Speaking on December 7, officials from the Equestrian Integrity and Safety Authority and the Equestrian Integrity and Welfare Unit summarized the initial HISA findings and outlined the Control procedures. Anti-Doping and Drug Control will begin January 1.
Their comments came Wednesday afternoon during the closing session of the University of Arizona’s Global Symposium on Racing in the Race Industry Program at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Ariz.
Not mentioned in the session was the legitimacy of the act that authorized HISA following a November 18 ruling from the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that the act was essentially unconstitutional. Appeals to that court decision, as well as other HISA-related legal cases working their way through the legal system, can be binding in court for months. HISA has been legally opposed by groups including several state racing commissions, racetracks and horsemen’s organizations.
If the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision is in effect, it will not take effect until January 10, at the earliest, after the ADMC Program is launched as planned earlier in the year.
That new program will provide uniform U.S. drug rules in Thoroughbred racing related to anti-doping, controlled drugs, equine testing and investigations, and standards for laboratories and arbitration proceedings.
Not all welcome the scrutiny of HISA and HIWU. The International Association of Racing Commissioners issued a press release on Wednesday before the afternoon session, saying its board unanimously asked the Federal Trade Commission to delay final action. along with the ADMC rules proposed by HISA until the constitutional questions at issue are resolved. The organization’s request was made “in the face of impending regulatory chaos,” the release said.
“The choice for the FTC is clear, state rules are better than no rules at all in this time of legal uncertainty,” said Ed Martin, ARCI president.
During Wednesday’s panel, HISA officials made no mention of alternative plans if the federal bill’s unconstitutional nature were upheld. They mainly provide an information session about the HIWU rules.
Watch: Mosier Leads Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit
Kate Mittelstadt, chief executive officer of HIWU, said the organization intends to have staff on duty at the tracks during the first days of the race under the RMTC program to oversee sample collection. She said that a paperless system, implemented with the support of Incompass Solutions, will be put to the test.
HIWU will use laboratories accredited by the Society for Racing Drugs and Tests that have long been used in many racing jurisdictions, albeit under the amendments “so that 2023 begins to meet HIWU’s enhanced needs,” said HIWU Scientific Director, Dr. Mary Scollay. She added that a double-blind program will be used.
What is the detection time? Scolay presented this slide.@hisa_uscontrol panel at@UA_RTIPsymposium pic.twitter.com/4ourBgcuJz – King Byron (@BH_BKing) December 7, 2022 Drugs have been classified into several categories, the most significant of which are prohibited substances, which carry penalties that Scollay describes as severe. Previously, HISA officials had shown slides related to riding season violations and void claim cases since the Track Safety Program went into effect on July 1. The ADMC program seemed to offer a tougher test to roll out, but Scollay said she was excited when the program started. “So today’s take-home message: the uniformity we all want. We’ve wanted that for years and here’s our chance. It’s good for the horses; it’s good for people; it’s good for the industry; it’s good for our public image,” she said. The HISA workshop that ended Wednesday was preceded by two more: “Equestrian Roundtable: What Do Core Customers Really Want?” and “TPA Workshop Mark Kaufman—What is a Hashtag? Exploring the Importance of Social Media in Horse Racing.” The topic of HISA also came up in the discussion of horsemen, with bettors and horse owners, Dr Marshall Gramm, a professor at Rhodes University, saying, “We don’t want to pay for the game.” hey. There is only one great fear…this will be passed on to the player.” This fall, HISA informed state racing commissions that it was seeking a total of $72.5 million for its operations in 2023, with $58.1 million to fund HIWU. Some racing committees have chosen to hand over the responsibility of handling the assessments to the tracks, who in turn may be looking for ways to secure the money. Gramm and panelist Pete Fornatale, co-founder of In the Money Media Network, described a wish list for racecourse operators of what they would like to see for riders. Those desires include improved pricing and pricing fairness in a competitive bet landscape, exact timing of races, increased data accessibility, improved tote technology and presentation. TV shows, low win-loss bet options and more, such as track innovation updates. Over the past 20 years, the processing rate has fallen 46 percent when adjusted for inflation, Gramm said. “Some routes spend more time lobbying for the state than worrying about their customer base, rather than worrying about prices and worrying about what they do in the market,” he said. The Equestrian Council followed a discussion in which five social media coordinators or managers described the use of social media platforms to reach younger audiences and those with You may not be familiar with horse racing. Dan Tordjman, director of partnerships and sponsorships for America’s Grand Prix, noted how ABR and Breeders’ Cup partnered with 11 influencers to promote Breeders’ Cup on social media. According to Tordjman, through these influencers, they have reached 29.5 million. They hope these individuals will show a renewed interest in horse racing as these influences return to the sport. “So you bring them back again and again and you build familiarity with their audience… So whenever their audience sees racehorses in the feed, they would say, ‘Oh, great, they’re back at a horse race,'” Tordjman told symposium attendees. Example of@BreedersCupand@ABRLivepartnered with 11 influencers to promote BC on social media@UA_RTIPSymposium. 29.5 million reach through these influencers. pic.twitter.com/aJwvMdku85 – King Byron (@BH_BKing) December 7, 2022
