scratches

The third race at Belmont Park Friday was left with just two horses entered to run after Lasix was not administered to four horses who were supposed to receive it. The veterinarian charged with administering the Lasix, Dr. Steven Lascher, "is no longer employed by NYRA," the company said. The race, a $100,000 allowance optional claimer at one mile had drawn six entries, but was left with just two: Pharoah's Heart (American Pharoah) and Honey Money (Central Banker) after the omission came to light. "Four horses entered to run in...

Facing a July 1 federal mandate to get all licensed personnel and actively racing Thoroughbreds registered in accordance with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), representatives from that organization's Authority team fielded questions from industry participants Friday in an online "town hall" forum, where the most pertinent query had to do with whether horses will get scratched if their online HISA registrations are incomplete by that deadline. The short answer, according to the HISA Authority's chief executive officer, Lisa Lazarus, is yes. But her slightly longer explanation tells us...