Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

Every week, the TDN publishes a round-up 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. The TDN also posts a round-up of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from the same week. These include decisions from around the country. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and...

The Horseracing and Safety Integrity Authority has added two new safety precautions to be in place for the remainder of the Saratoga Race Course meet. HISA rule 2142(a) requires all horses running under the authority's jurisdiction to undergo post-entry screening between the time the entry is taken and the time the regulatory veterinarians perform their in-person physical inspections on race day. This function is generally carried out by local regulatory veterinarians, but going forward through the remainder of Saratoga's summer meet, a HISA veterinarian will perform these post-entry screenings to...

Terri Mazur, Esq. has been selected to join the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s Board of Directors. Mazur will replace Ellen McClain, who will step down from her position to fulfill increasing professional obligations. As determined by Congress, HISA's Board of Directors consists of nine individuals, five from outside of the equine industry (independent directors), and four selected to represent various equine constituencies (industry directors). Mazur will fill one of the independent director seats on the Board. "Terri's legal and business expertise, as well as her life-long commitment to...

Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lazarus and Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) Executive Director Ben Mosier released a statement late Tuesday to address the rights of Thoroughbred owners under HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The statement appears below in its entirety: "In response to recently published misinformation regarding owners' rights under the HISA Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, HISA and HIWU are compelled to again set the facts straight and reiterate our commitment to due process under HISA regulations. "Following an...

Transcripts from Thursday's 71st Annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing are now available at jockeyclub.com. The event was held at the Saratoga Springs City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, and streamed on The Jockey Club's website and Facebook page, and through multiple industry outlets. A video replay is also available. As the keynote speaker, Michael Lopez, senior director of Data and Analytics for the National Football League, discussed how data is analyzed to enhance and help better understand football and possible correlations with horse racing. Lindsay...

Bill Carstanjen, the chief executive officer of Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), said during a quarterly earnings conference call Thursday that nearly two months of internal investigation into the deaths of 12 Thoroughbreds during the shortened spring meet at the gaming corporation's flagship Louisville track has yielded "nothing that jumped out as the apparent cause." Carstanjen added that CDI will soon be announcing new safety protocols to be implemented for the scheduled September return of racing to Churchill Downs, but he did not disclose details about what to expect. During the...

According to a posting on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) website, Parx-based trainer Joe Taylor has been provisionally suspended after two horses he trained allegedly tested positive for banned substances. On June 18, the Taylor-trained Cajun Cousin (Cajun Breeze) allegedly tested positive for Methylphenidate and Clenbuterol, both of which are banned substances. Two days later, Taylor sent out Classy American (Uncle Lino), who tested positive for the same two substances. Classy American finished second in a starter allowance while Cajun Cousin finished second in a $10,000 claimer. Cajun...

The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) has issued a new list of horses that have been provisionally suspended for violating the rules regarding intra-articular injections and it includes Grade I winner Art Collector (Bernardini). The Paulick Report was first with the story. Under new rules put in place by HISA that went into effect in May, horses who have had an intra-articular injection are prohibited from running within 14 days of the injection and cannot have a published workout within seven days of the injection. Art Collector, who is...

As the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) drug and medication control program has rolled out over the past couple of months, various questions have been raised over the mechanics of the new law. As such, the TDN has decided to maintain a Q&A on this new program comprising questions raised by readers, and answers fielded by representatives from either HISA or the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), which implements HISA's anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program. The first set of responses can be read here. Note: This is not a...

Michael Lopez, senior director of Data and Analytics for the National Football League, will be the keynote speaker for the 71st Annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing, The Jockey Club announced today. The conference will be held at the Saratoga Springs City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Thursday, Aug. 3, at 10 a.m. ET. Chairman Stuart S. Janney III will preside over the conference and give insights on activities of The Jockey Club and the future of the sport. Lopez will discuss how data is...

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...

Hospital & Veterinary Management System (HVMS) has announced the launch of a software integration with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). HISA oversees national, uniform integrity and safety rules for Thoroughbred racing in the United States. In an effort to facilitate ease of reporting, HVMS has worked with HISA to create a software integration that will enhance workflow, reduce duplicate entry of records, and align data to make information flow easier and quicker. "The integration saves a significant amount of time in the HISA reporting requirements over doing reporting...