Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

The arbitrator in charge of trainer Phil Serpe's contested clenbuterol positive detected in a filly who won last summer at Saratoga Race Course has issued a final decision that metes out the exact penalties sought by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)--a two-year suspension, plus a race disqualification and forfeiture of purse winnings. Beyond the potentially career-ending banishment of the 66-year-old trainer, what was striking about the decision is that it did not impose any monetary fine upon Serpe. According to ADMC Rule 3223, Serpe could have faced a...

A member of the Internal Adjudication Panel (IAP) for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) on July 10 imposed a two-year suspension and a $25,000 fine on a veterinarian who has practiced on the New York circuit for more than three decades for "failing to submit over three thousand veterinary treatment records to HISA within 24 hours after examination or treatment of Covered Horses during the period from Jan. 1, 2023, through Mar. 7, 2024." The veterinarian, Michael J. Galvin, could...

Dr. Mary Scollay has retired from her full-time duties as the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's chief of science, effective immediately, HIWU announced Tuesday. While Scollay will continue to serve as a consultant to HIWU, Dr. Michael Hardy has assumed the position of acting chief of science. "Dr. Scollay was integral to the creation of HIWU and the launch and enforcement of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program," said Ben Mosier, executive director of HIWU. "In the three-plus years since our first introduction at Turfway...

In a federal court case involving the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) that is being closely watched because it involves a trainer's allegations of a wrongful denial of Seventh Amendment rights to a jury trial, a judge in Florida on Thursday denied conditioner Phil Serpe's request for preliminary injunction in a lawsuit initiated last October against the HISA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The civil complaint involves "banned substance" sanctions stemming from the alleged detection of clenbuterol in an Aug. 10, 2024, Saratoga Race Course winner from the...

The GI Kentucky Derby has long been billed as the most exciting two minutes in sports. After a series of lawsuits involving America's signature horse race over the last six years, it might be more precise to start referring to it as the most litigated two minutes in sports. The week between the first two legs of this year's Triple Crown began with the connections of Derby winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) opting out of the GI Preakness Stakes based on the assessment by trainer Bill Mott and owner/breeder Godolphin that...

Horses in early stages of training or those returning from an extended layoff may be at higher risk for fatal proximal forelimb fractures than previously recognized, according to an Equine Health Advisory released by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Monday. The advisory, which is based on data drawn from the HISA Portal, provides practical guidance for trainers and veterinarians on how to help prevent these catastrophic injuries. The advisory's key findings include: Fatal proximal forelimb (humeral and scapular) fractures accounted for 15% of training fatalities reported to HISA by...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has released its annual metrics report for 2024, which shows that tracks regulated by HISA are significantly safer than those that are not. At the 47 racetracks operating under HISA's ADMC Program and Racetrack Safety Program, the combined rate of fatalities was .90 per 1,000 starts. At racetracks that are not covered by HISA, the fatality rate was 1.76 per 1,000 starts, almost double the number for the HISA tracks. The new was released just days after the Jockey Club released its numbers...

Jeff Novitsky, currently the senior vice president, anti-doping compliance, for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has been reappointed to the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Committee of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. Prior to joining UFC in 2015, Novitsky was a federal agent with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations, leading investigations of companies suspected of illegally distributing performance-enhancing substances, including the case involving Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team. Prior to that, Novitsky conducted Internal Revenue Service investigations into some of...

Despite a state auditor's report last summer which found major discrepancies with Texas Racing Commission record-keeping practices, during a scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12, the horse racing regulator voted 5-1 to temporarily allow the state breed registries to access their portion of the Horse Industry Escrow Account (HIEA) to channel money to purses. For Thoroughbreds, that means that requests by organizations like the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) will be able to contribute to the current Sam Houston Race Park meeting's purse structure. However, the commission has not sanctioned the...

Edited Press Release The Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory (PETRL), a Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program laboratory, has been directed to modify its instrumentation and methodology for TCO2 testing to mass spectrometry so that it is consistent with the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit's three other Program laboratories, HIWU announced Wednesday. PETRL has already transitioned to this methodology, which is also independently endorsed by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. HIWU began its review of PETRL's procedures in response to a disproportionately...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has named 16 regulatory and private practice veterinarians from across the country to serve as members on its Veterinary Advisory Committee, according to a press release from the organization on Thursday morning. The committee will commence regular meetings in early 2025 to provide feedback to HISA's executive team and standing committees. Advisement on topics would include the implementation and evolution of HISA's rules and protocols related to veterinary care, medication, racetrack safety, equine research and other relevant issues. Committee members will serve staggered...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) released a third quarter metrics report that shows that the rate of breakdowns at HISA tracks continues to decline. The report covers the period of July 1 to Sept. 30 and marks the third consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines in the equine fatality rate. The third quarter fatality rate decreased approximately 21% year-over-year, with racetracks operating under HISA's rules reporting 0.93 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts as compared to a rate of 1.18 in the third quarter of 2023. At the recent...