Medication Control

A new equine anti-doping and medication control initiative was announced by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) on Thursday. The initiative underpins their commitment to the regulation of medicine use and zero tolerance of doping in horse racing on both sides of the Irish Sea. The IHRB and BHA are now formally conducting joint out-of-competition-testing operations across both jurisdictions. These inspections started this week with almost 250 samples taken from more than 120 horses that are entered for the upcoming Cheltenham Festival in an...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) drug control program has encountered some choppy waters since its launch on May 22, encapsulated by events surrounding the law's rules on intra-articular joint injections. At the end of last month, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus explained that the Authority--the non-profit umbrella broadly overseeing implementation of the federal law--had temporarily suspended full enforcement of its rules surrounding intra-articular joint injections prior to workouts. Under HISA's rules as written, trainers are prohibited from giving their horse intra-articular joint injections within 14 days prior to the...

Edited Press Release The individuals who will comprise the Internal Adjudication Panel (IAP), which will hear Controlled Medication Rule Violation Cases under HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, were announced Friday by HISA and HIWU. IAP members, who will serve for 4-year terms as independent contractors to both HISA and HIWU, were selected for their deep equine regulatory experience. State stewards will be prohibited from participating in cases originating in their state of employment. All members of the panel will receive training on HISA's adjudication processes under the ADMC...