June 2022 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN June 2022 Page 5 By Suzanne Bush When Rich Strike crossed the finish line at the 2022 Kentucky Derby, the crowd, the announcers and even the horse’s trainer were stunned. It was a performance that overturned the predictions of horseracing’s most astute book- makers. At 80-1 odds, Rich Strike proved that catching lightning in a bottle is not impossible. In that electric moment, it seemed that the horseracing industry’s troubles had faded and the effort to corral the nation’s 100+ Thorough- bred racing venues—along with jockeys, trainers, horses, breeders, owners, veterinarians, etc.—into the confines of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), was within reach. But, judging by recent headlines, there could be trouble ahead. Time is running out, as one part of HISA goes into effect on July 1. Equine Welfare, Integrity of the Sport As catastrophic injuries to horses mounted, activists became increasingly vocal, undermining the industry’s efforts to bring patrons to the racetracks. And there have been scandals involving drugs, from performance-enhanc- ing drugs to drugs that increase tes- tosterone, to drugs that increase the flow of oxygen to muscles. Finally, a critical mass—of activism, con- cern about the future of horseracing and the staggering rise in equine deaths at some of the nation’s most prominent racetracks—pushed Congress to do something. It took a coalition of stake- holders to forge HISA into a framework that had the potential to both ensure the safety and welfare of horses, and to rebuild public confidence in horseracing. Signed into law in 2020, HISA addresses its mission along two tracks: the safety of the actual racetracks and the conditions in which horses are training and racing; and standard- ization of anti-doping and medical control protocols. The racetrack safety require- ments include routine safety audits of track surfaces, pre-race exam- inations by track veterinarians, veterinarian-observed workouts, etc. More problematical and still controversial among some in the racing community is the effort to create uniform drug regulations. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA, which shares the same acronym as the legislation) original- ly selected the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) as the partner in developing the drug protocols. USADA is the anti-doping organization for Olympic, Paralympic and Pan American athletes. After months of negotiations, USADA’s CEO Travis Tygart announced that the two entities had failed to finalize an agreement. His announcement lacked any sense of rancor, only sadness. “After months of nego- tiations, we have been unable to enter an agreement in line with the requirements of the Act, and The Clock is Ticking: Can HISA Take Effect July 1? (Continued on page 26)