Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to begin 'can't race' list for horses, trainers, and jockeys
Trainers, jockeys, and horses who are not in compliance with the registration requirements for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority as of March 27 will be denied the ability to race until the requirements are met under a new system, HISA announced on Tuesday.
The Tuesday announcement of the implementation of the “can’t-race” flag system is primarily a reiteration of HISA’s policy to block the racing eligibility of all “covered persons and horses” as of July 1 of last year, when HISA’s safety rules went into effect. Under that policy, most current racing licensees and horses that had at least one official workout at a licensed racetrack could not participate in racing without first registering with HISA.
According to HISA, the “can’t-race” flags will be attached to the identities of covered persons or horses who have not been registered; to covered persons who have not paid fines issued by HISA by their due date; and to jockeys who have not entered the dates of their most recent baseline concussion test and physical examinations into the HISA database. (Those tests and examinations must been completed within the 12 months preceding the March 27 date.)
HISA’s database is integrated with the racing-office software used by racetracks to determine eligibility for races.
HISA officials have said that they plan to launch the second and final phase of their regulatory and enforcement protocols, the Anti-Doping and Medication Control program, on March 27. HISA has said that it expects the FTC to formally approve the rules for the ADMC program by that date, but lingering legal issues could delay the approval, according to officials.
According to Mandy Minger, a spokesperson for HISA, the “can’t-race” system will be implemented on March 27 regardless of whether the ADMC program has been launched.
Because HISA began restricting participation of unregistered covered persons and horses as of July 1 of last year, the vast majority of the persons and horses affected by the new system are currently in compliance with the registration requirements, Minger said. Registration and updates to registration can be completed through a portal maintained by HISA on its website.
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The requirements will not impact racing participants in Louisiana and West Virginia, however, due to a court ruling last year that stayed HISA’s jurisdictions in those two states. HISA has appealed that ruling, but officials have said that HISA will not enforce its jurisdiction in the two states until the legal issue is resolved.
Under its enabling legislation, HISA has jurisdiction over any race that is made available for wagering across state lines. Two tracks, Sam Houston Race Park in Texas and Fonner Park in Nebraska, have declined to send their signals out of state since HISA’s safety rules went into effect, meaning those tracks will not have to comply with its regulations.
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