The HISA Newsletter

February 28, 2024

Dear Thoroughbred racing participants,

As racing gears up for spring meets and key races on the road to the 2024 Triple Crown, we continue to see incredible progress and collaboration across the industry on issues of safety and integrity.

For example, earlier this month, NYRA announced the formation of an All-Weather Surfaces Committee to evaluate the impact of various racing surfaces on equine injury rates. Last year, as part of our strategic response to several clusters of equine fatalities, HISA recommended that industry leaders establish a committee to analyze safety metrics from tracks utilizing all-weather racing surfaces and study the feasibility of broader adoption of all-weather surfaces nationally. I’m grateful to NYRA CEO and President David O'Rourke for leading this committee and to all of its members for their efforts in this “all-hands-on-deck" moment.

In the coming weeks, we look forward to furthering our industry engagement with the next HISA Town Hall webinar on March 11, as well as the forthcoming announcement of the members of HISA’s Next Generation Advisory Group.

Additional details on these great signs of progress from around the industry are included below.

The causes of equine injury are multifactorial and often difficult to identify, as evidenced again recently by HISA’s review of the cluster of equine fatalities at Saratoga Race Course last summer (report available here). However, by working together as an industry and pursuing all available means of improvement, we can continue to better protect the equine athletes our sport depends on.

Yours in racing,

Lisa

HISA Releases 2023 Equine Fatality Rate 

Racetracks under HISA’s jurisdiction experienced 1.23 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts in 2023, HISA reported this week. This rate is down from the rate reported by The Jockey Club in its Equine Injury Database (EID) in 2022 (1.25 per 1,000 starts) and is lower than the national rate reported this week in The Jockey Club’s 2023 EID (1.32 per 1,000 starts).

The methodologies and criteria for reporting HISA’s and The Jockey Club’s rates are identical, with the caveat that The Jockey Club’s 2022 and 2023 rates include data from Thoroughbred racetracks in the U.S. currently operating outside of HISA’s jurisdiction. The 2023 EID shows that tracks not under HISA’s jurisdiction have a fatality rate of 1.63 per 1,000 starts, significantly higher than the 1.23 per 1,000 starts at HISA-regulated tracks.

HISA Funds Three Scientific Studies on the Use of Furosemide

HISA is funding three scientific studies on the use of furosemide (also known as “Lasix”) in horses and its impact on equine health and the integrity of competition. The three projects selected for funding were approved by HISA’s Board of Directors following a recommendation from HISA’s Furosemide Advisory Committee (FAC).

Under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, HISA is required to fund robust and rigorous scientific research on the use of furosemide to inform the FAC’s future recommendations to the HISA Board on whether and how to amend HISA’s existing furosemide regulations. The HISA Board approved $773,500 in grant funding for projects to be conducted at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and Washington State University over the next two years. Details of the studies can be found on the HISA website.

HISA Releases Findings of Saratoga Review

HISA recently released a report detailing the findings of its review of the circumstances surrounding the 14 training and racing fatalities that took place during the 2023 Saratoga Race Course Meet. The full report is available here.

Details of HISA’s initiatives and reforms aimed at significantly reducing equine fatalities, which were announced in September 2023, are available here.

HISA Appoints Bethany Erb to serve as Director of Public Affairs

Earlier this month, HISA appointed Bethany Erb to serve as the organization’s Director of Public Affairs. Erb will manage HISA’s engagement with policymakers and other stakeholders in Washington, D.C. and around the country, including the Federal Trade Commission, as well as various advocacy groups inside and outside of horse racing.

Erb brings two decades of experience in government affairs and stakeholder engagement, most recently serving as the Director of Government Affairs at Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever (PF & QF), the nation's largest nonprofit dedicated to upland habitat conservation. She also served on the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council, and has held positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and the Land Trust Alliance.

NYRA Forms All-Weather Surfaces Committee

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has formed an All-Weather Surfaces Committee to evaluate the impact of various racing surfaces on equine injury rates. In addition to the analysis of safety metrics from tracks utilizing all-weather racing surfaces, the committee is studying the feasibility of broader adoption of all-weather surfaces nationally.

The Committee is chaired by NYRA CEO and President David O'Rourke, who convened a group of leaders at the request HISA as part of a strategic response to several clusters of equine fatalities in 2023. This is an important step for deepening our collective understanding of all-weather surfaces and how they can potentially improve safety in Thoroughbred racing.

The Committee first met in October 2023 and will continue to convene regularly. Its findings and recommendations will ultimately be shared with the HISA Racetrack Safety Committee and other industry stakeholders.

Members of the Committee include:

• David O'Rourke, CEO and President, NYRA, Committee Chair
• Gatewood Bell, Vice President of Racing, Keeneland
• Drew Fleming, President and CEO, Breeders’ Cup Limited
• Craig Fravel, Executive Vice Chairman, 1/ST RACING and GAMING
• Josh Rubinstein, President, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

HISA Participates in Track Surfaces Data Workshop

Several HISA representatives participated in the Track Surfaces Data Workshop hosted by the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory and the University of Kentucky on February 22-23. Participants included HISA Track Surfaces Advisory Group Chair Jim Pendergest and HISA Racetrack Safety Chair Dr. Sue Stover as well as equine veterinarians, academic researchers and epidemiologists from North America, South America, England, Scotland, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia. 
 
HISA representatives listened and engaged in active discussions regarding current research and best practices for collecting and interpreting surface measurements from a variety of equestrian disciplines and surface types, including Thoroughbred racing and FEI 3- and 4-star events. The goal of the workshop was to shed light on the measurements various racing jurisdictions have been collecting and how they have been interpreting this information through research and epidemiological studies, in addition to encouraging international and interdisciplinary collaboration on this subject.

HISA to Host Next Town Hall Webinar on March 11

On Monday, March 11, HISA will host its next Town Hall webinar to provide racing participants the opportunity to ask questions about HISA’s rules, regulations, processes and procedures. HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus will be joined by trainers Ron Moquett and Dale Romans, both of whom are members of HISA’s Horsemen’s Advisory Group, and all three will be available to racing participants to answer questions.

Those interested in attending the webinar via Zoom must register here in advance and are encouraged to submit their questions in advance as well. A video replay of the Town Hall will be available on HISA’s website afterwards for those unable to attend.

Lisa Lazarus to Speak at MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

This weekend, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus will speak at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston. She will be participating in a panel on innovations in sports data analytics tools and plans to discuss how HISA is using data, technology and analytics with the aim of identifying factors contributing to equine injuries and additional potential steps to prevent them.

HISA Selecting from Strong Pool of Applicants for Next Generation Advisory Group 

HISA is in the process of selecting individuals to join its new Next Generation Advisory Group. Responses to HISA’s call for applications were overwhelming, and HISA is grateful for the incredible interest in equine safety and integrity shown by the applicants. The group will provide formal feedback to HISA’s executive team and standing committees on the implementation and evolution of HISA’s regulations and protocols going forward. 

HIWU Update

From the desk of Ben Mosier, Executive Director, Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit:

Earlier this month, HIWU launched a revamped version of our website, HIWU.org, with enhanced usability based on feedback from users. Among the highlights:

• On the homepage, there is now a dynamic “Cases” table that provides a snapshot of the most recently resolved ADMC cases. You can find buttons to the full pages of pending and resolved cases below the table.
• The pending and resolutions tables have been updated to a sortable tile format with filtering and search options. The tiles contain the same information that was previously published on the website, plus the ability to click on the Prohibited Substances listed to get more information about the substance.
• The new website includes access to the Prohibited Substances database, which is a web-based version of the HIWU app. Users have access to detailed information about substances on the Prohibited List such as HISA classification, Detection Times and Screening Limits (as applicable), and the Food and Drug Administration label’s indication for use.
• The website still includes all available educational resources in English and Spanish, news items, tip line information, links to download the HIWU app via the App Store or Google Play, and more.

Users with any questions regarding the website should reach out to info@hiwu.org.

Thank you all again for all you do to ensure that we're moving forward together. 

Lisa Lazarus
CEO
HISA