The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has announced the members of its Horsemen's Advisory Group, who were selected from among the more than 250 applications received from hands-on racing participants from across the country. Starting in November, the Advisory Group will convene on a monthly basis to provide feedback to the Authority's executive team and Standing Committees on the implementation and evolution of HISA's Racetrack Safety and Anti-Doping and Medication Control regulations.
Following HISA's announcement of the Advisory Group's formation on August 29, HISA chose 19 members who together represent a broad range of views and experience from across the American horseracing community. Included among them are trainers, owners and veterinarians, as well as representatives of racing offices, backstretch employees, farriers and aftercare initiatives. Members will serve between 1–2-year terms to stagger changes in the composition of the group and to maximize the opportunity for participation across the industry in the coming years.
“I want to thank everyone across the horseracing community who expressed interest in joining the Horsemen's Advisory Group. I am particularly grateful to its distinguished and highly qualified new members who have agreed to collaborate with us on an ongoing basis,” said Lisa Lazarus, HISA CEO. “I know that HISA will benefit immensely from this group's extensive, hands-on experience in Thoroughbred racing as we continue to work with all industry stakeholders to advance the safety and integrity of our sport.”
The following individuals have been selected to serve as members of the inaugural Horsemen's Advisory Group:
Mark Casse is a trainer and the founder of Casse Racing based in Ocala, Florida. Mark has been inducted into both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.
Kelsey Danner is a trainer based at Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach, Florida and at Delaware Park.
Tom Drury is a trainer from Louisville, Kentucky and a board member of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB).
Linda Gaudet is Vice President of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA), where she has been a member since its inception in 1994. Gaudet will serve as the Horsemen's Advisory Group's Backstretch Worker Representative given her history of advocacy on behalf of Backstretch workers.
Rick Gold is chair of the Thoroughbred Owners of California's Integrity and Safety Committee and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner in California and Australia.
Donnie K Von Hemel is a trainer based in Piedmont, Oklahoma operating Von Hemel Racing, founded by his father Don Von Hemel. Donnie races in, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma.
Fred Hertrich III is the former chairman of the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors and proprietor of Watercress Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Fred has been a breeder and owner of standardbred racehorses for the last 35 years and is also the Treasurer of the Hambletonian Society. Fred will be serving as the Advisory Group's Harness Racing Representative.
David Ingordo is a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and Bloodstock agent.
Frank Jones serves as Vice Chairman of both the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. He is also a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and an avid horseplayer.
Tim Keefe is President of the MTHA and a trainer stabled at Laurel Park in Maryland.
Dr. Sara Langsam is an equine veterinarian with Teigland, Franklin and Brokken DVMs who is based at Belmont Park. She is one of the Advisory Group's two Veterinarian Representatives.
Ron Moquett is an Oklahoma native and trainer based in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He races in Arkansas, Kentucky, New York and Oklahoma.
Maggi Moss is a former chief Prosecutor from Des Moines, Iowa and a practicing attorney who is also a Thoroughbred owner with horses racing in Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana and New York.
Graham Motion was born in Newmarket, England and is a trainer based in Fair Hill, Maryland and the owner of Herringswell Stables.
Dr. John Piehowicz is an equine veterinarian and founder of Cincinnati Equine, LLC. He will serve as the second Veterinarian Representative.
Tom Robbins is Executive Vice President, Racing and Industry Relations at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and will be serving as the Advisory Group's Racing Office Representative.
Rick Schosberg is a trainer and Vice-President of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), President of Take2 Second Career Thoroughbreds, and Director on the Board of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Thomas Trosin is a second-generation Farrier and past President of the American Farriers Association. Thomas has been licensed as a plater in both California and Oklahoma and will serve as the Advisory Group's Farrier Representative.
Kirk Wycoff is a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and the proprietor of Three Diamonds Farm.
About the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority
Established when the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into federal law in 2020, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is responsible for drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in thoroughbred racing in the U.S. Overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), HISA was created to implement, for the first time, a national, uniform set of rules applicable to every thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility. HISA is comprised of two programs: the Racetrack Safety Program, which went into effect July 1, 2022, and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which will go into effect in January 2023.
The Racetrack Safety Program includes operational safety rules and national racetrack accreditation standards that seek to enhance equine welfare and minimize equine and jockey injury. The Program expands veterinary oversight, imposes surface maintenance and testing requirements, enhances jockey safety, regulates riding crop use, and implements voided claim rules, among other important measures.
The ADMC Program will create a centralized testing and results management process and apply uniform penalties for integrity violations efficiently and consistently across the United States. These rules and enforcement mechanisms will be administered by a new independent agency, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), established by Drug Free Sport International (DFS). HIWU will oversee testing, educate stakeholders on the new system, accredit laboratories, investigate potential integrity violations and prosecute rule breaches.
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