Via TD Thornton
Four weeks after the expected effective date of the Anti-Doping and Drug Control Program (ADMC), the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) watchdog is stepping up an awareness campaign so that industry participants can fully prepare for a sweeping change in regulatory protocols.
“We are officially counting down a month to the time when we are confident we will launch our ADMC program on March 27,” said Lisa Lazarus, executive director of HISA.
Lazarus continued: “Everybody is of the same opinion wanting consistency and wanting consistency. “And we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to really show the industry what that looks like. I think once we get past March 27 we will be able to turn some of the doubters into believers.”
Part of what Lazarus and Ben Mosier, executive directors of the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), are trying to convince industry organizations of is that the approaching ADMC rollout date is the deadline. so real that they believe will not be affected by any applicable court action.
Mosier emphasized that launching ADMC is “something my team is focusing on right now until someone tells us otherwise.”
Lazarus added: “One of the challenges for us and the reason why we are playing around as much as possible is to make sure the stakeholders realize this is really going to happen on March 27th. Federal Trade Commission time [FTC] approve [ADMC] regulations, they work.”
That day represents the last day of FTC’s 60-day review period for the ADMC rules, and Lazarus said “all indications” that the FTC will green light those rules.
“As soon as they approve them, the state racing commissions will not be in the business of drug testing and we are the only one responsible in the states where HISA operates,” Lazarus said.
Lazarus noted one exception: “The [federal] The courts in Louisiana have ordered that HISA be banned from operating in Louisiana and West Virginia, so we will not administer the ADMC program in those states and yes, state regulations will continue to be in effect there.”
Lazarus also notes that four federal lawsuit attempts to derail HISA were all begun before the HISA law was rewritten in December 2022 to amend the operating language of the act with the aim of stamping out legal allegations of unconstitutional.
“I really don’t think there’s anything” in the courts that could prevent the FTC from happening, “that’s why I’m so confident,” Lazarus said. “No pending legal action on the schedule will be resolved by March 27, [and] No party, no person, no entity poses any challenge to that [rewritten] law.”
When asked about the immediate changes horse owners and trainers might notice on Day One of Deployment, Mosier noted several examples. One concerns exactly who—HISA staff or existing track managers—will be responsible for selecting horses for post-race testing.
“All trials are administered and directed by HIWU,” explains Mosier. “But what we’re doing, and don’t want to lose, is the ability for local staff to announce testing options. And I mean present [in] industry, manager [select horses for post-testing]. And we will not lose that possibility. But we have to make sure that their selections are made in compliance with the rules, so we are working very closely with the managers to make sure they are educated and understand the rules and basically certified to do this under our direction.”
Mosier continued: “We can still actively hear from veterinarians or other staff on the ground. [regarding factors] they see on the back bench often flows to the managers everyday.
However, Mosier added, the flow of “nationwide intelligence” would also work in the other direction, meaning that local testing protocols could be triggered by information flowing down from body entities. higher-level authorities, including from tips from the HISA whistleblower program.
Lazarus put it this way: “I think having a nationwide strategy based on intelligence will be an opportunity for the industry to see how clean can be. [or not]”The sport is.
Lazarus added that participants will experience “a much higher level of out-of-competition testing that the industry has ever seen, [instead of] an almost complete reliance on post-race testing for integrity management.”
For example, when a horse is brought to a test barn, the chain of custody will go paperless, says Mosier.
Mosier said riders may have to register electronically when testing via iPad (instructions are available in both English and Spanish) and the system will assign unique markers that will accompany the rides. specimen to the laboratory. Riders will then be electronically forwarded receipts from the barn inspection process to streamline and provide proof of inspection.
