Zeitlin named interim executive director of HISA

Hank Zeitlin, the current head of a racetrack trade group, has been hired as the interim executive director of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the federally created non-profit company that is expected to oversee racing regulation beginning next year, the authority announced on Wednesday.

Zeitlin, who is the executive director of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations and a former president of Equibase, will serve as the interim executive director through the end of 2021, HISA said in a release announcing his appointment. Zeitlin will oversee the work of two standing committees at HISA that will soon begin working on crafting rules and regulations regarding drug use and safety practices.

The release noted that Zeitlin was also the “chief facilitator” for a recent update of the accreditation standards developed by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association for its Safety and Integrity Alliance, an industry-administered accreditation program for racetracks.

“His critical role in this effort involved leading three teams of experts in establishing best practices in anti-doping and medication control, racing safety, and racetrack surface maintenance,” the release said.

HISA, which has already named members to its board as well as the two standing committees, has an effective start date of July 1, 2022. In the lead-up to that date, the authority is expected to draft and approve rules that will impact racing regulation in all 38 U.S. racing jurisdictions. The authority’s medication and drug-testing work will be overseen and enforced by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, a non-profit, private company that plays the same role for most of the participants in the U.S. Olympic program.

Charles Scheeler, the chair of the authority, said in an interview two weeks ago that the authority’s two standing committees are expected to begin outreach efforts to industry constituents this summer. The board also must determine how to assess fees on racing states to pay for its operations, a complicated effort that will need buy-in from racing constituencies in all states.

In the release, Scheeler said that Zeitlin’s “extensive background across multiple facets of the racing industry” would aid in that effort.

“As we seek to engage both industry and external stakeholders for their insights and expertise on the various components of racetrack safety and anti-doping and medication control programs, it is clear that Hank is the right fit for the role given his in-depth knowledge of the subject matter,” Scheeler said.

The authority is in “in the process” of selecting an executive search firm to select a permanent executive director, the authority said in the release.

“We have a lot of work ahead of the July 2022 program effective date, but thanks to the excellent efforts of the nominating committee and the strong baseline standards laid out in [the federal legislation creating the authority], we are hitting the ground running,” Zeitlin said in the release.