Tag: TJC Integrity

Members of the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) are once again working diligently to provide the highest level of security for the world's best Thoroughbreds that have assembled for the 2022 Breeders' Cup.

With a handpicked team of some 30 investigators, the BC Equine Security Team (BCEST) hails from all corners of the United States, and also includes international representation from Canada and Ireland.

Working closely with a local company of security personnel, the BCEST will provide 24-hour round-the-clock care for the horses that will be running on Friday November 4 and Saturday November 5 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.

With a wealth of experience in law enforcement, members of the BCEST work for racetrack and state agencies back home. The opportunity to come to the Breeders' Cup is the chance to ensure that compliance is of the utmost importance.

Not only will members be working closely with the Breeders' Cup Veterinarian Team to collect samples, ensuring the chain of custody, but they will be onsite to showcase their knowledge and expertise by keeping everyone safe.

“Customer service and experience is so important to us,” said Don Ahrens (Sam Houston Race Park). “Everything we do is for the care of these equine athletes, and making sure everyone is compliant is our top priority.”

Ahrens, along with Mike Kilpack (NTRA), spearhead this operation, having done so for over a decade.

“We are driven to provide the Breeders' Cup and its fans with all the security that we can muster, said Kilpack. “Each and every member of this team is the best of the best.”

The BCEST assembled on Sunday Night for a 'Meet and Greet,' but the planning takes place months in advance.

Picking a group of investigators from across America is no easy task, but Ahrens and Kilpack have a vast set of experiences in their toolkit.

This year, there are several additions to their squad, including a 'dispatcher' that will manage the day and night shifts, utilizing camera technology that will monitor the stalls.

As the Breeders' Cup does every year, a quarantine area for international runners will also be located in the barn area, with restricted access to a select few.

The BCEST 2022 edition also includes over 10 'rookie' members at Keeneland. For their first event, it is up to the senior leadership to get them up to speed as quickly as possible.

Ahrens said, “These folks know their business, and are used to the rigors of investigating in their own locales, so that is incredibly helpful when it comes to training them for an event of this magnitude.”

After an orientation on Monday at the Keeneland Sales Ring, BCEST will officially swing into action on Tuesday. Led by Juan Estrada (Arizona Department of Gaming), the 'Night Crew' will acclimatize themselves before their posting begins at 4 p.m. each afternoon.

Both shifts have Saturday after the Breeders' Cup Classic as their target. Until then, paying attention and monitoring their barns will be the focal point. In other words, the best of the best will protect their counterparts to the fullest extent.

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The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has submitted to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) a technical document listing and categorizing 1,365 Prohibited Substances covered by HISA's anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) rules and further dividing them into subcategories of Banned Substances and Controlled Medications. The document is now subject to final approval by the FTC ahead of the ADMC Program's Jan. 1, 2023 implementation date.

This technical document was developed by HISA's ADMC Standing Committee and approved by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), which will administer the program. In a memorandum to racing participants (included below), HISA ADMC Committee Chair Adolpho Birch summarized the contents of the document submitted, which underwent several modifications based on substantive feedback from racing participants and experts during a public comment period before submission to the FTC.

“The Prohibited Substances List is the result of extensive consultation with industry and subject matter experts and is informed by established research. Once approved by the FTC, it will serve as the backbone of HISA's ADMC Program set to take effect in the New Year,” said Birch. “Through our collective efforts led by the ADMC Committee, we are proud to introduce U.S. Thoroughbred racing's first-ever uniform Prohibited Substances list that will be applied on a national basis to advance integrity, transparency and accountability in the sport.”

“Effective anti-doping programs require clear guidance on prohibited substances, and we are pleased with the document that was submitted to the FTC,” said Ben Mosier, executive director of HIWU. “This list will play a key role in HIWU's assignment to enforce HISA's ADMC Program, and we are prepared to take on this critical responsibility on behalf of the Thoroughbred industry.”

In addition to listing and categorizing all prohibited substances covered by the ADMC Program, the document details detection times, screening limits and thresholds. The modified document submitted to the FTC is available on the HISA website.

Memorandum to Racing Participants, from Adolpho Birch, Chair of Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority AntiDoping and Medication Control Committee:

On October 13, 2022, following a public consultation period where substantive feedback was provided to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), the HISA Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Committee submitted the “Technical Document – Prohibited Substances” (“Technical Document”) to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for approval. The Technical Document lists all Prohibited Substances covered by the ADMC rules and categorizes them into Banned Substances and Controlled Medications, as well as Specified Substances, which are those that pose a higher risk of being caused by contamination and are therefore subject to more flexible sanctions.

Additionally, the Technical Document sets forth detection times, screening limits, and thresholds for Prohibited Substances. If approved by the FTC, the Technical Document will be a fundamental component of the ADMC Program launching on January 1, 2023 that will be administered by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (“HIWU”). HIWU will soon begin its educational initiative to explain this Technical Document and how the Program will operate to racing participants. Should you have any questions before then, please direct them to info@hiwu.org.

Set forth below is a summary of the key modifications to the Technical Document from the original version posted for public comment, which were implemented following review and consideration of the feedback submitted to HISA by the ADMC Committee.

1. Anti-Ulcer medications (Cimetidine, Omeprazole, Ranitidine)

The Technical Document reduces the originally proposed 48-hour Restricted Administration Period for anti-ulcer medications to 24-hours. The rationale is that published research demonstrates that withdrawal intervals of greater than 24 hours can pose a health risk to the horse. It is anticipated that the international community will adopt a withdrawal interval strategy similar to the one proposed by HISA in the coming year.

2. NSAIDs (Flunixin, Ketoprofen, Phenylbutazone)

The Technical Document establishes Screening Limits corresponding to a 48-hour Detection Time for three (3) commercially available NSAIDs having FDA-approval for use in the horse. The ADMC Program allows the veterinarian to select one NSAID that can be administered using a withdrawal interval based on the 48-hour Detection Time. All other NSAIDs are then controlled applying the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' (IFHA) Detection Times and Screening Limits, and the detection of more than one NSAID in a horse's sample shall be a violation.

The rationale for this change is twofold: (1) it is consistent in our view with the IFHA's philosophical approach to NSAIDs; and (2) the overwhelming evidence received from horsemen and other stakeholder groups that enforcing a more restrictive rule would be contrary to the welfare of the horse without achieving any meaningful benefit to integrity.

3. Methocarbamol / Glycopyrrolate

The newly proposed Screening Limits and Detection Times for methocarbamol and glycopyrrolate were determined after reviewing the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium's administration study involving pharmacokinetic data. The elected Screening Limits and corresponding Detection Times ensure withdrawal intervals of sufficient length to prevent the substances from having potential to impact a horse's racing performance. These were developed so that better guidance can be provided instead of relying on the laboratory's limit of detection.

4. Procaine penicillin

HISA has elected to adopt the current Association of Racing Commissioners International controls, which allow for the use of this safe and effective antibiotic up to 48 hours prior to a race, while still effectively controlling against the illicit use of procaine as a local anesthetic.

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The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Monday distributed 2023 financial assessments to State Racing Commissions (SRCs) as the Authority prepares to expand its national oversight and rule implementation efforts to anti-doping and medication control on January 1, 2023. HISA's Racetrack Safety program has been in effect since July 1, 2022.

Each SRC received an assessment that represents the respective state's total financial obligation for 2023 as outlined by the Authority's Cost Assessment Methodology rule, which was approved by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

SRCs can reduce their assessment if they enter into an agreement with HISA and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU). The full HISA budget for 2023 is $72,509,662.  To promote industry collaboration and uniformity, HISA has offered SRCs approximately $23 million in monetary credits against the assessment. These credits are available to SRCs who choose to provide sample collection personnel and investigative services (including stewards involved in investigations) in compliance with the new Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program rules.

In addition, SRCs are no longer responsible for individually paying for investigations, laboratory fees and shipping costs, or any legal expenses associated with prosecuting anti-doping and medication control violations or appeals of those prosecutions, as these are now provided for by HISA, HIWU and the FTC.

The industry will also benefit from further cost reductions in existing and new expenses related to anti-doping and medication control because of economies of scale in contracting costs and other economic efficiencies gained through a unified, national program.

Although the full incremental cost to industry is difficult to calculate with certainty, between the offered credits and relief from existing expenses, it is significantly lower than the official budget indicates.

The main components of the budgets include (pre-credit reductions):

• The ADMC Program that will be administered nationally by HIWU: $58,108,758 (inclusive of all sample collection, laboratory analysis, enforcement, and other program costs);
• HISA's Racetrack Safety Program: $3,654,830;
• HISA's technology build and maintenance to support its Programs: $5,466,709;
• Costs associated with HISA's administration and organizational operations: $5,279,365 (of which $1,800,000 is budgeted for defending against litigation challenging HISA and related expenses)

“The 2023 assessment balances HISA's commitment to cost efficiency with the fact that the industry has historically underinvested in safety and integrity,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “We are focused on leveraging existing state resources for anti-doping as the foundation on which to build a first-class program for the sport. Under HISA and HIWU, Thoroughbred racing, for the first time, will have uniform national standards and rules for safety and medication, more comprehensive forensic testing, expanded and targeted Out of Competition Testing, a highly qualified national investigative team, and a streamlined and efficient adjudication process. I look forward to deepening collaboration with our SRC counterparts and racetracks across the U.S., especially as we expand our jurisdiction to anti-doping and medication control.”

If an SRC opts-out of paying, it becomes the responsibility of the covered racetracks in the state to collect the fees to pay the HISA assessment.  Additionally, if an SRC does not enter into an agreement with HISA and HIWU, it becomes HIWU's responsibility to assume all sample collection responsibilities in that state.

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