Provisional suspensions

Trainer Jonathan Wong's legal team has filed an application with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the agency to review an April decision by an FTC chief administrative law judge affirming an earlier Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) arbitration panel ruling which suspended Wong for two years and fined 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 application for review asks the FTC to conduct a de novo review of chief administrative law...

Editor's note: This is the latest in a series in the TDN to help industry members better understand the procedures under the new HISA and HIWU regulations. TDN: Please explain the rules on what happens during a Provisional Suspension. Are my employees still allowed to care for my horses? Can my assistant trainer be in charge? Or do I have to have them moved to an entirely new barn with new help? HISA:It is true that there have been some changes in the procedures surrounding a Provisional Suspension, along with...

The Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has changed their provisional suspension policy regarding banned substances and will now wait to suspend a trainer until the split (B) sample is returned, according to a press release from HISA Friday morning. "Last Friday, HIWU was informed that a split (B) sample did not confirm the original laboratory finding, and, accordingly, pursuant to the ADMC regulations, HIWU dismissed the violation against a trainer who had been provisionally suspended 20 days earlier," the statement read. "This raised concerns regarding the imposition of...