Equines weren’t the only ones commanding the audience in the Fasig-Tipton Sales booth on October 25.
Following the close of the second day of the Kentucky October Yearlings sale on Tuesday, Lisa Lazarus, CEO of Horseracing’s Integrity and Safety Authority, participated in a question and answer session during the meeting. October of the Kentucky Farm Managers Club. KTFMC and the Kentucky Mixed Dog Association welcomed Lazarus to the EquiTrace sponsored event.
The federal HISA program, which is currently responsible for drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in American Thoroughbred racing, began the Track Safety Program in July. Its Anti-Doping and Drug Control Program will go into effect in January.
Lazarus’ appearance in front of a group of about 100 people primarily involved discussion of the problems faced by ranchers, riders, and owners. Topics include horse registration, licensing, search and seizure questions, equestrian rules, canceled claim rules, allowed and prohibited drugs and drug testing there.
Those drugs were recently released on HISA websiteWith a distinction between controlled and authorized drugs, Lazarus said.
“They should be treated very differently – not only should the racing industry (the industry) know it, but the public should know it too,” Lazarus said.
Under the ADMC Program, controlled drugs are prescribed by time of discovery, not by time of discontinuation, which is the industry standard. Many drugs will be adjusted to detection limits.
Marc Guilfoil, HISA’s state racing commissioner relations director, also participated in a Q&A session with Logan Payne, KTFMC president.
Guilfoil emphasized, he believes that the uniformity of drug testing in the HISA program will reduce confusion for trainers and periodic positives caused by horses moving between states. Participating laboratories will follow the same testing protocols and procedures, Guilfoil and Lazarus said.
At the end of the hour-long session, Lazarus was asked to address an important question: How will it pay for itself? Last week, HISA announced that it would seek a total of $72.5 million for the first year of full operation in 2023, with about three-quarters of that allocated to the ADMC program.
If the state racing commissions do not opt in to support HISA and assume responsibility for paying the assessments, fees will be charged to the state racetracks.
An audience speaker, National Association of Philanthropists and Defenders CEO Eric Hamelback, warned attendees of the need to understand the importance of being a responsible person to a horse under the HISA rules and the potential problems that can arise when a horse moves outside the track.
He also raised concerns about the reduced HISA fees on paid tracks, mentioning that some tracks may have multi-million dollar ratings. “Where will that come from?” he asks.
Lazarus defended the overwhelming cost of the HISA program following an earlier question from an audience member, saying that she believes using existing testing infrastructure will reduce costs to an extent.
“Perhaps the best way for me to explain this is to say that a lot of money has been spent on anti-doping in this country, but not on a national scale, which may not be as effective as a national program. family,” she said. “And the only way that we’ve made this affordable for the industry is to be able to sustain it.”
Despite criticism from several organizations and claims that HISA creates red tape and additional costs without significant policy changes, she views HISA as an investment worth making.
“Everyone can do their job and succeed, grow and prosper because they have a foundation that protects their reputation, integrity and safety,” she said.
