Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

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...

Technological changes on the immediate horizon for the racing industry won't be so much of the gee-whiz or sci-fi variety. Instead, they'll be more like much-needed ease-of-use and cumbersome-task-simplifying tools that are currently being built and driven by massive collections of data. Tuesday's Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program in Tucson kicked off with Lisa Lazarus, the chief executive officer of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), articulating a significant data point--that as of Dec. 10, 2024, the fatality rate of...

On the eve that Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) and the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) were scheduled to appear at separate enforcement hearings in front of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority board to address disputes over their non-payment of assessment fees that are based partially on purses, those two prominent Thoroughbred track operators teamed up to sue the Authority and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in federal court, alleging that both the fee impositions and the attempted enforcement actions for non-payment are "illegal." According to the civil complaint...

Speaking publicly for the first time since he was caught on video striking the horse National Law (Constitution) in the face with his whip after the field crossed the wire in Tuesday's fifth race at Parx, jockey Paco Lopez posted a tweet Thursday in which he admitted he was at fault. "I take full responsibility for my actions," Lopez wrote. "I am aware that our sport is under a lot of scrutiny and I fully apologize to everyone involved in our sport--fans, horsemen, management, racing commissions, HISA and of course,...

Reacting to an incident that took place Tuesday at Parx in which he was caught on video striking the horse National Law (Constitution) in the face with his whip following the fifth race, jockey Paco Lopez has received a provisional suspension from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). "In response to the incident yesterday involving jockey Paco Lopez, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has provisionally suspended Paco Lopez from all racing activities under HISA's jurisdiction, effective immediately," said a HISA spokesperson. "The provisional suspension will proceed under an...

Edited Press Release Funding for a pair of research studies has been announced by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s Exercise-Associated Sudden Death (EASD) Working Group. The group was formed in October of 2023 to advance research initiatives and collaborate with industry leaders on the critical issue of exercise-associated sudden death. The Working Group is made up of veterinarians and equine researchers focused on the scientific understanding and prevention of sudden, unexpected fatalities occurring during or closely following exercise in Thoroughbred racehorses. "The EASD Working Group is working diligently...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has announced the launch of HISA Horse In-Sight, a cutting-edge digital tool designed for regulatory veterinarians. Integrated within the HISA Portal, the platform combines a horse's career and medical history to provide a unique and holistic view of its health and performance. HISA Horse In-Sight was developed to empower regulatory veterinarians to make informed, timely decisions with greater efficiency and accuracy, ultimately enhancing horse health and welfare across Thoroughbred racing. "HISA Horse In-Sight represents a significant leap forward in how we approach equine care...