The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has proposed amending its rules for violations of the estrus suppressant altrenogest that will move the drug from its banned category to its controlled substances list, a policy change that will lead to far less severe penalties for positives in male horses, according to a list of proposed changes HISA posted on its website on Monday. The reclassification of altrenogest, which is currently allowed to be administered to female horses to suppress heat but not to geldings or intact males, is the most notable of the changes, which largely clean up language in HISA’s voluminous set of regulations, especially in its sampling and drug-testing protocols. HISA took over responsibility for drug sampling and testing in May of this year, replacing a state-by-state structure in which protocols and procedures varied by jurisdiction. Altrenogest has been the subject of multiple violations since HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control program went into effect on May 22, including one case in which a trainer, Natalia Lynch, was banned for two years because of a positive test in a gelding she trained. (Lynch received an additional two years due to possession of another banned substance. Under the new proposed rule, altrenogest will become a controlled medication under the “A” penalty class when administered to intact males or geldings, rather than a banned substance. Substances in that penalty class have a recommended penalty of a 60-day suspension, a $5,000 fine, and an automatic disqualification from a race on first offense. Suspensions increase to 90 days and 120 days for a second and third offense if a trainer has multiple positives for the drug in a two-year period. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Altrenogest will remain a controlled substance with a “C” penalty class drug for female horses. The recommended penalty for a violations of a “C” drug is a $5,000 fine and disqualification for a first offense. In response to questions about the reasons for the change, HISA said in a prepared statement on Tuesday that discussions with horsemen and “additional information that became available” had revealed “extra-label use in controlling behavior for intact male and gelding Thoroughbreds during layup.” HISA also said that the new rule aligns with the treatment of altrenogest in the regulations enforced by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.  The change, along with the other rule proposals and amendments, was approved by HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control committee and its board of directors, according to HISA. The suite of changes was submitted to the Federal Trade Commission, HISA’s overseer, on Monday. The FTC must post the proposals for public comment for 60 days before deciding whether to approve the changes. The current rule will continue to be enforced until the new rule is approved. Other notable changes in the proposals submitted to the FTC include: *A new rule would recommend a one-year ban for any person who injects a horse or who attempts to administer an injection to a horse within 48 hours of a race. The ban would apply to “any substance to any site of a covered horse’s body,” with exceptions for those administered or authorized by regulatory veterinarians for medical care. * HISA has added language to its Testing and Investigation Standards that allow the organization to test samples for “research” in support of its anti-doping program and for the purposes of reducing injuries. * For the purposes of “risk assessment,” HISA has added language allowing it to use “information and intelligence” gathered from outside sources, such as industry maintained databases, state racing commissions, or other “stakeholders.” Nearly identical language added in a separate section would allow those sources to be used for the prioritization of sampling and testing. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures * New rules allow licensees to request certain types of testing for their horses, such as “clearance testing” for suspected controlled or banned substances, or for testing done after a horse has been claimed. * Large sections of the existing rules regarding sample collection procedures and protocols have been entirely rewritten. The proposed rules now include a lengthy section detailing whether a person involved in the sampling process may have conflicts of interests during the performance of their jobs. Other amended rules involve requests to delay the gathering of samples by either licensees or sampling personnel, and what protocols must be followed in the event of a delay. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.