Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association
Posted: March 25, 2023
The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, the enforcement agency of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, said it has reached arrangements with most state racing regulatory agencies and/or racetracks that will be conducting live racing on or soon after the implementation of the ADMC Program, which is anticipated to be March 27.
HIWU also listed the laboratories that will be conducting testing for the AMDC Program.
“HIWU appreciates the opportunity to engage with state racing commissions, racetracks, and laboratories in the implementation of a national, uniform ADMC program,” HIWU Executive Director Ben Mosier said in a release. “We are confident that all our arrangements will facilitate uniform compliance with the ADMC Program to ensure its consistency and effectiveness.”
The following states and/or racetracks will continue to provide sample collection personnel services by utilizing their current staff, who will have been trained and certified by HIWU. Voluntary agreements have either been signed or will be signed before the first day of racing under the new ADMC rules with the following entities:
- Arkansas Racing Commission
- California Horse Racing Board
- Florida Gaming Control Commission, in cooperation with Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs
- Kentucky Horse Racing Commission
- Maryland Racing Commission
- New York Racing Association (with the exception of post-racing testing)
- Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission
- Will Rogers Downs in Oklahoma
For the following states and/or racetracks, HIWU has either contracted directly with existing personnel or has hired its own sample-collection personnel to implement the ADMC Program. There is no signed voluntary agreement with the following entities:
- Arizona Department of Gaming (Division of Racing)
- Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack
- Illinois Racing Board
- New York Gaming Commission (post-racing testing only)
- Ohio State Racing Commission
HIWU is also engaging with state racing commissions and racetracks that are racing after mid-April and will announce those relationships prior to such time.
Louisiana and West Virginia, which are part of ongoing litigation challenging the constitutionality and other aspects of HISA, do not currently operate under HISA regulations. The Texas Racing Commission and all racetracks in the state are not covered by HISA. Nebraska also is a party to litigation and Fonner Park, which currently races, is not exporting its live signal outside of Nebraska.
Laboratories must be accredited by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium to be eligible to conduct testing as part of the ADMC Program and must meet additional criteria determined by HIWU, which has entered into contracts with the following laboratories to analyze samples collected under the ADMC Program:
- Analytical Toxicology Laboratory (Ohio Department of Agriculture)
- Animal Forensic Toxicology Laboratory (University of Illinois-Chicago)
- Industrial Laboratories
- Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (University of California, Davis)
- Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory
- University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
The New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Program and Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory are not part of the initial list of labs.
Lab accreditation will eventually transition to the HISA Equine Analytical Laboratory standards, which will not take effect before 2024.