 | |
| Founded | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Lisa Lazarus | |
| Charles Scheeler | |
Budget | US$66 million (2023) [1] |
| Website | hisaus |
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is a private self-regulatory organization that regulates the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States. It is empowered by the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 to propose and enforce regulations related to safety and anti-doping aspects of the sport.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was enacted into law in 2020 as Title XII of the US's Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. [2] [3] The authority's initial board of directors took office in May 2021. [4]
The Act was subject to legal cases challenging its constitutionality. In November 2022, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found the law to be unconstitutional, because it violated the private non-delegation doctrine by giving governmental authority to a private entity. [5] [6] [7] In response, Congress amended the law to give the Federal Trade Commission more control over the Authority's rules. [8] [9] The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals found the amended law to be constitutional in March 2023. [10] [11]
HISA's first racetrack safety regulations went into effect on July 1, 2022. [12] [13] Its anti-doping rules and enforcement program began on May 22, 2023. [14]
HISA has jurisdiction over races that are involved in interstate commerce, including those that are subject to off-track betting and advance-deposit wagering, and the horses and horsemen who participate in those races. [15] [16] The Authority propounds rules subject to modification and approval by the Federal Trade Commission. [17] [18]
HISA is charged with developing and enforcing rules for racetrack safety. [19] It regulates matters such as track surface maintenance, veterinary oversight, injury data reporting, jockey safety, horseshoe requirements, and use of riding crops. [20] [21] [22] A violation of the rules, such as a jockey striking a horse with a crop more than six times during a race, may be punished with a fine and suspension from racing. [23]
HISA is responsible for developing anti-doping and medication rules to ensure fairness and protect equine health. [24] [25] Administration of the rules, including collecting and testing of blood, urine, and hair samples, is delegated to the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, a subsidiary of Drug Free Sport International, a private drug-testing company. [26] [27]
Some states have not recognized the HISA, instead continuing to operate under safety and medication regulations on a state level. The Texas Racing Commission has refused to recognize the HISA on the grounds that it conflicts with its own state rules. [28] In addition to Texas, racing jurisdictions in Louisiana and West Virginia continue to operate under state rules as of the implementation of the HISA while awaiting the resolution of legal challenges. [29] The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) has also opposed the HISA. [28]
In September 2023 Republican congressman Clay Higgins of Louisiana introduced a bill that would replace the HISA with a new agency. The legislation, H.R. 5693, is supported by the National HBPA as well as the United States Trotting Association, which governs harness racing in the United States. [30]
The United States Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, caffeine products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs (medications), vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), cosmetics, animal foods & feed and veterinary products.
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in the UK and steeplechasing in the US. Jump racing can be further divided into hurdling and steeplechasing.
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amongst other horse racing assets such as the National Stud, and the property and land management company, Jockey Club Estates. The registered charity Racing Welfare is also a company limited by guarantee with the Jockey Club being the sole member. As it is governed by Royal Charter, all profits it makes are reinvested back into the sport.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is a broad-based coalition of American horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, and Rye Brook, New York.
Ellis Park is a thoroughbred racetrack near Henderson, Kentucky, just south of Evansville, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Incorporated. While the track is located north of the Ohio River that forms the border between Kentucky and Indiana, which would put it within Indiana, the border is based on the course of the river at the time Kentucky became a state in 1792.
Off-track betting is sanctioned gambling on greyhound racing or horse racing outside a race track.
The National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa, known as the National Horseracing Authority for short, formerly the Jockey Club of Southern Africa is the Southern African equivalent of the American and British Jockey Clubs, whose main purposes are to prevent malpractice in horse racing and to regulate the thoroughbred horse racing industry in Southern Africa.
A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level is then assigned to the race, based on statistical analysis of the quality of the field in previous years, provided the race meets the minimum purse criteria for the grade in question. In Canada, a similar grading system is maintained by the Jockey Club of Canada. Graded stakes races are similar to Group races in Europe but the grading is more dynamic in North America.
Equine drug testing is a form of drug testing applied to performance horses in regulated competition. Most common in racehorses, drug tests are also performed on horses in endurance riding and in international competition such as the Olympics and FEI-sanctioned competition. Many horses in a competition sanctioned by various national organizations, such as the United States Equestrian Federation in the USA are also tested for improper drug use. An organization for cooperation and harmonization regarding horseracing is the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) that have several members in over 50 countries worldwide.
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, also known as PASPA or the Bradley Act, was a law, judicially-overturned in 2018, that was meant to define the legal status of sports betting throughout the United States. This act effectively outlawed sports betting nationwide, excluding a few states.
The Claiming Crown, inaugurated in 1999, is a series of eight races run under starter allowance conditions with purses ranging from $100,000 to $175,000. The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) together launched this event in cooperation with the Minnesota HBPA and Canterbury Park.
The British Horseracing Authority, also known as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain.
Founded in 1940, the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and its affiliates operate as a trade association on behalf of Thoroughbred racehorse owners, trainers and backstretch personnel throughout the United States and Canada.
HISA may refer to:
Garland Hale "Andy" Barr IV is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the administration of Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher.
Horseracing in the Philippines began as a recreational activity in 1867. Its history is divided into three major time periods based on the breed of horses raced, in conjunction with the three significant eras of Philippine history. According to the type of horses used, the periods are the Philippine-pony era (1867–1898), the Arabian-horse era (1898–1930), and the Thoroughbred era (1935–present).
Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 16-476, 584 U.S. 453 (2018) [138 S. Ct. 1461], was a United States Supreme Court case involving the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The issue was whether the U.S. federal government has the right to control state lawmaking. The State of New Jersey, represented here by Governor Philip D. Murphy, sought to have the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) overturned, allowing state-sponsored sports betting. The case, formerly titled Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association until Governor Chris Christie left office, was combined with NJ Thoroughbred Horsemen v. NCAA No. 16-477.
Fonner Park is a thoroughbred horse racing facility located in Grand Island, Nebraska. Co-located with Eihusen Arena and the grounds of the Nebraska State Fair, it is named after its original land owner August L. Fonner, and first held races in 1954.
The 2020 Horse racing doping scam was revealed in March 2020, when the FBI cracked down several top names in horse racing. Initially, 27 people were charged with doping, which later increased to 29 people.
The 2021 Breeders' Cup Challenge series consisted of 84 horse races that provided the respective winners with an automatic "Win and You're In" Berth in the 2021 Breeders' Cup, held on November 5 and 6. Races were chosen by the Breeders' Cup organization and include key races in the various Breeders' Cup divisions from around the world. The Breeders' Cup organization pays the Breeders' Cup entry fee for the challenge race winners, provided they had been nominated as foals. They also provide travel allowances for out of state competitors