HISA

The Jockey Club of America Chairman Stuart S. Janney III will be honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit at the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards Dinner and Ceremony at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 25, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) said in a Friday release. "The Eclipse Award of Merit is the Thoroughbred industry's highest honor, bestowed upon an individual who has displayed a lifetime of achievement in service to the sport," reads the press release from the NTRA. "Janney's decades of involvement and leadership...

These are busy times for Alan Foreman, who is the general counsel to the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, a member of Maryland's Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) and serves as an ombudsman for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU). He took time out of his schedule to join the TDN Writers' Room Podcast, sponsored by The Green Group. It is his work with the MTROA that has received the most attention of late as the Authority recently issued a plan that...

Alan Foreman is an equine law expert in Maryland, and he's also the HISA Ombudsman, helping horsemen navigate the new laws under HISA. He joins the TDN Writers' Room this week with both hats on, talking about changes going on with HISA and in Maryland as a new structure takes shape for racing there.

1/ST, owned by the Stronach Group, will partner with Equine MediRecord (EMR) to digitize equine welfare protocols for this year's running of the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park Jan. 27, the Irish technology company said in a release Thursday morning. The added measure will enhance the stringent equine health and safety protocols, and make the process even easier as EMR representatives will be onsite to help log each horse's information into their system. The platform allows for the full veterinary history of the horse to be collected digitally and...

   Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country.   NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS 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: 11/25/2023 Licensee: Jesus Romero, 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...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has established a Next Generation Advisory Group, which will provide feedback to HISA's executive team and standing committees on the implementation and evolution of HISA's regulations and protocols. Made up of individuals in the early to mid-stages of their professional careers, the Advisory Group is open to new applicants, who can apply to join prior to the Feb. 9 deadline. "Establishing a Next Generation Advisory Group was an easy decision for HISA," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. "We are safeguarding racing for generations...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among the key rulings from the last seven days, the prohibition of intra-articular injections seven days prior to timed workouts continues to catch people out, with a further two trainers each issued $3,000 fines this past week for violations of this rule. This brings the total rulings related to pre-workout intra-articular injection violations to 25 since HISA's anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program went into effect last May....

In Friday's TDN, Bill Finley wrote about trainer Jimmy Corrigan's suspension after one of his horses tested positive for methamphetamine Oct. 7 at Belterra. In the story, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said that Corrigan hadn't reached out to HISA for help or to let them know he felt the positive test was caused by contamination. Corrigan sent a statement to the TDN Saturday morning contradicting that assertion. "I would like to make a response to Lisa Lazarus's claim I never reached out to anybody in regards to my case. I...

When Jimmy Corrigan was informed after an Oct. 7 race at Belterra Park that his horse Stay Lost (Bernardini) had tested positive for the banned substance methamphetamine he was shocked. The native of Ireland had been training in the U.S. since 1992 and had never had a drug positive of any kind. He said he is careful who he hires and that he's sure that no one in his barn had ever touched the drug. But, at least initially, these things don't matter under the rules of the Horseracing Integrity...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among the key rulings from the last seven days, trainer Jimmy Corrigan has been provisionally suspended as a result of his trainee, Stay Lost--who won at Belterra Park on Oct. 7 last year--testing positive for Methamphetamine. HISA currently lists Methamphetamine--a common human recreation drug--as a banned substance, which comes with a possible two-year suspension. With banned substances under HISA, responsible parties are subject to a provisional suspension, prior...

Editor's Note: The TDN received this letter from Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. 2023 was certainly a year of many challenges for the Thoroughbred industry. Much has been written and spoken about the issues we face, although very little action has taken place. As we enter 2024, I believe it is imperative we make meaningful efforts to improve our sport. Every component of the industry must pledge to do a better job. We must find common ground and set aside our egos. We must commit (at a minimum) to the following actions...

I just wanted to express my frustration and disappointment that we, as an industry, seem incapable of presenting a meaningful response to the negativity we are currently facing in the mainstream media. For example, when the 60 Minutes documentary aired several weeks ago, it elicited a wave of legitimate outrage. But the industry's side of the story was nowhere to be seen outside the trade press. We have a collective tendency, at times like this, to wring our hands and shuffle our feet, figuratively speaking. Surely the Thoroughbred Racing Industry,...