Barbara Reeves

In light of pointed criticism aimed at the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) by an arbitrator in a recent case, the drug enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) has issued a horsemen's advisory on a supplement called Easywillow, along with broader recommendations for horsemen and women about their use of supplements. Earlier this month, trainer Gary Greiner was banned four months and fined $1,000 after he was found in possession of a dietary supplement containing a banned substance in June of last year, as per...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)-related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)'s "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Among this week's rulings, trainer Carlos Acosta, Jr. has been banned a combined four years and fined a combined $25,000 after out-of-competition hair and blood samples taken in April from his trainees, Storm Leader and Tucum, tested positive for Albuterol, a banned bronchodilator. At the time...

In 2024, maintaining a racing stable in California has become a shaky endeavor for license holders both large and small, prolific and select. But for California trainer Mike Puype, this year has been especially fraught. For much of this year, Puype had hanging over his head the threat of a possible four-year ban and $50,000 fine after investigators found Isoxsuprine tablets and Levothyroxine powder--two once relatively common substances in horse racing now banned under HISA--during a routine barn search in April of this year. Last week, an independent arbitrator who...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, following a Nov. 22 hearing an independent arbitrator issued trainer Mike Puype a three-month and 17-day suspension (time served) along with a $1,000 fine after two bottles of Isoxsuprine tablets and two containers of Levothyroxine (ThyroL) powder were found in his barn during a routine search on April 24. The Isoxuprine tablets expired in 2012 and 2013, while the Levothyroxine powders expired in 2016...