HIWU | Horse Racing Free Tips

Raymond Handal Provisionally Suspended After Alleged Positive Test for Zeranol

Trainer Raymond Handal has been provisionally suspended by the Horse Racing Welfare and Integrity Unit after his horse Barrage (War Dancer) allegedly tested positive for the banned substance zeranol after finishing second in an optional claiming allowance at Belmont May 28.

Handal's provisional suspension starts July 1. Under the regulations, Handal has the right to request a provisional hearing and the analysis of the B sample, but must do so by July 5.

The ruling was posted on the HIWU website Saturday morning. No further details were given.

Zeranol is a synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen, approved for use to promote growth in livestock, including beef cattle. It is sold under the brand name Ralgro by Merck Animal Health in the U.S. It is used to increase weight gain and improve feed efficiency. According to the U. S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), zeranol is banned in humans due to its presumed anabolic effect, and appears on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list.

Handal has won 28 of 130 races in 2023, good for a win percentage of 22%, and his horses have earned just over $1.5 million. He is currently seventh in the Belmont Park leading trainer standings, with 12 wins from 42 starts.

“NYRA has been alerted via HIWU that a horse under the care of trainer Ray Handal has tested positive for the banned substance Zeranol,” said NYRA Vice President of Communications Patrick McKenna. “According to HISA rules, Handal is now under a provisional suspension nationally and cannot participate at NYRA tracks effective today.”

Handal's suspension comes under HISA rule 3212–Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.

A first-offense violation of rule 3212 carries up to two years suspension and up to $25,000 or 25% of the total purse (whichever is greater), and payment of some or all of the adjudication costs and HIWU's legal costs.

Handal had two horses entered at Belmont Park Saturday; Certified Loverboy (Mendelssohn) in the fifth race and Daddy Knows (Scat Daddy) in the seventh. He had also entered Promiseher America (American Pharoah) in the GIII Delaware Oaks. Those horses have been scratched.

This story will be updated.

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HISA Temporarily Suspends Full Enforcement of Intra-Articular Joint Injection Rules

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has temporarily suspended full enforcement of its rules surrounding intra-articular joint injections.

Under HISA's rules as written, trainers are prohibited from giving their horse intra-articular joint injections within 14 days prior to the post-time of a race, and within seven days prior to any timed and reported workout.

A violation of these rules could result in a 60-day suspension for the trainer.

According to an announcement dated June 26, the prohibition of such injections within seven days prior to a workout shall be enforced only by making the horse ineligible to race for a period of 30 days. This temporary measure will last until July 15, 2023. HISA had also issued a bulletin to stakeholders on June 23 stating the new policy.

All other provisions of the rule will continue to be enforced.

According to HISA Chief Executive Lisa Lazarus, between 15 and 20 trainers have breached the rule surrounding intra-articular joint injections prior to a workout. The reason HISA decided to temporarily modify its enforcement of the rule was due to confusion among trainers about the specifics of the rules related to workouts, Lazarus added.

“On the workout side, while it was mentioned in the education process, it seems that a lot of trainers just really didn't understand it, and most of the violations we saw were only off by one day,” said Lazarus.

Lazarus added that the temporary modification of enforcement of the rules was deemed the most “fair and equitable” way to proceed “given the number of violations.”

According to Lazarus, there has been only one violation of the rule surrounding intra-articular joint injections prior to a race.

Lazarus said she was unaware which trainers had breached the rule. “That would be a HIWU question,” said Lazarus, pointing to the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, which oversees implementation of HISA's anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program.

“When horses are suspended, you'll be able to figure that out,” Lazarus added, pointing to HIWU's “public disclosures” webpage.

The Authority–the non-profit umbrella broadly overseeing implementation of the federal law–has the legal discretion to modify rule enforcement, said Lazarus.

“We can't modify the rules,” she said. “But we can–and we have in the past on the safety rules–decided to not enforce a particular provision of the rule,” said Lazarus.

“This general discretion to not enforce a portion of the rule is we believe within HISA's authority,” she added.

When asked if this was fair to other industry stakeholders facing sanctions as per the rules, Lazarus said that sanctions are still being meted out, even though they are less stringent than the rules require.

“There are a lot of folks who don't like the decisions that we [make]. But it's our job to make tough decisions, and I fully stand behind this decision,” said Lazarus.

When asked if this action was unfair to the owners of the horses in question, Lazarus said that it was ultimately a welfare decision.

“Protecting the horse is always in our view our responsibility,” said Lazarus. “And so, we believe it is not appropriate to allow a horse to race within 30 days of it having the injection.”

Lazarus said that the Authority is not “at this time” considering tweaking the enforcement of other rules on the books.

Daily Racing Form reported that HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Committee is also considering modifying the sanctions surrounding the 60-day trainer suspension for violating the workout portion of the rule.

“There's a feeling that the sanction may be too high,” Lazarus told the DRF.

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One Month In, HIWU Issues an Update

From the desk of Ben Mosier, Executive Director, Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU):

The last four weeks have represented the culmination of more than a year of planning and countless hours of preparation by the HIWU team to put forth the best national Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program possible for Thoroughbred racing. It has been incredibly rewarding to see HISA's ADMC Program get off the ground successfully. Through Sunday, June 18, HIWU-trained and certified sample collection personnel have collected samples from over 6,500 horses from more than 20 tracks nationwide. The samples are being analyzed by one of six approved laboratories, which are all testing for the same substances at the same levels. Furthermore, our anonymous whistleblower platforms are active, and our investigative staff have been reviewing the tips submitted to determine further action, when appropriate.

The Belmont Stakes was the first Triple Crown race to be conducted under HISA's ADMC Program. More than a dozen members of the HIWU team were on site at Belmont Park to assist operations, which included supporting the local sample collection personnel and investigators. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has been a great partner with us, and we appreciate their collaboration to help make this historic race a success.

With our first month of enforcement now complete, I would like to remind industry participants that HIWU must follow specific public disclosure requirements when there are violations of the ADMC Program. In the case of a positive test for a Banned Substance, HIWU must publish the violation on our website upon the imposition of Provisional Suspensions to the Covered Person and Covered Horse. This will occur after HIWU receives the positive test result for the A Sample. For a positive test associated with a Controlled Medication, the violation will be published once the B Sample confirms the positive test or the Covered Person waives the right to test the B Sample. Non-presence cases (i.e., cases not involving a positive test) will be published after a Provisional Suspension is imposed on the Covered Person or a Charge Letter is served, whichever is earlier.

We expect that most cases will be public within weeks and resolved within a few months, which will be a welcome change from previous protocols.

HIWU recognizes the importance of continually offering education opportunities to help facilitate compliance among those impacted by the ADMC Program. In addition to HIWU's Education & Resources page, our team is available to meet with stakeholders and/or industry groups in person or virtually. Groups who would like to request a meeting should contact Stephanie Jenson at sjenson@hiwu.org.

With our busiest months still to come, my team and I are excited to continue enforcement across the country and to maintain our relationships with the stakeholders who have made our efforts possible, from state racing commissions, racetracks, and laboratories to horsemen, veterinarians, and stewards. I am confident that this Program will ultimately enhance the health and safety of our equine and human athletes while promoting a level playing field that benefits the sport's honest participants.

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THA: What You Need To Know About New HISA Drug Sanctions

With the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) first pending rulings for medication and anti-doping related violations having just been made public, the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) issued a reminder Thursday of the possible sanctions under this new federal framework.

As the THA points out, taken as a whole the penalty scheme under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is significantly more stringent than that imposed previously by state commissions.

These new sanctions pertain to medication positives and other anti-doping related infractions that come after May 22, when HIWU's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program went into effect.

Two of the pending final rulings issued on HIWU's website concern the possible possession of banned substances–namely the thyroid medication Levothyroxine. The other concerns the possible presence of cobalt, another banned substance, in a test.

The trainer facing possible sanctions for an alleged cobalt positive is Mario Dominguez. The horse in question is Petulant Delight. According to HIWU, the date of the alleged violation is May 24, the same day Petulant Delight won a claiming race at Parx Racing. HIWU provides no other details on the circumstances behind the alleged violation.

As the THA points out, all Anti-Doping violations “which include the Presence of, Use or Attempted Use of, Possession of, or Administration or Attempted Administration of a Banned Substance” carry a potential two-year suspension and a fine of up to $25,000.

Click here for a list of “Banned Substances” under the ADMC Program.

Provisional suspensions for these violations are imposed immediately and can only be lifted through a provisional hearing.

When it comes to the “Use or Attempted Use or Administration or Attempted Administration of a Controlled Medication Method”–like milk-shaking–the possible penalties are as follows:

1st Offense, 60 days, up to $5,000 fine or 5% of the purse, loss of purse

2nd Offense within a 2-year period, 90 days, up to $10,000 fine or 10% of the purse, loss of purse

3rd Offense within a 2-year period, 120 days, up to $25,000 or 25% of the purse, loss of purse

All “Controlled Medication Violations” result in the loss of the purse. Class A and Class B violations result in a suspension for a first offense, and more than one Class C offense in a two-year period will also result in a suspension.

Click here for a list of Controlled Therapeutic Medications.

The possible penalties for Controlled Medication violations are as follows:

Class C

1st Offense, up to $500 fine, loss of purse

2nd Offense within a 2-year period, 15 days, up to $1,000 fine, loss of purse

3rd Offense within a 2-year period, 30 days, up to $2,500 fine, loss of purse

Class B

1st Offense, 15 days, up to $1,000 fine, loss of purse

2nd Offense within a 2-year period, 30 days, up to $2,500 fine, loss of purse

3rd Offense within a 2-year period, 60 days, up to $5,000 fine, loss of purse

Class A

1st Offense, 60 days, up to $5,000 fine or 5% of purse, loss of purse

2nd Offense within a 2-year period, 90 days, up to $10,000 fine or 10% of purse, loss of purse

3rd Offense within a 2-year period, 120 days, up to $25,000 fine or 25% of purse, loss of purse

According to the THA, HIWU chief of science, Mary Scollay, advises trainers to give the barn, tack room and feed room a regular thorough cleaning. Ensure that all medications are properly labeled and stored, and remove any banned substances or expired medications from the premises.

Contact Scollay if you have a question about any supplements you may be using. You can text her a photo of the label to (859) 489-7677 to help determine if it is considered a banned substance.

Click here for more information about dietary supplements.

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