HISA

A federal judge on Aug. 1 refused to grant an "emergency" request for a temporary restraining order that eight licensed racetrackers in Oklahoma requested on July 29 to keep the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) from being enforced in that state before the Remington Park meet begins there Aug. 16. Chief Judge Timothy DeGiusti of United States District Court of Oklahoma (Western District) wrote in an order issued Thursday that, "Upon review, the Court finds the Application is facially insufficient to satisfy the requirements of Rule 65(b)(1) for issuance...

As it has in virtually every conversation that involves horse racing over the past year, safety played a central role at the 72nd annual Jockey Club Round Table Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York Thursday.   California: Safety and Collaboration In two presentations focusing on California, Gary Fenton, Chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and a managing partner of Little Red Feather Racing, spoke from a TVG set in the Del Mar paddock about the importance of California racing to the overall racing ecosystem, while Dionne Benson, the Chief...

A federal judge cancelled a July 31 hearing in a lawsuit filed last week by eight Oklahoma horsemen who are trying to get the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) declared unconstitutional after learning that seven of the same plaintiffs last year filed a substantially similar complaint but voluntarily withdrew it three months later. The judge in the newer case, Charles Goodwin of United States District Court of Oklahoma (Western District), also signed a July 30 court order reassigning the lawsuit to Chief Judge Timothy DeGiusti, the same federal judge...

For the second time in five days-and for the seventh time in three years-individuals or entities under the control of the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) have filed a lawsuit in a federal court alleging that the law and its enforcement are unconstitutional. This latest legal action took the form of a July 29 complaint in United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa (Central Division) filed by Thoroughbred owner Joseph A. Kelly and owner/trainer Douglas L. Anderson against the HISA Authority, the Federal Trade Commission, and...

When a Bill Mott-trained horse named Authorize (Curlin) broke down and had to be euthanized after an Apr. 26 race at Aqueduct, the trainer thought the worst was over with. Having a horse break down is excruciating for any trainer, but Mott was ready to move on. Little did he know that his problems were just beginning. Tests were performed on Authorize and they showed that he was positive for the painkiller Flunixin, also known as banamine. Mott was incredulous. He did his own internal review, checking with vets, his...

At the National HBPA Conference held at Prairie Meadows, Dr. Doug Daniels, a horse owner and equine veterinarian in Virginia, was re-elected by unanimous acclamation for a second three-year term as the president and chairman of the board, the organization said in a press release on Saturday. "There was a lot more to do these last three years than I ever dreamt," Daniels said. "I hope now, in the next three years, it will be a lot less contentious and a lot more meaningful from the standpoint of our horsemen...

On Friday--the final day of the National HBPA Conference at Prairie Meadows--a panel entitled "Establishing No-Effect Thresholds and the Importance for the Industry" was led by practicing equine veterinarian and researcher Dr. Clara Fenger. She cited the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority's enabling legislation that HISA-covered horses "should compete only when they are free from the influence of medications ..." (her emphasis added). Fenger's point: Testing many substances to limit of detection--if the lab can find it, it's a violation, no matter how tiny the amount and whether it impacts...

Eight individual owners, trainers and other Thoroughbred industry licensees in Oklahoma on July 24 filed what is now the sixth federal lawsuit in three years to try and get the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) declared unconstitutional. As in previous lawsuits that have similarly targeted the HISA Authority and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as defendants, the Oklahoma horsemen want declaratory judgments, injunctions, and restraining orders imposed that would invalidate HISA rules and prohibit the HISA Authority, the FTC, and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) from enforcing the...

The second quarter of 2024 (Apr. 1-June 30) continued the downward trajectory of the rate of racing-related equine fatalities in the industry, according to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s 2024 Second Quarter Metrics Report. The report provides an in-depth analysis of key performance indicators related to the safety and integrity of Thoroughbred racing in the United States. Since the implementation of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program on May 22, 2023, which represents the point in time when HISA became fully operational, the fatality rate has declined for...

Vladimir Cespedes, an owner, exercise rider and stable employee based at Parx Racing was found in possession of an electrical device and illegal human narcotics on Monday, July 23, during an integrity sweep of the barn area which was led by Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission (PSHRC) investigators who were in coordination with the racetrack and the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA), according to a stewards' ruling (24172PP) posted on the Commission's portal. That same day, Cespedes was summarily suspended by the stewards for a potential violation of 7 PA...

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 and outlined in Bill Finley's story, trainer Joseph Taylor has been banned for a total of eight years and fined $100,000 after two of his horses tested positive for the banned substances Methylphenidate and Clenbuterol in June of last year. Dalton Dieter has also been suspended for seven days after three of his trainees tested positive for the controlled substance Cannabidiol (CBD), an active ingredient in cannabis,...

Trainer Joe Taylor, a longtime fixture at Parx and the leading trainer there in 2019, has received an eight-year suspension handed down by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), after he had two horses test positive for banned substances. The story was first reported by Matt Hegarty of the Daily Racing Form. Taylor received a pair of four-year suspensions, one for each horse. According to postings on the HIWU website, the Taylor-trained Classy American (Uncle Lino) tested positive for Methylphenidate and Clenbuterol following a June 20 race at Parx....