By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) says it has made important strides during the first year of implementation of the Racetrack Safety Program but has much more to do in their second year.
According to the Lexington-based HISA, their Racetrack Safety Program took effect on July 1, 2022, and its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, which began on May 22, 2023, means for the first time in Thoroughbred racing’s history, consistently enforced national equine safety and racetrack accreditation standards that seek to enhance equine welfare and minimize equine and jockey injury.
“There is no doubt there is much work ahead of us, and our mandate has never been more critical, but we’ve seen important progress in the year since HISA first went into effect and I’m proud of the foundation we have laid for Thoroughbred racing’s future across our country,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “We started from a blank piece of paper and the collaboration, patience and goodwill of the vast majority of racing participants have allowed us to undertake this monumental task and to continuously improve throughout our first year. I am confident that HISA will continue to usher in a fairer, safer, and more modern framework that seeks to ensure that all racing participants prioritize horse and jockey health and welfare above all else.”
Among their goals heading into their second year is to complete open investigations into recent clusters of equine fatalities, inform the public of the results of those investigations and take forward any actionable learnings as operational priorities moving forward.
That includes Churchill Downs, where a dozen horse deaths during their Spring 2023 meet led to the suspension of live racing at the famed Louisville racetrack and moving the remainder of the Spring meet to Ellis Park in Henderson, which Churchill Downs also owns.
“HISA was given a clear mandate when Congress required that an independent regulatory body oversee safety and integrity in American Thoroughbred racing, and we’ve seen the considerable progress made in year one,” said HISA Board of Directors Chair Charles Scheeler. “HISA will continue to work diligently to fulfil that mandate, to protect horses and jockeys and to ensure a fair, clean sport.”