Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

It didn't look like the GI Belmont S. It didn't feel like the Belmont S. But the Belmont S. it was, and Dornoch (Good Magic) will from here on in be called a Belmont S. winner. What better way to break your Grade I duck as a trainer, as Danny Gargan did here. At a time of concentrated riches among fewer and fewer trainers, Gargan provided a welcome reminder that many plying their trade at less vaulted levels are just as capable of priming their stock for these big days...

Trainer George Weaver is one of several trainers whose horses have tested positive for metformin who will have their suspensions deferred as the Board of Directors of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has requested additional review of the drug which is heavily prescribed and used to treat diabetes in people. "In line with HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control requirements, metformin is included in the Prohibited Substances List because there is no recognized therapeutic use for the substance in horses involved in Thoroughbred racing," HISA Board Chairman Charles Scheeler said...

The span between Memorial Day and the third leg of the Triple Crown is often a quiet one in the racing world. Not this year, though. Here's a shaking-out of a reporter's notebook from a week that generated some unexpected headlines. Louisiana's move to more lenient medication rules: TDN's survey of seven trainers--Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox, Michael Stidham, Tom Amoss, Al Stall, Dallas Stewart, Cherie DeVaux--spoke volumes about the announcement by the Louisiana Racing Commission that it would be implementing "emergency" standards that softened a number of drug-regulating standards as...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the Jockeys' Guild will co-host the International Jockey Concussion, Safety, and Wellness Conference from Oct. 9-11 at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Lexington. The event will serve as a forum for exploring ways to address critical mental wellness, concussion, and medical issues affecting Thoroughbred jockeys and participants in other equestrian sports. "Ensuring that our athletes have access to the best resources and protocols for concussion management and overall wellness is not just a priority for HISA, but a fundamental responsibility," said HISA CEO...

Eddie Plesa, Jr. secured his 2,500th career training victory with the 3-year-old gelding Raging Fury at Gulfstream Park Apr. 13. TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack caught up with the highly respected 74-year-old conditioner for a wide-ranging interview to discuss the milestone victory, his trip to the 2-year-old sales in Ocala this spring, the future of the sport and much more. TDN: Let's start things off with your milestone victory. What does it mean to you to reach 2,500 wins? EP: When you hit a number like that, you take...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has affirmed an earlier Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) arbitration panel ruling against trainer Jonathan Wong, suspending him for two years and fining him $25,000 for a 2023 post-race metformin positive. Metformin is a type 2 diabetes drug that HISA has classified as a banned substance. The next step in the appeals process would be a request for review by the FTC of the FTC administrative law judge's decision, according to a Horseracing Integrity and Safety Unit (HIWU) spokesperson. Wong will instead take the...

A new HISA computer model to identify at-risk horses is being used by Churchill Downs officials to complement existing track safety nets, representatives from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) announced during Tuesday's press conference on equine safety protocols in place for this year's GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks. "It's essentially a model that looks at 44 potential risk factors that might cause a horse to be at risk for injury," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus, who added that the...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's 2023 annual metrics report shows advances in the implementation of national uniform practices, the building up of the HISA Portal, which contains a broad spectrum of equine treatment and other health records, and driving collaboration and cooperation across the industry, the organization said in a release Wednesday. "Our inaugural annual report reflects our journey toward a safer, fairer and more resilient future for horse racing," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. "The success of HISA's programs relies on steady partnership among the tracks, trainers, riders,...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this most recent set of rulings, trainer Robert Fiesman was suspended seven days and fined $1,000 for his second positive finding for phenylbutazone since HISA's anti-doping and medication control program (ADMC) went into effect. Phenylbutazone is a Class C controlled medication under HISA. A second Class C offense within a 2-year period comes with a maximum 15-day suspension and $1,000 fine. Jonathan Maldonado has similarly been suspended...

Enhanced medication policies will be in effect at all the major auctions in the U.S. beginning July 1, leading North American sales companies Keeneland Association, Fasig-Tipton Company and Ocala Breeders' Sales Company jointly announced Tuesday morning. The changes were made in an effort "to safeguard the welfare of the horse while creating greater clarity and consistency among the nation's three major U.S. Thoroughbred auction houses," according to the release, and are the result of meetings between the three companies begun last October at the behest of the Horseracing Integrity and...

HISA's mission is to protect the integrity of competition and the welfare of horses in the Thoroughbred racing industry. The Banned Substances list, set forth under HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, is one of the many ways HISA advances this mission. Under HISA's ADMC Program, substances with no legitimate, medically justified use in Thoroughbreds are among those classified as Banned Substances, just as they are under the anti-doping programs being run by other equine sports' governing bodies. Many "non-approved substances" on the Banned Substances list have not been...

According to numbers compiled by The Jockey Club for its Equine Injury Database (EID), there were 1.32 fatalities per 1,000 starts at North American racetracks in 2023. That was slightly worse than in 2022 when the number was 1.25, the lowest rate of fatalities since The Jockey Club started compiling numbers in 2009. It was the first time the number had increased year-over-year since 2018 when there were 1.68 fatalities per 1,000 starters. Nonetheless, the figures showed that the sport has made obvious strides since 2009 when it comes to...