Lisa Lazarus

HISA Town Hall: Regulatory Reach, Environmental Contamination, Lab Variability and More Discussed

Trainers Ron Moquett and Dale Romans joined Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) CEO, Lisa Lazarus, on the agency's virtual town hall Monday. Both trainers sit on the HISA Horsemen's Advisory Group. A good portion of the HISA Town Hall was spent emphasizing the role of the horsemen's advisory group as a vehicle for potential change and modification in HISA's regulatory framework, having driven tweaks to the federal authority's rules on things like pre-race electrolyte use and looser sanctions for positives related to human substances of abuse (more on that...

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Open Letter to the Industry: Lisa Lazarus on Contamination

Like many of you, I read Rusty Arnold's open letter about his positive test with interest, and carefully considered the concerns that he identified. Also, like many of you, I am privileged to personally know, and respect Rusty, so I do not take his criticisms lightly. Rusty identified some of the challenges inherent in administering an equine anti-doping and medication control ("ADMC") program that is efficient, effective, and fair. However, it is important to note that those same challenges existed long before HISA and HIWU came onto the scene. In...

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HISA Not Positioned to Police Sales

The case of Jeffrey Englehart, who bought a horse at an OBS 2-Year-Old sale in June who had given Clenbuterol sometime before being purchased by Englehart, has renewed questions about the role of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and whether or not it would be in the sport's best interest for it to expand its jurisdiction to cover sales as well as racing. Currently, HISA has no authority over a horse until it has its first recorded public workout, which is when it becomes a "covered" horse....

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Slight Uptick in Rate of Fatal Injuries in 2023

According to numbers compiled by The Jockey Club for its Equine Injury Database (EID), there were 1.32 fatalities per 1,000 starts at North American racetracks in 2023. That was slightly worse than in 2022 when the number was 1.25, the lowest rate of fatalities since The Jockey Club started compiling numbers in 2009. It was the first time the number had increased year-over-year since 2018 when there were 1.68 fatalities per 1,000 starters. Nonetheless, the figures showed that the sport has made obvious strides since 2009 when it comes to...

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Wong Suspended Two Years and Fined $25,000, Says He'll Appeal

Trainer Jonathan Wong has been suspended for two years and fined $25,000 for a post-race metformin positive from last June after a Jan. 9 hearing before the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's arbitration panel. The two-year period of ineligibility retroactively starts July 1, 2023, when Wong's initial provisional suspension was first imposed. He will also pay $8,000 of HIWU's share of the arbitration, in addition to his own arbitration fees. As the maximum possible sentence for such a violation, the ruling marks the latest twist in a case that became...

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HISA Appoints Bethany Erb To Director of Public Affairs

With over 18 years experience in government affairs and stakeholder engagement, Bethany Erb has been appointed to serve as Director of Public Affairs at the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), the organization announced via press release Monday. In the position, Erb will manage HISA's engagement with policymakers and other stakeholders in Washington, D.C. and around the country, which includes representatives from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as the various advocacy groups inside and outside of the industry. Erb's prior positions include within the U.S. Department of Agriculture,...

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HISA To Fund Three Scientific Studies On The Use of Furosemide

Following a recommendation from its Furosemide Advisory Committee (FAC), the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Board of Directors approved $773,500 in grant funding for three scientific studies on the use of furosemide (also known as "Lasix") to be conducted over the next two years by the Nationwide Children's Hospital, the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and Washington State University, HISA said in a Wednesday release. The studies will examine the 48-hour period before the start of a Covered Horserace, including the effects of furosemide on equine health and...

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A Diabetes Drug's Outsized, Contested Role in Horse Racing's Anti-Doping Crusade

Trainer Mike Lauer is now a month past serving what he believes was an unjust 75-day suspension because a Thoroughbred under his care at Horseshoe Indianapolis tested positive last summer for metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes in people. With more 20 million patients taking it, metformin ranks as the nation's third-most-prescribed human medicine, according to the consumer healthcare website Healthgrades. Before Lauer's case made it to an official arbitration hearing, the 72-year-old conditioner with five decades of licensure was able to present enough evidence to the Horseracing Integrity...

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Hardy Joins HISA Horsemen's Advisory Group

Veterinarian Dr. Michael Hardy has joined the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Horsemen's Advisory Group, the organization announced in a release Tuesday. The advisory group of racing industry participants was formed by HISA in 2022 to provide formal feedback to HISA's executive team and standing committees on the implementation and evolution of its Racetrack Safety and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) regulations. "The Horsemen's Advisory Group continues to provide HISA with invaluable input, and we're thrilled to have Dr. Michael Hardy join the group," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. "In...

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HISA Launches Next Generation Advisory Group

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has established a Next Generation Advisory Group, which will provide feedback to HISA's executive team and standing committees on the implementation and evolution of HISA's regulations and protocols. Made up of individuals in the early to mid-stages of their professional careers, the Advisory Group is open to new applicants, who can apply to join prior to the Feb. 9 deadline. "Establishing a Next Generation Advisory Group was an easy decision for HISA," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. "We are safeguarding racing for generations...

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Corrigan: `I Did Reach Out' to HISA

In Friday's TDN, Bill Finley wrote about trainer Jimmy Corrigan's suspension after one of his horses tested positive for methamphetamine Oct. 7 at Belterra. In the story, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said that Corrigan hadn't reached out to HISA for help or to let them know he felt the positive test was caused by contamination. Corrigan sent a statement to the TDN Saturday morning contradicting that assertion. "I would like to make a response to Lisa Lazarus's claim I never reached out to anybody in regards to my case. I...

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Jimmy Corrigan Vows to Fight HIWU Suspension

When Jimmy Corrigan was informed after an Oct. 7 race at Belterra Park that his horse Stay Lost (Bernardini) had tested positive for the banned substance methamphetamine he was shocked. The native of Ireland had been training in the U.S. since 1992 and had never had a drug positive of any kind. He said he is careful who he hires and that he's sure that no one in his barn had ever touched the drug. But, at least initially, these things don't matter under the rules of the Horseracing Integrity...

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