The start of a uniform anti-doping and medication control program for the horseracing industry is on track to begin next month.

What You Need To Know

  • A federal law that created the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, or HISA, and authorized the anti-doping program was passed nearly three years ago with bipartisan support

  • HISA is made up of two programs: the Racetrack Safety Program and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program (ADMC)

  • The Racetrack Safety Program went into effect in July and the ADMC Program is expected to start on March 27

  • HISA continues to face legal challenges and the program will not start in every state next month as organizers had hoped

A federal law that created the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, or HISA, and authorized the anti-doping program was passed nearly three years ago with bipartisan support.

HISA is “responsible for drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in Thoroughbred racing” for the United States.  

HISA is comprised of two programs: the Racetrack Safety Program and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program (ADMC). The Racetrack Safety Program started in July and expands veterinary oversight, imposes surface maintenance and testing requirements, enhances jockey safety, regulates riding crop use and implements voided claim rules.

The ADMC Program, which aims to centralize both the drug testing of racehorses and the management of those test results, is projected to begin on March 27.

“If your horse is tested in Kentucky, it’s not going to have a different result than Florida,” said Lisa Lazarus, the CEO of HISA. 

Lazarus said she thinks the industry has been asking for this type of uniformity “for a long time.”

Ben Mosier, the executive director of the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, a department in charge of applying the uniform penalties in the ADMC program, said his team is working to “ensure industry understanding of the new rules.”

“We have teams meeting with horsemen groups. We have educational materials and documents on our website,” Mosier said. “We have videos coming out soon to explain processes and procedures.”

Last year, a federal appeals court ruled HISA unconstitutional, saying Congress gave too much authority to the nonprofit it established to oversee the horseracing industry. Congress worked to fix that by tweaking the wording of the original legislation.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., released a statement in December after those changes were passed.

“This technical correction of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act confirms congressional intent—and my intent, as the bill’s author—to adhere to the nondelegation doctrine, removing any doubt about the constitutionality of this law,” Barr said.

There are still ongoing legal questions surrounding HISA, and the program will not start in every state next month as organizers had hoped.

“The court in Louisiana has enjoined HISA from operating in Louisiana and West Virginia,” Lazarus said. “So we will not be administering the ADMC program in those states. And yes, state regulations will continue to be in effect there.”

When Congress approved that updated language, it gave the Federal Trade Commission the ability to oversee the new authority from now on. The ADMC program cannot begin until the FTC gives its approval, but HISA leaders say they are “confident” this will happen before March 27.