Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act

Every week, the TDN publishes a round-up 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 round-up of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. CALIFORNIA Track: Del Mar Date: 11/26/2022 Licensee: Abdul Alsagoor, jockey Penalty:...

With the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit set to hear oral arguments Dec. 7 in a case that seeks to reverse a lower court's decision to dismiss a constitutional challenge of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), the two opposing sides have filed new documentation pertaining to a separate but related Nov. 18 decision by the Fifth Circuit that did, in fact, declare HISA unconstitutional. Although it's tough at this stage to get a consensus on what might happen with HISA over the next six...

Despite a near-term national forecast clouded with uncertainty over last week's United States Court of Appeals order declaring the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) to be unconstitutional, California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) commissioners on Tuesday expressed confidence their state will be able to weather the projected turbulence over HISA's in-limbo legality better than other jurisdictions. The reason, according to staffers and commissioners who spoke during the Nov. 22 monthly meeting, is that the CHRB has been proactively advancing safety and medication rules for the past few years, and a...

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which on Friday issued the landmark order declaring that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is unconstitutional, has made a second HISA-related ruling in a separate case. This order, which was also filed Nov. 18 but got overshadowed by the broader ramifications of the non-constitutionally ruling, lifts an "administrative stay" that had been issued back in August in a case in which Louisiana, West Virginia, the Jockeys' Guild, and other parties sued the HISA Authority, the Federal Trade Commission...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has appointed Dr. Jennifer Durenberger as Director of Equine Safety and Welfare, effective Nov. 28, 2022, HISA announced Thursday. Dr. Durenberger will advise HISA's leadership and Standing Committees on equine health and welfare strategies and oversee HISA's relationships with industry veterinarians and other key stakeholders to ensure consistency in the implementation of HISA's equine safety and welfare policies nationwide. "HISA is thrilled to have Dr. Durenberger sharing her insight and expertise to help protect the health and welfare of our sport's magnificent equine...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has submitted to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) a technical document listing and categorizing 1,365 Prohibited Substances covered by HISA's anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) rules and further dividing them into subcategories of Banned Substances and Controlled Medications. The document is now subject to final approval by the FTC ahead of the ADMC Program's Jan. 1, 2023 implementation date. This technical document was developed by HISA's ADMC Standing Committee and approved by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), which will administer the...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has announced the members of its Horsemen's Advisory Group, who were selected from among the more than 250 applications received from hands-on racing participants from across the country. Starting in November, the Advisory Group will convene on a monthly basis to provide feedback to the Authority's executive team and Standing Committees on the implementation and evolution of HISA's Racetrack Safety and Anti-Doping and Medication Control regulations. Members will serve between 1-2-year terms to stagger changes in the composition of the group and to...

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), which was established by Drug Free Sport International to administer the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, has named Dr. Mary Scollay as its chief of science. In this role, which she commences Oct. 10, Scollay will oversee HIWU's Science Department, including the HISA Equine Analytical Laboratory accreditation program, and education efforts ahead of the ADMC Program launch in January 2023. She will also prioritize research development into Prohibited Substances while engaging with veterinary scientists, pharmacologists, and...

Representative Lance Gooden (R-TX-05) introduced legislation in the United States House of Representatives Tuesday that would delay the implementation date of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) from July 1, 2022, to Jan. 1, 2024. "I speak for all our membership, whose livelihood is determined by horse racing, when I say introduction of this legislation is a welcomed bit of common sense," said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA). "HISA's implementation so far has been inconsistent, contradictory, confusing, burdensome, and plagued by...

The closer the clock ticks down to Nov. 4, when Turf Paradise's latest 130-day meet is scheduled to launch, the louder will the questions resound about the facility's historically checkered approach to equine welfare and safety. Near the midway point during last year's Turf Paradise meet, its equine fatality rate was more than 2.8 deaths per 1,000 starts. This compares to the national equine fatality rate of 1.39 per 1,000 starts last year. Between Oct. 10, 2021, and May 7, 2022, 11 horses were fatally injured during morning training at...

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: Del Mar Date: 09/02/2022 Licensee: Keron Thomas, owner Penalty:...

Defending itself against contempt-of-court allegations for purportedly violating an under-dispute preliminary injunction order by imposing riding infraction penalties upon Jockeys' Guild members nationwide, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority (HISA) fired back in federal court Tuesday with a filing that stated the plaintiffs' argument "fails the straight-face test." At issue is the still-disputed nature of the wording in a July 26 injunction order out of United States District Court (Western District of Louisiana), which stated that HISA rules would be enjoined in two plaintiff states until a June 29...