HISA pushes back registration deadline to July 2

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority on Thursday issued several clarifications of its rules, including a one-day change in the requirement for registration to be eligible to start in races.

So-called “covered horses” and “covered persons” will not be required to be registered until July 2, the authority said in the clarification. HISA’s jurisdiction over racing begins on July 1, and the authority had previously informed racing licensees that horses, trainers, owners, and other persons would need be registered by July 1 to be eligible to race on that date.

A HISA spokesperson said that the date was pushed back one day due to a revised interpretation of language in its enabling legislation, which was passed late in 2020.

“As the effective date is July 1, HISA has interpreted the act as allowing racing participants to have the full benefit of that day to register,” the spokesperson said.

HISA and organizations supportive of the authority have been mounting an intense public-relations campaign to ensure registration by the July 1 date. Under the authority’s enabling legislation, horses and “covered persons” who are not registered will be unable to run in any race that falls under HISA’s jurisdiction as of July 2, which includes any race on which out-of-state bets are accepted.

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Many horsemen have criticized the registration process, and some licensees, including some trainers, owners, and veterinarians, have expressed misgivings about broad language giving HISA the authority to review the medication and billing records for horses. Those powers are currently also held by state racing commissions as part of their authority over licensees.

Under HISA’s rules, any horse that has raced or recorded a timed workout is required to be registered. The “covered persons” category includes licensed owners and trainers, veterinarians, backstretch workers, and other individuals with an active role in the management of a horse.

So far, because of a disagreement over the authority of HISA, the Texas Racing Commission has rejected the simulcasting application of Lone Star Park. If the situation is not resolved, Lone Star Park will be unable to send its signal out-of-state or to account-wagering companies as of July 2. Texas racing officials have not responded to recent calls for comment on the dispute.

Although Lone Star Park would lose access to wagering markets that generate approximately 80 percent of its wagering revenue in the event of a blackout of the track’s signal, purses at Texas tracks are heavily subsidized by tax transfers that were approved by the legislature in 2019 with the support of the state’s equine constituencies. The Lone Star meet runs through July 24.

The HISA clarifications issued on Thursday also stated that the records required to be transferred to the trainer of a claimed horse includes “only records of medical, therapeutic, and surgical treatments or procedures.” Some horsemen had interpreted HISA’s rules as requiring the transfer of training and workout schedules.

The HISA document also clarified that records kept prior to July 1 will not be required to be transferred to the connections of a claimed horse after the effective date of HISA’s jurisdiction.

“Trainers are not required to maintain nor transfer horse training records, nor are they required to transfer records created prior to July 1,” the document stated. “Therefore, if a horse is claimed on July 15, trainers are only expected to transfer 15 days of records.”