Thoroughbred racing participants and administrators across the country are preparing for the official implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which will take place this Friday, July 1, when the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s Racetrack Safety Program goes into effect.
As required by the federal law, racing participants must register with HISA by end of day on July 1. To date, a total of 38,416 participants, including 18,400 covered persons and 20,016 covered horses, have registered. Racing participants who have not yet registered themselves or their horses can do so at hisaus.org/registration.
In addition, 20 out of the 25 states under HISA's authority have reached or are in the process of reaching agreement or understanding with HISA regarding implementation of the new federal law. For the first time, a national, uniform set of rules will govern every thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility.
“We're incredibly grateful for the efforts of racing participants, industry organizations and track leadership across the country in helping us ensure that all relevant racing participants and horses are registered by July 1,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “We're also appreciative of the collaboration and thoughtful approach of so many state racing commissions over the last several months. The cooperation of everyone in the industry is critical to HISA's long- and short-term success. Come July 1, all thoroughbred racing participants will be regulated by HISA. To avoid any disruption in their ability to race, we encourage anyone who has not yet registered themselves or the horses in their care to do so as soon as possible.”
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 United States. 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 goes 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 will expand veterinary oversight, impose surface maintenance and testing requirements, enhance jockey safety, regulate riding crop use and implement 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 U.S. 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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