HISA

In response to a release on the subject of 'Equine Sudden Death Syndrome' issued by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Sept. 25 (TDN story), which found that atrial fibrillation (AF) was a contributing factor to equine sudden death, Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HPBA, called the findings into question in a statement of his own on Oct. 8, declaring that the HISA statement 'raised more questions than answers' and 'offered no scientific references, and provided no direct link to the alleged research behind their claims, even...

According to the HIWU website, GI Belmont Stakes winning trainer Jena Antonucci has had a horse test positive for Lidocaine. The horse in question is Bee a Queen (Khozan). Bee A Queen last raced on Sept, 12 at Gulfstream, but it is not clear whether or not that was the race from which the filly had a positive test. After the notice of the positive was posted on the HIWU website, Antonucci posted a statement on her X account explaining that she was willing to work with HISA/HIWU and called...

Earlier this week, Carlo Vaccarezza reported to the BloodHorse that his trainer son, Nick, had been denied stalls at Gulfstream Park for horses owned by his father. Additionally, Carlo Vaccarreza claimed that despite taking steps to remove his name from the stable's limited liability ownership company--effectively shifting ownership of the horses to his son, Michael--track officials told Nick Vaccarezza that they would deny his entries. Carlo Vaccarezza described the action as an act of retaliation for his involvement in the contentious fight to stop the track's owners from decoupling its...

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's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 09/26/2025 Licensee: Vladimir Cerin, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Betamethasone--a class C controlled substance--in a sample taken from Saqeel on 8/13/25. Date:...

One day after the Jockeys' Guild issued a statement that excoriated the Horse Racing Safety and Integrity Authority for suspending Paco Lopez for six months, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus issued a statement defending the Authority's actions. In a January 17 order signed by both HISA and Lopez's representatives, the parties agreed that "this two-year suspension is probated contingent upon Lopez not committing another violation of HISA Rules that involves conduct similar to the conduct at issue in the Notice within two years of the date of this Order. If Lopez...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's proposed 2026 budget has been out for its mandatory public comment period and is now before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The topline comes out to just over $78.4 million. If credits to the industry are fully applied, then the cost to the industry is around $60.4 million. HISA has already responded to nine public comments posted to the federal register. Its response, however, doesn't include those subsequently submitted by Churchill Downs Incorporated's (CDI) CEO, Bill Carstanjen. CDI is hardly an impartial voice in...

The Jockeys' Guild of America issued a press release on Thursday afternoon responding to the suspension of Paco Lopez by HISA, which is reproduced here in its entirety. The notice issued by Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority ("HISA") against Paco Lopez on Sept. 22, 2025 for "immediate suspension for 6 months" is absolutely uncalled for and beyond ludicrous. This is just the latest in an extensive list of jockeys who have been assessed the outlandish fines and penalties for the use of the riding crop, the organization said in a...

Paco Lopez and his attorney Drew Mollica have been informed by the Horse Racing Safety and Integrity Authority that they will not grant Paco Lopez a stay of his six-month suspension for what HISA called a violation of the terms of his agreement stemming from a Dec. 4 incident involving the whip. "We are in the process of evaluating all legal remedies including but not limited to an emergency application to a court of competent jurisdiction to seek not only injunctive relief, but sanctions for this unilateral unprecedented decision to...

The horse racing industry will gain access to advanced machine vision technology through a new partnership between Equius AI and global surveillance provider IREX AI, the former said via a Thursday press release. The collaboration will deliver video intelligence platforms designed for racetracks, training facilities, and equine operations, utilizing IREX's existing security infrastructure currently deployed across 30+ countries at airports, government facilities, transportation networks, and major sporting venues. The technology suite includes real-time security analytics, fire and smoke detection, crowd monitoring, and biometric access control. Racing-specific applications will encompass individual...

A HISA pilot program released results from a study of advanced cardiac monitoring of Thoroughbreds that shows atrial fibrillation (AF)--traditionally considered a benign, performance-limiting condition--can worsen during exercise, cause a more severe arrhythmia that leads to sudden death, according to a press release from HISA on Thursday. The group said that electrocardiogram data from affected horses that displayed AF both at rest and under exertion, underscores the need for early detection and highlighs the potential of integrating routine cardiac screening into pre-training and pre-race evaluations. During the first six months...

As part of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)'s Sept. 15 order staying the issuance of a $25,000 fine that had been imposed against Phil Serpe by an administrative law judge (ALJ) Sept. 12, the suspended Thoroughbred trainer was directed to file a brief by Oct. 16 that will serve as the first step in a "further review" that the FTC itself will undertake to adjudicate Serpe's year-old clenbuterol positive case. The case has so far been handled at the administrative level by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced Tuesday that jockey Paco Lopez has been suspended for six months, effective September 23, 2025, according to a press release from HISA. The release says that, "The suspension stems from Mr. Lopez's violation of the terms of his conditional reinstatement, related to a December 4, 2024 incident involving Mr. Lopez's use of the riding crop on the Covered Horse, National Law." "HISA remains committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and integrity in horse racing. We take any behavior that undermines...