HIWU

by Sue Finley and Stefanie Grimm The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit has provisionally suspended trainer Jonathan Wong after one of his horses tested positive for a banned substance last month. Heaven and Earth (Gormley) broke her maiden at Indiana Grand June 1 but subsequently tested positive for the prescription drug metformin, a type 2 diabetes treatment. Wong was notified that his horses will need to be moved to the care of another trainer and potentially faces up to a two-year suspension and a $25,000 fine. While metformin is a...

Trainer Raymond Handal has been provisionally suspended by the Horse Racing Welfare and Integrity Unit after his horse Barrage (War Dancer) returned a positive  test for the banned substance Zeranol after finishing second in an optional claiming allowance at Belmont May 28. Handal's provisional suspension starts July 1. Under the regulations, Handal has the right to request a provisional hearing and the analysis of the B sample, but must do so by July 5. The ruling was posted on the HIWU website Saturday morning. No further details were given. Zeranol...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has temporarily suspended full enforcement of its rules surrounding intra-articular joint injections. Under HISA's rules as written, trainers are prohibited from giving their horse intra-articular joint injections within 14 days prior to the post-time of a race, and within seven days prior to any timed and reported workout. A violation of these rules could result in a 60-day suspension for the trainer. According to an announcement dated June 26, the prohibition of such injections within seven days prior to a workout shall be...

From the desk of Ben Mosier, Executive Director, Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU): The last four weeks have represented the culmination of more than a year of planning and countless hours of preparation by the HIWU team to put forth the best national Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program possible for Thoroughbred racing. It has been incredibly rewarding to see HISA's ADMC Program get off the ground successfully. Through Sunday, June 18, HIWU-trained and certified sample collection personnel have collected samples from over 6,500 horses from more than 20...

With the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) first pending rulings for medication and anti-doping related violations having just been made public, the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) issued a reminder Thursday of the possible sanctions under this new federal framework. As the THA points out, taken as a whole the penalty scheme under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is significantly more stringent than that imposed previously by state commissions. These new sanctions pertain to medication positives and other anti-doping related infractions that come after May 22, when HIWU's...

On Thursday, Jun. 8, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) CEO Lisa Lazarus and Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) Executive Director Ben Mosier will host a media roundtable at Belmont Park to discuss the ongoing implementation of HISA's Racetrack Safety and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Programs. The G1 Belmont Stakes will be the first Triple Crown race run under HISA's ADMC Program, which took effect on May 22. The round table discussion will take place in the Belmont Room located on the second floor of the clubhouse...

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) and RealResponse relaunched its anonymous whistleblower platforms to enable Thoroughbred racing participants to submit tips regarding potential violations of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) and Racetrack Safety Programs. At the time of the original Program launch Mar. 27, 2023, the platforms were only accepting tips related to ADMC Program violations. Contacts to submit a tip: Phone Line: (888) 714-HIWU (4498) Text Line: (855) 901-TIPS (8477) Email: hiwutips@hiwu.realresponse.com "Opening up HIWU's anonymous whistleblower platforms to those seeking...

After a series of false starts, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) signature anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program is now set to go into effect Monday. On Friday, TDN spoke with HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus on a variety of topics including the launch of HISA's signature drug control program, operational expenses, the Forte situation, Kentucky Derby week and Texas. The following is a very lightly edited version of that interview. TDN: Last week, the TDN published a story on the headwinds facing the Texas racing industry. In it,...

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU)'s website has a number of educational materials to assist with the relaunch of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety (HISA) Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which is slated for May 22. Among the downloads available are: Out-of-Competition Testing Dietary Supplements Differences in testing processes for routine timed workouts versus workouts to be released from the Vets' List Processes for retiring/unretiring a Covered Horse from the testing pool Withdrawal Guidance Advisory from the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium Prohibited Substance Lists for Banned...

Following a launch March 27, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) plans to resume enforcement of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program May 22. The program seeks to implement the following: Transparency: The ADMC Program requires public disclosure of alleged Anti-Doping Rule Violations once the Covered Person has been notified of the violation and Provisionally Suspended. The alleged violation will be reported by HIWU on its website, and the public information disclosed will include the date of the collection, the name of...

The three New York stewards met with Trainer Todd Pletcher and his representation Wednesday "regarding an alleged medication violation of a horse that raced in New York on September 5, 2022," according to Brad Maione, Director of Communications for the New York State Gaming Commission. Maione was answering an email request from the TDN for information on the meeting. "In this case, the matter likely would have been adjudicated months ago but for the repeated procedural delays sought by the trainer's counsel," Maione wrote. According to a report in Tuesday...

Following the reimplementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program on May 22, it is unlikely that the public would not know about a positive test such as the one that Forte (Violence) allegedly had in the GI Hopeful S. for over eight months. That is according to a press release Wednesday outlining the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit's (HIWU) rules concerning the publication of violation information. In a story published in the New York Times Tuesday night, Joe Drape reported that Forte...