HISA

With a view to pulling the veil back on the hows and whys of their operations, a representative of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority or the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) will every week answer a question of industry importance posed by the TDN. If you have any questions you'd like to ask HISA or HIWU, please feel free to send them over to us at the following email address: danross@thetdn.com   Q: A trainer (who asked not to be publicly named) has contacted the TDN...

The decision comes despite numerous infractions, suspensions, and other penalties. Should anybody really be surprised? It doesn't seem to matter how much trouble a trainer can get into, they always seems to eventually find his way back. Case in point: Ramon Preciado. Preciado ran two horses at Mountaineer Park last week and has been starting horses there since April 12. Through Thursday, he had won with four of his 34 Mountaineer starters. His reinstatement came a bit more than nine years after he ran his last horse. Preciado isn't the...

In the latest salvo amid an oftentimes confusing chain of events that have played out across Pennsylvania's racing industry the last couple of months, the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) issued a statement Thursday denying allegations the organization had failed to provide adequate support for the nine trainers at Parx Racing who were told last month by track management they would be denied stalls at the track, but were given no reasons as to why. "The information that is being provided is one-sided and fails to reflect the immediate and...

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 Dates: 05/27/2026 Licensee: Brian Lusk, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final...

A study done by the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California-Davis has revealed that a racehorse is likely to show a positive test result for metformin if its groom is taking the diabetes medication and urinates in the horse's stall. After a rash of metformin positives in 2024, anecdotal information surfaced that in many of these cases their grooms handling the horses had been on the drug. Metformin is used to manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. With the uncertainty over the metformin...

The charges against Parx trainer Felissa Dunn brought when Pennyslvania State Horse Racing Commission investigators claimed to have found syringes in her barn has been dropped after an internal investigation revealed that one or more of the investigators made material misstatements of fact, according to a ruling posted on the HIWU website. "While obviously we are pleased that these ill-founded charges were dropped, the chain of custody was always in question and even without this discovery on the eve of the hearing, the fact that Miss Dunn was ever charged...

With a view to pulling the veil back on the hows and whys of their operations, a representative of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority or the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) will every week answer a question of industry importance posed by the TDN. If you have any questions you'd like to ask HISA or HIWU, please feel free to send them over to us at the following email address: danross@thetdn.com Q: There appear to be a lot of cases stayed "pending the FTC's approval of...

The newly released book "Equine Regulatory Law" is not exactly light reading or something you want to take to the beach this summer. But for the racing professional, particularly those who are interested in equine law, attorney and author Robert L. Heleringer has put together an important resource. In his introduction, Heleringer explains what is contained in the 746-page book. "Through detailed case studies, this book explains regulatory processes such as licensing, disciplinary actions, and rule enforcement, including the landmark case Gary and Mary West v. The Kentucky Horse Racing...

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 Dates: 05/18/2026 Licensee: Teresa Marie Pompay, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points....

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) was back in the news earlier this month when the HISA Board of Directors ruled that there would be no change to the status quo when it came to the rules regarding Lasix. That decision came after HISA commissioned a number of studies to look into the effects of the medication. To discuss the Lasix decision, another drop in the number of fatalities, the controversies surrounding why so many pre-race vet reviews are leading to scratches, the HERF initiative and more, HISA CEO...

On this week's TDN Writers' Room, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus discussed recent developments like the Lasix vote, the controversy over regulatory vet scratches, and the historically low injury rates under HISA.

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...