fines

Commissioner Doug Moore, the new Chair of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, made inaugural remarks Monday. Per a release from the ARCI, Moore called for unity amongst the racing industry along with reforms to HISA. Speaking about how penalties are assessed, Moore noted: "Previously, these fines varied from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, creating an illusion of inconsistent application of the rules. But the fact of the matter is that uniform fines are anything but uniform. Fines were and need to be assessed based on the financial structure of individual tracks....

Steve Asmussen Stables has entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor to reimburse grooms and hotwalkers nearly $130,000 to resolve violations of the federal H-2B worker program, which enables businesses to employ temporary visa workers, according to a release from the Department of Labor. Asmussen was also assessed civil money penalties of just over $75,000 for its violations in addition to the wage penalties. According to the release, this is the fourth time in recent years that Asmussen has been ordered to make payments to workers,...

With the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) first pending rulings for medication and anti-doping related violations having just been made public, the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) issued a reminder Thursday of the possible sanctions under this new federal framework. As the THA points out, taken as a whole the penalty scheme under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is significantly more stringent than that imposed previously by state commissions. These new sanctions pertain to medication positives and other anti-doping related infractions that come after May 22, when HIWU's...

Robertino Diodoro, currently second in wins and fourth by earnings in the Oaklawn Park trainer standings, had a fifth-place finisher from three months ago disqualified via stewards' ruling Monday because of a Class 4 dexamethasone positive. Although the DQ ruling itself did not impose a fine upon Diodoro, a separate stewards' ruling fined him $1,000 under the "absolute insurer" clause. By issuing a separate fine, the Oaklawn stewards handled Diodoro's Class 4 positive similar to how they did in 2020 when Diodoro had two winners and a fifth-place horse disqualified...

Two 3-hydroxylidocaine positives detected in separate horses six days apart at Canterbury Park in August and September have resulted in a $5,000 fine and 60-day suspension for trainer Robertino Diodoro. The suspension part of the penalty has been stayed so long as Diodoro does not incur a Class 1 or 2 or Penalty Category A or B medication violation before Jan. 31, 2021. Lidocaine is classified as a Class 2, Penalty Category B substance on the Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule compiled by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI). For...

The penalty structure for the new slate of restrictive whipping regulations passed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) back on June 16 appears to be on its way to an overhaul after the KHRC Rules Committee unanimously voted Sept. 29 to present a "days instead of dollars" system to the full board for reconsideration. In essence, a series of escalating disciplinary actions will replace the suspension-plus-fine system that was originally based on a percentage of the purse being taken away from  riders who violate the "six underhanded strikes per...