April 3, 2024 (Lexington, KY) – The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) today announced the release of its inaugural Annual Metrics Report. This report reflects HISA’s ongoing commitment to accountability and the progress it has made toward promoting the safety of U.S. Thoroughbred racing’s equine and human athletes. The full version of the report is available here.

As evidenced by its 2023 metrics, HISA has made meaningful advances on implementing national uniform practices, building out the HISA Portal, which contains a broad spectrum of equine treatment and other health records, and driving collaboration and cooperation across the industry.

“Our inaugural annual report reflects our journey toward a safer, fairer and more resilient future for horse racing,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “The success of HISA’s programs relies on steady partnership among the tracks, trainers, riders, owners, veterinarians and state regulators who comprise the sport. Only by working together can we make Thoroughbred racing safer for its equine and human athletes.”

The Annual Metrics Report provides stakeholders with key data collected in 2023 at 50 racetracks in 20 states as part of HISA’s Racetrack Safety Program, which went into effect on July 1, 2022. The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) will soon release a separate annual report detailing metrics from the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program.

Highlights of HISA’s Annual Metrics Report include:

• Racetrack Accreditation: In 2023, HISA completed accreditation visits at 21 tracks, leading to many significant safety improvements, including investing in new and more advanced track surface maintenance equipment, taking daily measurements related to track surface conditions, updating stable gate in/out procedures and convening safety committees to review incidents and to identify risk mitigation strategies.
• HISA’s Data Platform: HISA has, for the first time, created a centralized online database of horses and people involved in the sport, enabling treatment records and other information to be accessed by racetracks and officials across the country. HISA is using this unprecedented access to consistent, uniform data to develop tools informed by machine learning to help further advance equine safety.
  • The HISA Portal has been integrated with eight leading software platforms, allowing racing participants to seamlessly share equine records in compliance with HISA regulations.
  • HISA launched two new apps: the “MedEnt app” and “Lasix app,” which enable veterinarians to streamline entry of treatment and Lasix information.
  • On average, HISA received approximately 4,700 veterinary treatment reports each day in 2023.
  • As of the end of last year, close to two million veterinary treatment records had been uploaded to the HISA Portal.
• Racing Participant Registration: As of December 31, 2023, approximately 33,000 Covered Persons, 55,000 Covered Horses and 1,000 veterinarians actively involved in the daily and specialized care of equine athletes were registered with HISA.
• Equine Fatalities: As previously announced, racetracks operating under HISA’s rules reported 1.23 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts in 2023.
  • That rate is down from the rate reported by The Jockey Club in its Equine Injury Database (EID) in 2022 (1.25 per 1,000 starts) and is lower than the national rate reported in The Jockey Club’s 2023 EID (1.32 per 1,000 starts).
  • The Jockey Club’s 2023 EID also shows that non-HISA tracks reported a rate of 1.63 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts.
• Use of Riding Crop Violations: In 2023, HISA reported 4.40 crop rule violations per 1,000 starts, which is down from 5.09 violations per 1,000 starts in 2022.

 

About the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

When the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into federal law, it charged the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) with drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. Overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), HISA is implementing, for the first time, a national, uniform set of rules applicable to every Thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility. HISA is comprised of two programs: the Racetrack Safety Program, which went into effect on July 1, 2022, and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which went into effect on May 22, 2023.

The Racetrack Safety Program includes operational safety rules and national racetrack accreditation standards that seek to enhance equine welfare and minimize equine and jockey injury. The Program expands veterinary oversight, imposes surface maintenance and testing requirements, enhances jockey safety, regulates riding crop use and implements voided claim rules, among other important measures.

The ADMC Program includes a centralized testing and results management process and applies uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across the United States. These rules and enforcement mechanisms are administered by an independent agency, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), established by Drug Free Sport International (DFS). HIWU oversees testing, educates stakeholders on the Program, accredits laboratories, investigates potential ADMC violations and prosecutes any such violations.

MEDIA CONTACT

Mandy Minger

mandy.minger@hisaus.org

917-846-8804