HISA

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has raised concerns about the winning Preakness ride by Paco Lopez on Napoleon Solo, suggesting that Lopez raised his whip above his helmet on three different occasions before striking his horse, in violation of HISA regulations. HISA announced Monday night that they were investigating the concerns. "The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is aware of the concerns raised regarding Paco Lopez's ride in the referenced race at Laurel Park," the organization wrote in an email. "In accordance with the standard...

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. The following question was submitted by Kate Hunter, a U.S. representative for Japanese participants. Q:...

Because he doesn't ride regularly in Kentucky, New York or California, Paco Lopez will never get the acclaim that flows so easily when it comes to the likes of the Ortiz brothers, John Velazquez, Flavien Prat. Nor does it help that he has made far too many headlines for the suspensions he has received because he has a problem with overuse of the whip. He can be his own worst enemy. That's why few would rate him a Top Five rider. That's too bad because he's, well, really good. That...

The first race on Friday's Black-Eyed Susan program at Laurel Park was marred by the death of first-time starter Hit Zero (Twirling Candy), who succumbed to an apparent cardiac event following the conclusion of the $35,000 maiden claimer, according to a statement from the Maryland Racing Commission. "The Equine Medical Director attended to Hit Zero and has initiated a full post-incident review consistent with Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Equine Fatality Reporting Requirements," the statement said in part. "A necropsy will be conducted and a cause of death will...

The 12th Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, scheduled for June 29 and June 30 in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion and livestreamed, will feature presentations on the progress of the racing industry and how diagnostic equipment and technology is being used to assist in racing safety, the summit announced Thursday. Presentations for June 29 will feature Dr. Tim Parkin discussing the latest statistics from the Equine Injury Database; Liza Lazarus, who will discuss HISA technology and data integration; and Dr. Scott Morrison, who will present on the racehorse 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 (HIWU)'s "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Among this week's rulings, trainer Vance Childers has been suspended a combined 46 months and fined a combined $30,000 for an out-of-competition and a race-day medication violation, respectively, and for a possession charge of Piper Methysticum (Kava), a banned anti-inflammatory. Childers's case is intertwined with that...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) released its 2026 First Quarter Metrics Report Tuesday with a new low 0.95 racing-related fatalities per 1,000 starts for the quarter. During the first three months of the year (January 1-March 31), racetracks operating under HISA rules reported that 99.91% of starts occurred without a fatality. Of the racing-related fatalities recorded this quarter, 81% were attributable to musculoskeletal causes, 16% to sudden death and 3% to other causes. This quarter marked the inaugural safety impact of the HISA Equine Recovery Foundation (HERF), an...

A new Equine Health Advisory on the risk of fatal injury in Covered Horses previously placed on the Veterinarians' List as Unsound was revealed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Friday. The advisory, which is based on data drawn from the HISA Veterinarians' List, provides practical guidance, including on the use of wearable biometric sensors during training programs to provide additional insight into horses' condition and performance. "Decisions to place a horse on the Veterinarians' List as Unsound are made with the utmost care and expertise by...

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. Among this week's rulings, owner and trainer Raul Beltran-Moreno has been suspended for 18-months and fined $12,500 after he was found in possession of Pitcher Plant Extract, a banned substance (which goes by the brand name Sarapin) due to its analgesic properties. The suspension began...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Board of Directors has voted unanimously to make no changes to the current rules regarding the use of the medication Lasix, it was announced Tuesday. With the decision from the nine-member Board of Directors, Lasix will still be banned in 2-year-old races and stakes races in all states that fall under HISA's jurisdiction. Had the board voted otherwise, the diuretic would have been banned in all races. When HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program was launched on May 23, 2023.  it ushered in...

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 will every week answer a question of industry importance posed by the TDN. If you have any questions you'd like to ask HISA, please feel free to send them over to us at the following email address: danross@thetdn.com   Q: During the recent virtual HISA town hall, there were several questions about the outside vendors that HISA has hired. Could you provide a...

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. Among this week's rulings, trainer Christopher R. Fung has been suspended two years and fined a total of $20,000 (including arbitration costs) after his trainee, Anointed King, tested positive for Clenbuterol after finishing second at Finger Lakes on Aug. 20, 2024. His suspension began on...