Q&A: HISA's Anti-Doping And Medication Control Program
August 10, 2023
As the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) drug and medication control program has rolled out over the past few 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 [...]
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Open Letter To The Stronach Group: Where Are The Answers?
July 24, 2023
Over a week has passed since The Stronach Group (TSG) announced with a short statement light on detail the closure of Golden Gate Fields at the end of the year–a momentous decision that figures to upend a way of life for so many in California. Since then, the company has remained publicly mum on the [...]
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Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings, July 4-10
July 12, 2023
Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup 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 will also post a roundup [...]
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Weekly Stewards And Commissions Rulings, June 27-July 3
July 6, 2023
Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup 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 will also post a roundup [...]
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Florida Trainers Sure to Feel Impact of Draconian New Immigration Law
June 15, 2023
Last month, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into state law the self-described “strongest anti-illegal immigration legislation in the country.” Under the new statute–the bulk of which goes into effect on July 1–business owners with 25 or more employees must use E-Verify to confirm the immigration status of new hires, and be subjected to enforceable penalties [...]
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Lisa Lazarus Talks HISA On Eve Of Drug Program Launch
May 21, 2023
After a series of false starts, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) signature anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program is now set to go into effect Monday. On Friday, TDN spoke with HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus on a variety of topics including the launch of HISA's signature drug control program, operational expenses, the Forte [...]
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When Do CAWs Help And Hurt California Racing?
April 16, 2023
Last month, a lengthy Financial Times feature detailed the growing share of overall handle generated through Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW)–both in California and nationwide. CAW players are a small group of high-volume and largely anonymous gamblers with an outsized impact on the betting markets due in no small part to the sophisticated wagering tools at [...]
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Weekly Rulings: April 4-April 10
April 13, 2023
Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup 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. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act [...]
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Does HISA Remedy CHRB, VMB Turf War?
April 7, 2023
The ongoing stand-off between California's Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) and the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has amounted to a regulatory turf war over California's backstretch veterinarians. So far, the state's VMB has flexed its primacy, issuing dozens of records requests and, in a number of instances, complaints against vets within this colony. The highest [...]
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Horse Sales And HISA, The Overlap
March 26, 2023
With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Integrity Act's (HISA) anti-doping and medication control program set for launch Monday–pending approval by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)–the inevitable focus will be on the spider web of post-race and out-of-competition testing set to blanket most of the nation. But with it has come this other question: What do [...]
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Weekly Stewards And Commissions Rulings, Mar. 7-13
March 16, 2023
Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup 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. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act [...]
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Gabapentin: What Is It?
March 9, 2023
The news last week that leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has been suspended for 15 days and fined $500 by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission—pending appeal—after one of his trainees tested positive for the substance gabapentin after winning a graded stake at Presque Isle Downs last September, led to a collective head scratch. What exactly is gabapentin? “It [...]
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