The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced today that it will begin using “can’t-race” flags to enforce its existing Racetrack Safety and Registration regulations beginning on March 27, 2023. Covered Persons and Horses who are not in compliance with HISA’s Racetrack Safety and Registration rules, which went into effect on July 1, 2022, will be at risk of being unable to race until they comply with the rules.

In order to be in full compliance with the Racetrack Safety and Registration rules:

• Covered Persons must ensure that they and their Covered Horses are registered in the HISA Portal,
• Covered Persons must ensure that they have paid any overdue fines issued to them, and
• Jockeys must have the dates of their most recent baseline concussion test and physical examination entered into the HISA portal, and those dates must fall within the last 12 months.

In addition to HISA’s use of can’t-race flags beginning on March 27, HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program is also expected to launch that day pending final approval of the ADMC rules by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This will mean that all of HISA’s ADMC, Racetrack Safety and Registration regulations are expected to be in full effect as of March 27, 2023.

“March 27, 2023 will truly be the start of a new era in Thoroughbred racing,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “An added level of enforcement of our Racetrack Safety and Registration rules, coupled with the launch of our ADMC Program, will be a clear sign to all that the racing industry is taking equine wellbeing and rider safety incredibly seriously. I am grateful for the high level of engagement and compliance we’ve seen with our Racetrack Safety and Registration rules since they went into effect on July 1, 2022, and I hope that the use of can’t-race flags serves as one more mechanism to ensure uniformity and compliance across the country as we continue our implementation process.”

To help racing participants navigate the Racetrack Safety and Registration requirements, HISA has produced a series of how-to visual guides and videos, available at the links below:

• Registering horses in the HISA portal – Visual Guide & Video
• Paying overdue fines – Visual Guide & Video
• Inputting baseline concussion test and physical dates into the HISA portal – Visual Guide & Video

Racing participants can also call the HISA Help Desk for assistance at 1-877-513-2919 at any time.

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About the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

Established when the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into federal law in 2020, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is responsible for drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. Overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), HISA was created to implement, 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 July 1, 2022, and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which is anticipated to go into effect on March 27, 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 will create a centralized testing and results management process and apply uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across the United States. These rules and enforcement mechanisms will be administered by a new independent agency, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), established by Drug Free Sport International (DFS). HIWU will oversee testing, educate stakeholders on the new program, accredit laboratories, investigate potential ADMC violations and prosecute any such violations.

MEDIA CONTACT

Mandy Minger

mandy.minger@hisaus.org

917-846-8804