Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

Edited Press Release At the conclusion of the first day of the International Jockey Concussion, Safety and Wellness Conference, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), in collaboration with Jockeys' Guild, announced that they are launching a major initiative to support jockey well-being. As announced by HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus and Jockeys' Guild President Terry Meyocks, HISA and the Guild have established a groundbreaking partnership with Onrise, a leading athlete-specific mental health company, to provide jockeys with easily accessible mental health care in their primary language. As part of HISA...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Following a full hearing in Cleveland between April 23 and April 25 before HISA's anti-doping and medication control program arbitration panel, Ohio veterinarian Scott Shell has been suspended for 21 months and fined $20,000 for possessing four banned substances on Sept. 28 last year at Thistledown Racetrack. The four substances in question were two jars of Carolina Gold/GABA (an amino acid that can be used as a calming...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority is accepting applications for its Board of Directors, Racetrack Safety Standing Committee and Anti-Doping and Medication Control Standing Committee. The board and standing committees play a critical role in developing, implementing and enforcing HISA's Racetrack Safety and ADMC Programs. Qualified candidates interested in serving on the board or standing committees can submit a Nominee Screening Questionnaire, along with a statement of interest and resume, to Anjali Salooja at anjali.salooja@hisaus.org. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis at such time as vacancies arise. Currently,...

As renovations continue at Belmont Park, The New York Racing Association (NYRA) divulged a plan July 1 to conduct approximately three months of winter racing annually at Belmont exclusively on an all-weather surface. A one-mile Tapeta track is currently under construction at Belmont, while the facility is scheduled to reopen in 2026. Lisa Lazarus, the CEO of the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority (HISA) provided a letter Friday to NYRA in support of the decision. The letter appears in full below. To Whom it May Concern: The Horseracing Integrity and...

Pennsylvania's Parx Racing has issued a statement following news the turf course at the Bensalem track has been closed due to dangerous conditions. For background on the situation, which included the breakdown of Causes Trouble (Creative Cause) Aug. 24, please click here. HISA released a statement earlier Thursday indicating a series of tests will be run. Thursday afternoon, officials at Parx released their own statement. It appears in full and unedited below: "The recent spurious comments made by the President of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horseman's Association, Bob Hutt, regarding the...

Under pressure from HISA and the local horsemen's group, Parx management has closed down its turf course after a horse broke down on the grass in the Aug. 24 Parx Dash S. The horse, Causes Trouble (Creative Cause), is co-owned by John Fanelli and was making his 33rd career start. "It's always been known as a bad course, but if I knew it was that bad, I never would have put my horse on that surface," Fanelli said. "I was really upset about the condition of the course and when...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has released a request for proposals for research into whether furosemide is a performance-enhancing drug in Thoroughbred racehorses. The research is required as part of HISA's Congressional mandate and its conclusions will be used to guide HISA's Furosemide Advisory Committee in its recommendations to the HISA Board on next steps regarding the regulation of furosemide. Responses to the RFP are due by Oct. 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Questions about the RFP and the process for submitting a response may be sent to Dr....

Kenny McPeek announced Saturday that his superstar 3-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) will make her next start in the Aug. 24 GI DraftKings Travers S. McPeek had kept the decision to himself for a few days, but no one should have been surprised when he picked the Travers. That's McPeek's style, to be bold, to embrace a challenge to think outside of the box. There's no trainer like him. He has pulled this trick off before, winning 2020 GI Preakness S. with the filly Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil). "I just...

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...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has released an extensive set of educational material in preparation for the revised rules under the Racetrack Safety Program which take effect July 8. Handbooks on the new rules can be found on the organization's web site and include information for veterinarians, stewards and trainers. Infographics on the site include material on air quality index protocal; intra-articular injections; medical therapeutic devices; prohibited practices; shockwave treatment guidelines; void claims; vet's list; and welfare and deprivation of care. The racetrack safety rules which begin July...

The one-mile Tapeta track currently under construction at Belmont Park will become the exclusive winter racing surface on the New York Racing Association circuit when the Long Island facility reopens in 2026, NYRA announced Monday. The change will result in approximately three months of racing exclusively on an all-weather surface with the shift from dirt to the all-weather in the winter months expected to enhance equine safety and provide additional opportunities for the circuit's year-round horse population for the benefit of the state's Thoroughbred racing ecosystem. "At its core, our...

Horse racing's federal governing body has been in the crosshairs of a couple recent U.S. Supreme Court actions, both directly and indirectly. In one major ruling, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court struck down a legal precedent called the Chevron doctrine, which since 1984 had given federal agencies the legal latitude to determine how best to interpret and implement Congressionally-passed legislation. The Chevron doctrine has been used by the U.S. government to defend a whole host of federal laws over the decades, including environmental regulations, consumer and workplace protections, and those governing...