the CEO and which represents state HBPA affiliates, is virtually the one Thoroughbred entity that has stood up to challenge...

At 76 and with none of his children particularly interested in racing, Stuart Janney, III had to make some decisions about the future of his racing and breeding operations. He didn't want to get out of the sport entirely and he also didn't want to breed mares whose foals won't get to the races for years. So he has decided to disperse his band at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. There, he will sell 13 broodmares and two broodmare prospects. Among others, they are in foal to Good Magic,...

Horseracing and Safety Integrity Authority chief executive Lisa Lazarus on Monday sent a letter to Alan Foreman, the chairman of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA), warning THA members of "potentially significant disruptions" to the industry based on the HISA Authority's interpretation of legal strategies being pursued by the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA). With an application by the Authority pending in the United States Supreme Court that would stay a Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act unconstitutionality mandate that has yet to be released by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court...

For the second time in a little over a year, the New Mexico-based jockey Oscar Ceballos has successfully appealed to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to wipe out penalties related to a more-than-six-strikes whipping disqualification handed down by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). The Oct. 3, 2024, ruling involved circumstances remarkably similar to Ceballos's first penalty reversal by the FTC on Sept. 11, 2023. Both successful appeals involved a total of 11 strikes administered to a Thoroughbred in a stakes at a New Mexico track, and both appeals...

The following statement was sent to media by Cristina Keith, Dr. Scott Stanley's attorney, Oct. 4: Dr. Scott Stanley, former director of the University of Kentucky's Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (UK-EACL), is speaking out in response to the media's coverage of the allegations made in the recent Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) report. The damage indicted on Dr. Stanley's personal and professional reputation is irreparable and has been fueled by media narratives that unquestioningly parrot HIWU's claims. The HIWU report levies serious accusations against UK-EACL, including "persistent delays," "unprofessional...

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...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the HIWU "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 09/26/2024 Licensee: Miguel Hernandez, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on Sept. 27, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horses' Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as...

For most of the sport's history the mental well-being of jockeys was not something that anybody talked about or even thought about. But the problem could no longer be ignored when, in 2023, two jockeys, Alex Canchari and Avery Whisman, took their own lives. They were otherwise young and healthy, but the pressures of being a jockey was a burden both, apparently, could not handle. They were not alone. Jockeys' Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks said that 230 jockeys were surveyed last year and asked about their mental health....

The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) on Monday urged the United States Supreme Court not to grant the stay of an unconstitutionality mandate that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is waiting to issue regarding the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). That mandate, stemming from a July 5 unconstitutionality opinion on HISA by the Fifth Circuit, was administratively stayed by the Supreme Court on Sept. 23. The HISA Authority had requested a stay on Sept. 19 pending the filing and disposition of its broader...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has established a Veterinary Advisory Committee that will be made up of regulatory and private practice racetrack veterinarians from around the nation. The committee will provide feedback to HISA's executive team and standing committees on the implementation and evolution of HISA's regulations and protocols related to veterinary care, medication, racetrack safety, equine research and other relevant issues. "I look forward to the essential perspectives the HISA Veterinary Advisory Committee will bring as we continue to evolve and fulfill our mandate," said HISA CEO...

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium's (RMTC) Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) has developed a withdrawal guidance for two additional substances, Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) and Pentosan (Zycosan) following an analysis of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) screening limits and detection times. "The intention is for the RMTC to provide the industry with scientifically derived information to aid attending veterinarians and horsemen in making medication decisions and to avoid preventable errors and promote compliance with HISA's regulations", said Dr. Michael Hardy, Executive Director, "The RMTC...