Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) having called a veterinary summit to try to get to the bottom of what is going on at Churchill Downs, where 12 horses have died since Apr. 27, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said Tuesday that she is hopeful some answers will emerge in the days ahead that will help explain the situation. In the meantime, though, she said her group is not ready to recommend that racing be halted at the home of the Kentucky Derby. "That is one of the things...

In the wake of the tragic deaths of 12 horses at Churchill Downs, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has called for an emergency summit. This presents both a moment of leadership for HISA and an important test for the independent directors of the Churchill Downs Corporation to protect shareholder interests and ensure the survival of the entire horse racing industry. They must step up and meet the moment or step down. This can be achieved by ending dirt racing in America and transitioning to synthetic surfaces. These heartbreaking...

A filly by Tapwrit (hip 167) , who blazed a furlong in :9 4/5 during Monday's under-tack show, topped the Texas Thoroughbred Association's 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale when bringing a final bid of $300,000 from trainer Randy Morse Wednesday at Lone Star Park. Morse, fresh off a runner-up finish with Taxed (Collected) in Saturday's GIII Fantasy S., purchased the juvenile on behalf of owners Randy Patterson, Joe Morgan and Sam Vogel. "She's fast," Morse said of the filly's appeal. "The work was really good. There was a really strong headwind...

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, which founded and manages the American Graded Stakes Committee, will accept the testing protocols and criteria administered by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit for graded and listed stakes races conducted in jurisdictions governed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. HIWU will assign TCO2 and Post-Race testing for these races at quantities and rates specific to each race. Racetracks will not be at risk of losing graded or listed status for their races if the HIWU testing protocols for these races differ from...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Integrity and Welfare Unit has launched anonymous whistleblower platforms that will allow Thoroughbred industry participants to submit tips about potential violations of its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program. The text and email platforms are supported through a partnership with RealResponse, the leading provider of safe and secure reporting platform for athletes, teams, and organizations, while the telephone platform is supported by Ansafone. "Our anonymous whistleblower platforms will empower concerned individuals to safely and securely alert HIWU to potential violations of the AMDC Program, including...

Edited Press Release The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the independent enforcement agency of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, has reached arrangements with all state racing commissions and/or racetracks that will be conducting live racing on or soon after the implementation of the ADMC Program, which is anticipated to be Monday, Mar. 27, 2023. The laboratories that will be conducting testing under the Program have also been confirmed. "HIWU appreciates the opportunity to engage with state racing commissions, racetracks, and laboratories...

Despite entering into an agreement with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to get Turf Paradise up to date on existing national safety regulations, sufficient repairs were not made to improve the condition of the railing and the Phoenix, AZ, track received a deadline of Apr. 1 for completion or be "prohibited from conducting Covered Horseracing." The news came via a press release from HISA. In January, HISA cited the track for non-compliance on Rules 2153 "racetrack facilities", 2154 "racetrack surface monitoring", 2168 "equine ambulance", 2262 "void claim", 2276...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has announced that Samuel Reinhardt will be joining the organization as Assistant General Counsel, effective today. A native Kentuckian, Reinhardt joins HISA from the law firm Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC (SKO) where he litigated a variety of equine-related matters, including cases regarding the sale of horses, claims asserted against Thoroughbred auction houses, and disputes over wagering anomalies. He has been recognized on numerous occasions for his legal work by the peer-reviewed publication Best Lawyers. "Sam's experience with state and federal equine industry litigation...

More than 70,000 Thoroughbred racing participants and administrators across the country have now registered with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), in compliance with HISA's Registration Rule which went into effect on July 1, 2022. To date, 30,061 covered persons and 41,953 covered horses have been registered. As previously announced, HISA will require compliance with its Registration Rule in order to race beginning Mar. 27. Covered Persons and Horses who are not in compliance with the rule will be unable to race until they register in the HISA Portal....

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the Jockeys' Guild have launched an industry initiative to provide jockeys and riders with mental wellness support and resources. The organizations will be sending a survey to jockeys and exercise riders relating to their mental wellness needs and will use results of the anonymous survey as a starting point for building a framework to effectively use collective resources to address riders' most important health and safety needs. "HISA is tasked with regulatory oversight for jockey welfare and we are delighted to be working...

Edited Press Release The 2023 National HBPA Annual Conference closed with a lively discussion with three prominent horsemen who questioned the need, validity and overreach of federal legislation pitched as the so-called savior of racing while the industry heads into a challenging economic and logistical future. Bret Calhoun, Ron Faucheux and Jason Barkley participated in the Trainer's Talk panel moderated by multiple Eclipse Award-winning journalist and media specialist Jennie Rees and talked about everything from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, challenges facing small to mid-sized stables, finding and keeping...

Edited Press Release With the anticipated March 27 implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program approaching, it's increasingly important for all racing participants to understand how the Program will work. The following are HISA's answers to five frequently asked questions about the ADMC Program. How will the new HISA ADMC Program impact the lives and workflow of horsemen? The ADMC Program is designed to create centralized testing and results management processes and apply uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across the...