HISA establishes Racing Office Advisory Group

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has established a Racing Office Advisory Group to advise the authority on the impact of its rules, policies, and procedures on racing operations, HISA announced on Wednesday.

The committee will meet monthly, according to HISA, and “serve as a forum for dialog between racing offices and HISA, ensuring that the perspectives of those responsible for daily racing operations are represented,” HISA said in a release.

“By establishing this group, we are making a direct channel available for racing office professionals to share their expertise,” said Ann McGovern, HISA’s director of racetrack safety.

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HISA is establishing the committee at a time when the size of racing fields nationwide has begun to decline again after a brief bump-up earlier this year.

The inaugural members of the committee are Amber Carlisle, the senior manager of racing operations at Canterbury Park; Keith Doleshel, the senior director of racing for the New York Racing Association; Jason Egan, the director of racing and racing secretary at Santa Anita Park; Georgeanne Hale, the senior vice president of racing for the Maryland Jockey Club; Rick Hammerle, a former racing secretary who is a long-standing member of the American Graded Stakes Committee; Eric Johnston, the director of racing at Penn National; Mike Lakow, the vice president of racing operations at Gulfstream Park; John Lies, the racing secretary at Will Rogers Downs and Fair Meadows in Tulsa; Tyler Picklesimer, the director of racing at Turfway Park; and Jillian Tullock, the racing secretary at the Maryland Jockey Club.

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