HISA

Four weeks out from the anticipated effective date for the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program (ADMC), the Authority overseeing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is stepping up its awareness campaign so industry participants can be properly prepared for a sweeping change in regulatory protocols. "We are officially on the one-month countdown to what we are confident will be the launch of our ADMC program on Mar. 27," Lisa Lazarus, the chief executive officer for the HISA Authority, said during a Monday video press conference. "Everyone is sort of...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. California Track: Santa Anita Date: 02/10/2023 Licensee: Lorenzo Ruiz, trainer Penalty:...

Edited Press Release As part of its preparations for administration of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) is building a robust investigations unit to administer this fundamental component of the Program. The investigations unit will be led by Shawn Loehr and Naushaun "Shaun" Richards, who will be guided by their decades of law enforcement and investigative experiences to help ensure the success of Thoroughbred racing's first national, uniform ADMC program. Richards joined HIWU after a decorated...

With uncertainties regarding the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) still swirling, Fonner Park management announced Friday that it will not simulcast its races to locations outside of Nebraska. The meet is set to begin Feb. 10 and run through May 6. Fonner will become the second track not sending out its signal due to questions over HISA. Last year, the Texas Racing Commission ordered its tracks to cut off simulcasting because of HISA, only to reverse the decision earlier this month after the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of...

The Congressional amendment to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) at the end of last year--affording the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) more rule-making governance--has not yielded a pause on the legal maneuverings surrounding the law. Already this year, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a motion by the HISA Authority for that court to vacate its recent opinion that HISA is unconstitutional, and instead sent two different cases back down to the district court level. In response, the Texas Racing Commission--which has so far barred the federal law...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. California Track: Santa Anita Date: 02/03/2023 Licensee: Eoin Harty Penalty: $3,000...

This Sunday is the biggest day in American sports--Super Bowl LVII. While I enjoy this annual ritual, I much prefer the first Saturday in May--or really any Saturday where there is great Thoroughbred competition to watch. I grew up a bettor, then became a marketer and ultimately an owner in the sport. And all three of these experiences I've enjoyed immensely. And for the benefit of each, I applauded the efforts to finally, finally, finally bring Thoroughbred racing under the long-overdue establishment of uniform safety and integrity rules through the...

In Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) President Ed Martin's letter to the Thoroughbred Daily News on Feb. 2, he once again defends the status quo with few facts and no real solutions to racing's lack of national uniformity in rules and regulations for safety and medication control. Ed has been defending the status quo for years. In 2018, and again in 2020, Ed testified before Congress against the then-forerunner to the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act, saying it was "a radical and unnecessary federalization of a state responsibility...

As the legal saga that is HISA continues to be bantered around the courts horse racing fans have heard some common themes develop from those in support of and in opposition of the legislation and regulations. Those in opposition have raised many points they have repeated used as arguments for what is wrong with the entire idea and process. One of the themes that has been made as part of every opposition argument is that there is a better way to go about this, and a better set of uniform...

The Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) has formally asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to set aside and temporarily not approve proposed anti-doping and medication control rules proposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) until the constitutionality of the HISA Act is determined by the Courts. "This has nothing to do with wanting uniform rules or having a central rule-making authority, two things the ARCI supports," said Ed Martin, ARCI President. "This all has to do with avoiding a situation where an enforcement action is overturned because...

Despite previously announcing that interstate simulcast wagering would resume Friday, Feb. 3, Sam Houston released a statement Friday morning postponing it. "We have determined that more time is needed to fully evaluate the many legal complexities surrounding recent court decisions and the HISA amendment enacted by Congress at the end of last year," the statement read. "While we are eager to export our signal across the country, our commitment to maintaining federal and state compliance remains our top priority. We will export our signal across state lines when we are...

"As a former instructor of constitutional and criminal law at the United States Military Academy, I implored upon the cadets that we are a nation of laws, not of emotional disinformation. Article III of the Constitution gives the courts the task of interpreting the laws to determine constitutionality and that process is exactly what is happening right now with HISA. "HISA is the law of the land and has been challenged in the courts. In this country constitutionality is not determined by those who may disagree with the language of...