intra-articular injections | Horse Racing Free Tips

HIWU Releases Names of Horses Ineligible to Race Because of Intra-Articular Injections

by Bill Finley and Dan Ross

A day after telling the TDN that it was not obligated to make public the names of horses who were ineligible to race or work because they were found to have had an intra-articular injection within seven days of a timed workout, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) reversed course Friday and published a list on its website of the 19 horses that were provisionally suspended.

Horses that violated Horseracing Safety and Integrity Authority (HISA) Rules 3313 and 4222, which cover intra-articular injection and the timeframe in which horses can race or work after having the injections, mandates that any horses that violate the rules are ineligible race or breeze for 30 days from the date of the injection. Trainers in violation of the rules were subject to 60-day suspensions. However, HISA announced late last month that the trainers would not be penalized and that the rules would not be enforced prior to July 15. HISA Chief Executive Lisa Lazarus said at the time that the delay in implementing the rule was needed because there was confusion among trainers regarding the specifics of the rule. She 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.”

But HISA/HIWU still put the horses involved on a “provisionally suspended list.” According to a HISA statement released Friday, that was done so to “protect the horse's health.”

The list includes 17 trainers. Two horses had not started, therefore their trainers were not listed on Equibase. Among trainers, the most prominent names on the list are Norm Casse, Michael Stidham, Todd Pletcher, Linda Rice, and Jack Sisterson. The others are Carlos Munoz, Adriel Gonzalez, Betty Ott, Pedro Nazario, Brian Cook, Adrian Farias, David Fawkes, Victor Carrasco, Jr., John Ennis, Joseph Davis and Monica McGoey.

The release of the names of the horses left some important questions unanswered, namely why were some of the horses permitted to race while on the suspended list? The list of horses that raced while they were supposedly suspended numbers nine and does not include horses that may have worked out while they should have been ineligible to do so. Three of the horses on the list won while “suspended.” They are Trust Me (The Big Beast), Borgobythsea (English Channel) and Let's Go Mark (American Freedom).

At deadline for this story, a HIWU spokesperson had just responded to an email from TDN asking why the horses were allowed to race while suspended and who at HISA/HIWU was responsible for this apparent lapse? In an earlier email to HIWU, TDN had also asked if the horses who won while on the provisionally suspended list would be disqualified.

Here is the reply:

“HIWU had not anticipated the large volume of violations related to this rule and given the newness of the ADMC program, HIWU processed and notified the cases as quickly as they could. The horsemen continued to train and race their horses prior to receiving any notification, therefore they will not receive any penalties. HISA is reviewing the rule and procedures and will make an announcement prior to July 15 on the status of the rule and related procedures subsequent to July 15. Additionally, there were numerous other potential ADMC violations that needed to be investigated and/or processed, creating a much larger than expected workload. HISA and HIWU's top priority is the safety and welfare of each horse and measures have been taken to address these operational concerns.”

The list published Friday was through July 3. According to HISA, it 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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‘An Important Start’: Pennsylvania Commission Approves 10-Step Action Plan To Improve Equine Safety; Implementation Targeted For March 1

The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission announced Tuesday a 10-step action plan to improve equine safety and welfare in the state, with March 1, 2022 the targeted implementation date. Thomas Chuckas, director of Thoroughbred Horse Racing for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, revealed the list during the commission's regularly-scheduled meeting.

“This list is a living and breathing list,” Chuckas said. “There are going to be changes obviously, it is not the end-all, be-all. It's a start, but it is an important start.”

The action plan is a result of the late-summer formation of a working group to address equine welfare, as well as examinations of what has worked in other states and the upcoming federal regulations.

The PSRC action plan is as follows:

Tracks will conduct an independent third party analysis of the racetrack two times per year. The first analysis for the Thoroughbred tracks is to be completed within 60 days and submitted to commission.
Increased monitoring and oversight of AM works, employing additional veterinarians to conduct oversight and examination. That will require a reshuffling of some of the vets and putting more vets in place, but the commission believes that what occurs in the morning is important to racing and moving forward.
Require the practicing veterinarians to attest that the horses are in fit, serviceable, and in sound condition and suitable to race.
Trainers must submit a pre-entry form to a racing panel for permission to race. It will require the submission of the most recent 30-day medical reports for the horses. The panel should consist at a minimum of the race secretary, commission vet, steward, and horsemen's representative.
Institute a rule for lower-level conditions or classes: a horse that doesn't finish in top four positions in five consecutive races is deemed non-competitive and not eligible to race in Pennsylvania.
Requiring the practicing veterinarian to conduct an examination within 48 hours of a horse being placed on the vet's list due to lameness. This examination will assist in determining the cause and if diagnostics are warranted. The practicing veterinarian will provide a verbal report to the commission vet.
Intra-articular injections: The initial injection is permitted based on the practicing veterinarian's examination and recommendation. Any additional injections require diagnostics to support further injections. If any injection is a corticosteroid, the horse is placed on the vet's list for 30 days.
Establish stricter criteria for removal from the vet's list, utilizing diagnostics, scanning, and imaging.
Establish a program to install either a pet scan machine or an MRI or the like at the racetrack in effort to detect issues.
Create a fatality database.

Chuckas added that some of 10 action items might be made via commission regulation, while others might be made by individual racetrack policy.

The PSRC also plans to create an integrity hotline which whistleblowers can call to report violations.

“We're not proposing anything that's never been tried before,” said commissioner Thomas Jay Ellis. “These are the best ideas to protect our horses, not some pie in the sky concepts, but things that can actually be done.”

Commissioner Dr. Corinne Sweeney motioned to approve the action plan, and commissioner Thomas Jay Ellis seconded. The motion carried.

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CHRB Moves Forward On Lasix Phaseout, Walks Back Proposed Intra-Articular Injection Regulations

The California Horse Racing Board conducted a meeting by teleconference on Thursday, July 16. The public participated by dialing into the teleconference and/or listening through the audio webcast link on the CHRB website. Dr. Gregory Ferraro chaired the meeting, joined by Vice Chair Oscar Gonzales and Commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos, Wendy Mitchell, and Alex Solis.

The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link. In brief:

The Board approved two agenda items pertaining to funding the CHRB budget for the fiscal year 2020-21. The budget of $16,820,500 is $2.2 million higher than the previous fiscal year, largely due to $1.4 million in increases for drug testing and safety measures.
The Board approved the license application for a meeting of the Sonoma County Fair (SCF) to be run at Golden Gate Fields, commencing July 31 through August 9, on condition that certain required documents must be submitted to the CHRB at least one week before the start of the meet.
The Board approved the license application for a meeting of the Pacific Racing Association (PRA) at Golden Gate Fields from August 13 through October 4, on condition that certain required documents must be submitted to the CHRB at least one week before the start of the meet.
The Board authorized the racing secretary for both the SCF and PRA meets to establish conditions for races, which will include limiting Lasix administrations to 250 mg, prohibiting any intra-articular medication within 14 days of a race, and extending that prohibition to 30 days for fetlock injections, both metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints.
The Board approved for 45-day public notice a proposed regulatory amendment to allow for increased penalties when there are multiple medication violations. This is essentially the same language as the model rule approved by the Association of Racing Commissioners.
The Board approved for 45-day public notice a proposed regulatory amendment to prohibit horses from racing within 14 days of being administered an intra-articular medication and from racing within 30 days of fetlock injections. The rule also prohibits a horse from training within 10 days of fetlock injections.
The Board approved a rule requiring at least 12 hours of continuing education for renewal of licenses for trainer and assistant trainer. This rule is scheduled to go into effect on June 1, 2021. The CHRB already has numerous educational modules on its website pertaining to equine safety that will help meet this requirement, and more will be added.
The Board approved regulatory amendments limiting Lasix administrations to 250 mg. (the same restriction that racing secretaries have been imposing as race conditions) and prohibiting Lasix administrations to horses that are 2 years old.
The Board authorized Watch and Wager (harness racing at Cal Expo) to distribute $4,000 in race day charity proceeds to five beneficiaries.
The Board authorized TVG to offer a handicapping contest that normally would be conducted onsite at Del Mar, but there are no spectators at the current meet.
Public comments made during the meeting can be accessed through the meeting audio archive on the CHRB website

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