HISA

Edited Press Release The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the independent enforcement agency of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, has reached arrangements with all state racing commissions and/or racetracks that will be conducting live racing on or soon after the implementation of the ADMC Program, which is anticipated to be Monday, Mar. 27, 2023. The laboratories that will be conducting testing under the Program have also been confirmed. "HIWU appreciates the opportunity to engage with state racing commissions, racetracks, and laboratories...

The Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program has proposed enforcing the screening limit of phenylbutazone at 300 ng/mL in blood, rather than the previously established screening limit of 200 ng/mL in blood. HISA will file Guidance with the Federal Trade Commission that will implement this change in the enforcement of the screening limit. The RMTC's Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) has been asked by industry stakeholders to review its withdrawal guidance of phenylbutazone based upon the updated proposed screening limit. Based on the updated screening limit of 300 ng/mL in blood...

Edited Press Release The individuals who will comprise the Internal Adjudication Panel (IAP), which will hear Controlled Medication Rule Violation Cases under HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, were announced Friday by HISA and HIWU. IAP members, who will serve for 4-year terms as independent contractors to both HISA and HIWU, were selected for their deep equine regulatory experience. State stewards will be prohibited from participating in cases originating in their state of employment. All members of the panel will receive training on HISA's adjudication processes under the ADMC...

A federal bill aimed at replacing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) with a regulatory system modeled around an interstate compact is reportedly in the pipeline. The president of the United States Trotting Association (USTA), Russell Williams, disclosed the news about the pending legislation Mar. 21 during a special meeting of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission (PHRC). Williams addressed the PHRC Tuesday just prior to the board voting in favor of entering into three nine-month agreements with the HISA Authority that pertain to the Racetrack Safety Program, the Horseracing...

On Monday, there will be a seismic shift in horse racing. That's when the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority will launch its Anti-Doping and Medication Control program and, in most states, will take over the responsibilities of drug testing and drug adjudications. With that date right around the corner, the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland brought in HISA's CEO Lisa Lazarus to give an update on what to expect once HISA takes over. Lazarus was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week. Lazarus made it clear...

On Monday, there will be a seismic shift in horse racing. That's when the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority will launch its Anti-Doping and Medication Control program and, in most states, will take over the responsibilities of drug testing and drug adjudications. With that date right around the corner, the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland brought in HISA's CEO Lisa Lazarus to give an update on what to expect once HISA takes over. Lazarus was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week.

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. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. California Track: Santa Anita Date: 03/11/2023 Licensee: Clifford Sise, trainer Penalty:...

Despite entering into an agreement with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to get Turf Paradise up to date on existing national safety regulations, sufficient repairs were not made to improve the condition of the railing and the Phoenix, AZ, track received a deadline of Apr. 1 for completion or be "prohibited from conducting Covered Horseracing." The news came via a press release from HISA. In January, HISA cited the track for non-compliance on Rules 2153 "racetrack facilities", 2154 "racetrack surface monitoring", 2168 "equine ambulance", 2262 "void claim", 2276...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has announced that Samuel Reinhardt will be joining the organization as Assistant General Counsel, effective today. A native Kentuckian, Reinhardt joins HISA from the law firm Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC (SKO) where he litigated a variety of equine-related matters, including cases regarding the sale of horses, claims asserted against Thoroughbred auction houses, and disputes over wagering anomalies. He has been recognized on numerous occasions for his legal work by the peer-reviewed publication Best Lawyers. "Sam's experience with state and federal equine industry litigation...

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) provided this Q&A with questions submitted by Craig Bandoroff of Denali Stud. Although I've read explanations and have had people try to explain it to me I still don't understand why we test to such a small level.  As I understand it a picogram is one-trillionth of a gram.  How can that have any affect on a 1200-lb horse?  Why do we test to such a small level?  Are we using the ARCI recommended guidelines? It is important to remember that a picogram...

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium's Scientific Advisory Committee has now completed its analysis of HISA's proposed ADMC screening limits and detection times and has developed a withdrawal guidance limited to RMTC's schedule of Controlled Therapeutic Substances. This withdrawal guidance is based on existing research and administration data. The complete withdrawal guidance, which is subject to change, can be found here. 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,...

More than 70,000 Thoroughbred racing participants and administrators across the country have now registered with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), in compliance with HISA's Registration Rule which went into effect on July 1, 2022. To date, 30,061 covered persons and 41,953 covered horses have been registered. As previously announced, HISA will require compliance with its Registration Rule in order to race beginning Mar. 27. Covered Persons and Horses who are not in compliance with the rule will be unable to race until they register in the HISA Portal....