horseracing integrity and safety authority

HISA Releases Annual Metrics Report

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's 2023 annual metrics report shows advances in the implementation of national uniform practices, the building up of the HISA Portal, which contains a broad spectrum of equine treatment and other health records, and driving collaboration and cooperation across the industry, the organization said in a release Wednesday.

“Our inaugural annual report reflects our journey toward a safer, fairer and more resilient future for horse racing,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “The success of HISA's programs relies on steady partnership among the tracks, trainers, riders, owners, veterinarians and state regulators who comprise the sport. Only by working together can we make Thoroughbred racing safer for its equine and human athletes.”

The Annual Metrics Report provides stakeholders with key data collected in 2023 at 50 racetracks in 20 states as part of HISA's Racetrack Safety Program, which went into effect July 1, 2022.

Highlights of the report include: accreditation visits to 21 tracks last year; creation of a centralized online database of horses and people involved in the sport, enabling treatment records and other information to be accessed by racetracks and officials across the country; a racing participant registration, which as of Dec. 31, 2023, had registered approximately 33,000 Covered Persons, 55,000 Covered Horses and 1,000 veterinarians actively involved in the daily and specialized care of equine athletes.

Other highlights from the report:

Racetracks operating under HISA's rules reported 1.23 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts in 2023. That rate is down from the rate reported by The Jockey Club in its Equine Injury Database (EID) in 2022 (1.25 per 1,000 starts) and is lower than the national rate reported in The Jockey Club's 2023 EID (1.32 per 1,000 starts).

The Jockey Club's 2023 EID also shows that non-HISA tracks reported a rate of 1.63 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts.

In 2023, HISA reported 4.40 crop rule violations per 1,000 starts, which is down from 5.09 violations per 1,000 starts in 2022.

To read the complete report, click here.

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) is expected to release a separate annual report detailing metrics from the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program soon.

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Weekly Rulings: March 22-27

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country.

Among this most recent set of rulings, trainer Robert Fiesman was suspended seven days and fined $1,000 for his second positive finding for phenylbutazone since HISA's anti-doping and medication control program (ADMC) went into effect.

Phenylbutazone is a Class C controlled medication under HISA. A second Class C offense within a 2-year period comes with a maximum 15-day suspension and $1,000 fine.

Jonathan Maldonado has similarly been suspended seven days and fined $1,000 after his trainee, Kapadokya, tested positive for the Class B controlled medication, capsaicin, after winning at Laurel Park on Feb. 10. Capsaicin is a topical analgesic.

NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS

The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals.

Resolved ADMC Violations

Resolution Date: 03/26/2024
Licensee: Riley Tucker Mott, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $3,000; imposition of 3 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314—Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method—on the horse, Brian. This was also a possible violation of Rule 4222—Intra-Articular Injections Within Seven (7) Days of Timed and Reported Workout.

Resolution Date: 03/26/2024
Licensee: Sally Rivera, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Stormy Joe on 2/13/24. This was a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Resolution Date: 03/26/2024
Licensee: Robert Fiesman, trainer
Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility, beginning on March 27, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Zipsy Rose Lee, who finished second at Mahoning Valley on 2/6/24. This was a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Resolution Date: 03/25/2024
Licensee: Jonathan Maldonado, trainer
Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility, beginning on March 26, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points.
Explainer: For the presence of Capsaicin—Controlled Medication (Class B)—in a sample taken from Kapadokya, who won at Laurel Park on 02/10/24. This was a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Resolution Date: 03/21/2024
Licensee: Derek Ryan, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU.
Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Charging Aero, who finished second at Tampa Bay on 01/06/24. This was a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Pending ADMC Violations

Date: 03/08/2024
Licensee: John Servis, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged violation: Pre-workout joint injection violation
Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314—Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method—on the horse, Chance Occurrence. This is also a possible violation of Rule 4222—Intra-Articular Injections Within Seven (7) Days of Timed and Reported Workout.

Date: 03/08/2024
Licensee: Jeremiah Englehart, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged violation: Pre-workout joint injection violation
Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314—Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method—on the horse, Dolce Veloce. This is also a possible violation of Rule 4222—Intra-Articular Injections Within Seven (7) Days of Timed and Reported Workout.

Date: 02/08/2024
Licensee: Javier Duarte, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged violation: Vet's list medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Albuterol by inhilation—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Shanghai Mike on 2/8/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 02/26/2024
Licensee: Miguel Rodriguez, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the potential breach of Rule 4221—Alkalinization or use/administration of an Alkalinizing Agent (TCO2)—on Ipsum Gratus, who finished eighth at Penn National on 2/26/2024. This is also a possible violation of Rule 3313—Use of a Controlled Method During the Race Period.

Date: 02/24/2024
Licensee: Bernell Rhone, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Fury Cap, who finished third at Tampa Bay on 2/24/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

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Sales Companies Jointly Announce Strengthened Medication Policies

Enhanced medication policies will be in effect at all the major auctions in the U.S. beginning July 1, leading North American sales companies Keeneland Association, Fasig-Tipton Company and Ocala Breeders' Sales Company jointly announced Tuesday morning. The changes were made in an effort “to safeguard the welfare of the horse while creating greater clarity and consistency among the nation's three major U.S. Thoroughbred auction houses,” according to the release, and are the result of meetings between the three companies begun last October at the behest of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

The new rules enhance current medication policies, reducing the number of permitted therapeutic medications while increasing the number of prohibited medications to include all substances currently banned under HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control program. The penalties for violation of rules will also be increased.

Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin, Fasig-Tipton President Boyd T. Browning Jr. and OBS President Tom Ventura said in a joint statement:

“We continue to refine our policies with the goals of protecting the well-being of the horse and providing our customers with transparency and the best opportunity for success at the race track. Horse safety and welfare must be a collaborative effort across our sport, which includes the sales ring. We take our leadership roles toward that mission seriously and remain united in our advocacy to serve the best interest of the horse.”

Among the listed highlights of the new medication reforms: no non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be administered to a horse within 48 hours of an under-tack performance; no NSAID may be administered to a horse after 6 p.m. the day prior to sale; NSAIDs permitted for use on the sales grounds are Phenylbutazone (Bute), Flunixin Meglumine (Banamine) and Ketoprofen (Ketofen), at or below manufacturer's recommended dosage (MRD). Only one such NSAID can be administered at any one time (stacking is prohibited).

No corticosteroid may be administered to a horse within 48 hours of an under-tack performance. No corticosteroid may be administered to a horse within 24 hours of the start of the session in which that horse is scheduled to sell.

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Letter to the Editor: HISA Board Chair Charles Scheeler on HISA’s Approach to Banned Substances

HISA's mission is to protect the integrity of competition and the welfare of horses in the Thoroughbred racing industry. The Banned Substances list, set forth under HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, is one of the many ways HISA advances this mission.

Under HISA's ADMC Program, substances with no legitimate, medically justified use in Thoroughbreds are among those classified as Banned Substances, just as they are under the anti-doping programs being run by other equine sports' governing bodies.

Many “non-approved substances” on the Banned Substances list have not been proven to enhance performance, but the fact that they may have performance-enhancing effects–and have no legitimate, medically justified use–is reason enough for inclusion on the list. Horse racing and many other sports take the common sense approach that, for the sake of equine or human athlete's well-being, substances with unknown effects on their bodies should never be permitted to be in their systems.

In line with the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU's) commitment to enforcing the ADMC Program equally and fairly, Responsible Persons can provide context for a violation when notified of suspected rule violations. Following the issuance of a Charge Letter, a Responsible Person may request a hearing before a member of the independent Arbitral Body, where they can present evidence of inadvertent human transfer. Additionally, HISA's Atypical Findings Policy addresses prohibited substances commonly found through environmental contamination (e.g. caffeine, ractopamine, scopolamine). If a horse tests positive for a substance listed in the Atypical Findings Policy, further investigation and review will take place between HIWU and the Responsible Person to determine if the case should be deemed negative or pursued as a violation. A charge is only pursued if the investigation concludes that contamination is not likely to be the cause of the positive. To date, HIWU has received 35 Atypical Findings and only two have resulted in charges.

To ensure fair representation, HISA has also appointed an Ombudsman to help guide Responsible Persons who have questions about their cases and the process and has established a pro bono program to match those who meet certain income and asset requirements with attorneys who have agreed to provide legal services at no cost.

The HISA Board and ADMC Committee extends its appreciation to the vast majority of racing participants who operate in compliance with HISA's ADMC rules and share our commitment to the highest standards of safety, integrity and welfare. Our broad definition of Banned Substances as any substance without a legitimate, medically justified use in Thoroughbreds aligns with this high standard for protecting equine athletes from harm.

Charles Scheeler is the Chair of HISA Board of Directors. Scheeler is a retired partner at DLA Piper, ran investigations in performance-enhancing substance use in Major League Baseball. Pennsylvania State University investigation in the Big Ten Conference and safety practices within the University of Maryland football program. Prior to joining DLA Piper, Scheeler was a federal prosecutor in Maryland.

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