The Equestrian Safety and Integrity Act dominated Day One of the Global Racing Symposium, with four federal law workshops set to be implemented in phases starting Starting July 1. Members of the Safety and Integrity Authority guided attendees through draft rules on race safety and anti-doping and drug control while emphasizing the intent of the race. they are modified as needed as long as the program exists.
“We will always be engaged in continuous improvement,” said HISA president Charles Scheeler, who set the stage with an overview of HISA and its progress. “What we expect is that the program we have in 2022 will not be as good as the one we had in ’23 or ’24 or ’25.”
The July 1 deadline imposed by Congress will be met but with certain factors to be moved over time. All safety rules will go into effect immediately, but the US Anti-Doping Agency’s role in drug enforcement will begin only with investigation and out-of-competition testing. Post-race testing as it will survive USADA has been pushed to 2023.
“We think the mid-season track test process is fraught with danger and fraught with risks,” said Scheeler. “State racing commissions have budgets and mid-cycle budget changes, we believe and we’ve been told, create a lot of problems. This will help sync the calendar. HISA’s submission to the state racing commission’s schedule It will also allow labs to fine-tune the new standards. We’ll be able to get more feedback. testing more of its technology solutions.”
NS recommended safety rules has been submitted to the Federal Trade Commission for review, public comment, and approval. Draft anti-doping and drug control rules will be submitted by the end of December. The publication of the rules in the Federal Register will begin a 60-day public comment period. Once the FTC acts, approves or disallows the rules, a four-month waiting period will occur before the rules go into effect.
“We’re going to spend those four months educating people who will come into contact with the HISA system on what they need to do,” Scheeler said. “They will have certain responsibilities regarding having to register with HISA, provide where their horses are, come up with user-friendly ways to deliver the medication the horses are taking, all the regulations. What is a switch and how to always stay to the right of the line.”
Scheeler consulted a table that showed the rate of catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries in the United States was 1.62 per 1,000 starts, significantly higher than in other major racing nations.
“It’s our collective responsibility to reduce these numbers,” says Scheeler. “Not just in response to the naysayers, but because we believe we can do better for the horses. We shouldn’t see this as an added cost. It will cost money, a lot of money. than in the past, but this is an investment that we believe will pay dividends.”
The amount of that investment is still unknown, but Sheeler suggested a full budget could be formed once the Agency’s contract with USADA is finalized, which is expected to happen this month.
“We have a clear mission to make sport fairer and make sport safer,” says Sheeler.
Anti-Doping and Drug Control Commission Describes ‘Outcome Management Process’
Members of the Anti-Doping and Drug Control Committee presented a future ‘Result Management Process’ for positive tests. Jeff Cook, USADA’s general counsel, described a sequence of events that began with a “letter of complaint” notifying participants of their violations and the appropriate punishment. In the event of an appeal, the national governing board will deal with minor violations within four weeks. Major violations will be referred to a fair arbitration within eight weeks. Appeals that fall into either category will be referred to the FTC’s Administrative Law Judge, and then to the FTC or a state commission for review.
Penalties for testing positive for, using, or possessing a banned substance will include suspensions of up to two years for the “main” substance — the one that is always banned — and up to 30 days for the “secondary” substance. level” — substances that are only prohibited during the race. Penalties can be increased to four years, 10 years or a lifetime ban, if recidivism with major substances.
Adolpho Birch, senior vice president of business and chief legal officer for the Tennessee Titans and chair of the committee, says an effective program should do three things — reward those who compete with integrity, deterring anyone who doesn’t want and punish those who break the rules.
“The program we run will give the sport the greatest opportunity to seek greater enjoyment, integrity and engagement,” said Birch.
Safety Committee Focuses on Research and Education
Dr. Susan Stover, chair of the Track Safety Committee, focused on existing research providing safety rules. Horse health is paramount, she says, but leads to positive results in other areas.
“Protecting horses will prevent deaths, but also keep horses healthy for a longer career with more beginnings,” says Stover.
Dr. Susan Stover speaking at the Global Symposium on Racing
The Safety Committee will prioritize research and education.
“We have two chances,” Stover said. “One is to provide an opportunity to understand and prevent the development of minor injuries. The second is to prevent death by detecting minor injuries and rehabilitating the horse.”
Mandatory reporting of everything from exercise to medication, even during hospital stays, will enable unprecedented in-depth analysis that can reveal meaningful trends around circumstances leading to trauma. love.
All 93 HISA-compliant racetracks will undergo an assessment similar to NTRA’s existing Safety & Integrity Alliance certification. Schools currently accredited by NTRA will receive the first three-year HISA certificate. Others will have at least one year to demonstrate a good faith effort to comply.
“HISA is here not only to increase our safety but also to improve our standing with the public,” Stover said.
A racetrack that is unlikely to progress on its way to accreditation, Stover said, could have its right to conduct interstate bets revoked, although that would be a last resort.
“We’re not interested in taking the racetracks out of business,” she said. “We don’t want any trace to get to that point and we will do everything we can to help them. There may be fines or other sanctions but that’s not what we hope to do. can do.”
HISA critics speak out
While Tuesday morning sessions offered encouraging views on HISA and its transformative nature, the HISA panel finally gave the reviewers the opportunity to highlight some of the perceived shortcomings. .
Ed Martin, CEO and president of the International Association of Racing Commissioners, warns that countries are under no obligation to participate. Instead, they would expect HISA and the industry to self-fund these initiatives.
“The states don’t have to squat,” says Martin. “There are only a handful of states where funding isn’t an issue. If you’re the director of state budgets and horse racing doesn’t have the influence in your state that we want it to have, and Congress did. passed a bill saying states don’t ‘don’t have to pay for this anymore… that’s a decision that won’t be made by state racing commissions.”
Ed Martin speaks at the Global Symposium on Racing
Chariot and mining team representatives lamented how little consideration their needs had been given to them by the Authority. They have no intention of adapting to HISA as long as they are not forced.
“All we’re hearing is that these breeds will not be placed under federal surveillance and quite frankly, that pleases those of us at the American Quarter Horse Association and most of the breeders. governing body with which we are closely associated,” said Janet VanBebber, good coach who is currently the racing director of the AQHA.
Similar feelings are also expressed by Mike Tanner of the American Footwear Association.
“We don’t feel that HISA is looking at Standardbreds,” said Tanner. “We weren’t even mentioned in the bill, but the way it was built it was inevitable that we were drawn into this. It doesn’t make sense for the state not to pull other breeds in. if they’ve adjusted to purebred racing.”
The issue of implementation costs will be brought up by VanBebber again.
“I’m all for reform and ideas that make our industry better,” she said. “My concern is that what’s on the table now has more questions than answers. I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve never signed a blank check. I’d like to know the amount of that check first. when adding the name on the signature line.”
