Tag: The Biz

The award-winning Irish tech company EquiTrace, in collaboration with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), is pleased to announce the integration of its award-winning app with the HISA Portal. The expanded EquiTrace app now serves as an easy-to-use digital solution to help racing participants and stakeholders comply with HISA's rules, which are expected to be fully enforced starting Monday, March 27.

EquiTrace will use the HISA flag system to indicate if a Covered Horse “Can Race” or “Cannot Race,” based on compliance with HISA's Registration and Racetrack Safety rules, by pulling information directly from the HISA Portal.

EquiTrace connects to a Bluetooth microchip scanner and can identify Covered Horses registered with HISA and The Jockey Club. The app can also identify Covered Horses without using a microchip scanner simply by searching for the Covered Horse's name. Once the Covered Horse is found, medications can be scanned into the app by barcode or searched and logged to the horse's digital record. EquiTrace enables users to review all records at the end of each day to submit to HISA, or the user can set up an automatic submission function to HISA.

EquiTrace eliminates much of the additional administration time so that all medication records can be submitted within the 24-hour window required with the new regulations. The Coggins test, vaccines and other health records required by HISA can be automatically uploaded and sent directly to HISA through the app to help ensure that your Covered Horse satisfies all requirements that need to be met to be able to race.

In addition to displaying the HIWU-published Detection Times, EquiTrace enables veterinarians to enter their independently determined withdrawal interval based on this information, which puts up a flag on the Covered Horse's record so that the horse is not inadvertently entered to race within the set withdrawal interval.

EquiTrace was founded by internationally renowned veterinary specialists whose mission was to make the capture and recording of data a pain-free and time-saving process.

Dr Kevin Corley, founder, EquiTrace said: “Horse welfare is our priority. No one wants a horse to go untreated for an injury because of fears of a positive drug test. I wanted to reduce stress for trainers, veterinarians and racetracks. Our novel way of supporting the industry with HISA's changes is one of the many benefits of EquiTrace.”

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On Thursday, March 23, OwnerView hosted a Virtual Thoroughbred Owner Conference panel to provide information for owners about the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program (ADMC), which goes into effect on March 27.

The panelists were Lisa Lazarus, chief executive officer of HISA, and David Ingordo, a Thoroughbred owner and bloodstock agent and a member of HISA's Horsemen's Advisory Group. Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView, moderated the discussion. Attendees were able ask questions through Zoom's Q&A feature, and the questions were answered toward the end of the webinar.

Lazarus and Ingordo discussed topics such as the overall HISA and ADMC programs, benefits to owners, contamination versus administered substances, bisphosphonates, and misconceptions about HISA.

“If you are doing the right things and following the rules, you are going to be fine,” Lazarus said. “You are actually going to be better because you're not going to feel like you need to break the rules to win. Ultimately, we are trying to protect trainers, the vast majority of which want to compete clean.”

“In my lifetime, we've never had uniformity. You know, every state is different, every track might have different rules,” Ingordo said. “Under HISA and the Anti-Doping, and Medication Control portion of it especially, we are going to have uniformity.”

A replay of the conference can be viewed here: bit.ly/OVHISA2023.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which was signed into law in December 2020, established HISA as an independent agency to draft and enforce uniform safety and integrity rules in Thoroughbred racing in the United States.

HISA's Racetrack Safety Program rules and regulations were approved by the Federal Trade Commission and implemented on July 1, 2022.

Nine additional Thoroughbred Owner Conference virtual panels are scheduled for 2023.

The next session will be held April 4 at 2 p.m. ET and will feature expert handicappers discussing the details of a variety of betting options and handicapping your horse's race. A full schedule can be found here: bit.ly/OVSchedule.

There is no registration fee for the 2023 virtual conference series, but registration is required. For more information about the owner conference series, including the schedule of panels and registration, please visit ownerview.com/event/conference or contact Gary Falter at 859.224.2803 or gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.

The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.

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Ahead of the anticipated implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program (ADMC) on March 27, 2023, HISA and the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) remind stakeholders of key changes to expect nationwide. These changes will go into effect immediately pending approval of the Program regulations by the Federal Trade Commission.

HISA also calls attention to enforcement updates regarding the Racetrack Safety Program that will take effect March 27. The Racetrack Safety Program launched July 1, 2022.

ADMC PROGRAM

• All Covered Horses are subject to the ADMC Program regulations, which includes adherence to the Prohibited List of Banned and Controlled Substances/Methods. Banned Substances are prohibited from being used, possessed, administered, or trafficked in relation to a Covered Horse at any time. Controlled Medication Substances are permitted for use or administration in a Covered Horse, except in close proximity to a race or Vets' List workout. As specified in the Prohibited List, certain Controlled Medication Substances, corticosteroids, NSAIDs, analgesics, and local anesthetics are regulated in samples collected following routine official timed workouts.
• Lasix will be permitted in all races, except for 2-year-old races and stakes races. Lasix will also be permitted, regardless of age or class of competition, during training, including Vets' List works.
• All test selection will be overseen by HIWU using an intelligence-based strategy. While HIWU has the ultimate discretion to select Covered Horses for testing, intelligence from “boots-on-the-ground” industry participants, including state stewards and veterinarians, and continued cooperation with state racing commissions and laboratory/scientific partners will also inform the test selection process.
• All sample collection personnel, including test barn staff, will have been trained by HIWU staff on ADMC Program-compliant procedures. Sample collection processes will be facilitated by a HIWU app that will serve as a paperless documentation system. The app will be prepopulated with relevant race-day and Covered Horse information from InCompass and the HISA portal.
• National whistleblower platforms will launch on the date of implementation. HIWU has partnered with RealResponse, the leading provider of safe and secure reporting platform for athletes, teams, and organizations. Through telephone, text message, or email, individuals will be able to safely and anonymously provide any information relating to potential ADMC Rule violations, including names of Covered Horses, trainers, owners, or test barns. Individuals will have the option to voluntarily provide their contact information so that the HIWU investigations team can follow up, if needed. The whistleblower phone numbers, text message information, and email address will be published upon launch of the ADMC Program.
• All labs utilized under the ADMC Program are accredited by the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium, pending the implementation of the HISA Equine Analytical Laboratory accreditation, and will be held to the same performance specifications.
• All laboratory results for samples collected under the ADMC Program will be reported to, and processed by, HIWU. The standard turnaround time for receiving Post-Race test results will be 10 business days after laboratory receipt of samples, and the standard turnaround for Vets' List clearance testing will be five business days after laboratory receipt of samples.
• HIWU will be responsible for distributing notices of Adverse Analytical Findings (i.e., positive test results) to Responsible Persons (trainers) under the ADMC Program and filing charges of ADMC Program violations against Responsible Persons.
• Anti-Doping Rule Violations will be heard by members of the Arbitral Body, which is administered by JAMS, an independent third party. Controlled Medication Rule Violations will be heard by the Internal Adjudication Panel, whose members are selected by HISA and HIWU.

 RACETRACK SAFETY PROGRAM ENFORCEMENT UPDATES

• As of March 27, 2023, all horsemen – including all trainers and jockeys – must be registered with HISA and in compliance with HISA's registration and racetrack safety requirements in order to race. Any individual who is not registered or compliant with HISA's regulations will be subject to enforcement action and will not be able to race. Horsemen must complete three key actions to be able to race:
• • Register with HISA at hisaus.org/registration.
  • Pay any unpaid fines in the HISA portal.
  • Enter the dates of their latest physical and concussion baseline exams into the HISA Portal. These exams must have taken place within the last 12 months. This requirement applies only to jockeys.

• If horsemen are told they are unable to race due to non-compliance with HISA's rules, and they believe that to be incorrect or a mistake, they should reach out immediately to the race day support line at 1-866-404-4472 and be prepared to provide their name and HISA ID number to resolve the issue.

The post HISA, HIWU Highlight ‘Day One’ Changes On Eve Of Expected Implementation Of Anti-Doping, Medication Control Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the independent enforcement agency of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program, has reached arrangements with all state racing commissions and/or racetracks that will be conducting live racing on or soon after the implementation of the ADMC Program, which is anticipated to be March 27. The laboratories that will be conducting testing under the program have also been confirmed.

“HIWU appreciates the opportunity to engage with state racing commissions, racetracks, and laboratories in the implementation of a national, uniform ADMC program,” said Ben Mosier, executive director of HIWU. “We are confident that all our arrangements will facilitate uniform compliance with the ADMC program to ensure its consistency and effectiveness.”

Once the ADMC program takes effect, the following states and/or racetracks will continue to provide sample collection personnel services by utilizing their current staff, who will have been trained and certified by HIWU. Voluntary agreements have either been signed or will be signed before the first day of racing under the new ADMC Rules with the following entities:

• Arkansas Racing Commission
• California Horse Racing Board
• Florida Gaming Control Commission, in cooperation with Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs
• Kentucky Horse Racing Commission
• Maryland Racing Commission
• New York Racing Association (except post-race testing)
• Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission
• Will Rogers Downs

For the following states and/or racetracks, HIWU has either contracted directly with existing personnel or has hired its own sample collection personnel to implement the ADMC Program. There is therefore no signed voluntary agreement with the following entities:

• Arizona Department of Gaming (Division of Racing)
• Finger Lakes
• Illinois Racing Board
• New York Gaming Commission (post-race testing only)
• Ohio State Racing Commission

HIWU is also engaging with state racing commissions and racetracks that are racing after mid-April and will announce those relationships prior to such time.

Laboratories must be accredited by the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium to be eligible to conduct testing as part of HISA's ADMC program, and must meet additional criteria determined by HIWU. HIWU has entered into contracts with the following laboratories to analyze samples collected under the ADMC program:

• Analytical Toxicology Laboratory (Ohio Department of Agriculture)
• Animal Forensic Toxicology Laboratory (University of Illinois-Chicago)
• Industrial Laboratories
• Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (University of California, Davis)
• Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory
• University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory

“For the first time, racing's labs will be harmonized and held to the same performance standards nationwide,” said Mosier. “Thoroughbred racehorses will be tested for the same substances at the same levels, regardless of where they are located or compete.”

Lab accreditation will eventually transition to the HISA Equine Analytical Laboratory standards, which will not take effect before 2024.

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) was established in 2022 by Drug Free Sport International to administer the rules and enforcement mechanisms of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program. The ADMC program will create a centralized testing and results management process and apply uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across all American Thoroughbred racing jurisdictions that HISA governs. HIWU will oversee testing, educate stakeholders on the new program, accredit laboratories, investigate potential violations, and prosecute any such violations. For more information, please visit hiwu.org.

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