Statement on Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Regulations Posted Today (June 3rd)

Photo: Shutterstock Royalty-free stock photo ID: 67917562 By Cheryl Ann Quigley

AWA executive director Marty Irby testifying at a House hearing on H.R. 1754 in January 2020

We plan to submit comments about our concerns and questions regarding the exceptions to Rule 4210 and the use of Furosemide aka Lasix.”

— Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES, June 3, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Following the new Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) posting of draft anti-doping and medication regulations today, Animal Wellness Action executive director Marty Irby issued the following statement:

“We are pleased to see the

Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority post their draft anti-doping and medication regulations and look forward to reviewing them in a deeper dive. We plan to submit comments about our concerns and questions regarding the exceptions to Rule 4210 and the use of Furosemide aka Lasix. In light of the HISA's recent decision not to contract with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, we are proceeding with extreme caution in our work on this issue moving forward."

The draft regulations posted cite on page 7 of "Rule Series 4000" that "Furosemide (aka Lasix or Salix) may be administered during the Race Period in connection with a Covered Horserace in accordance with specific provisions of the Act and any guidance or exceptions approved by the Authority;"

Click here to read Irby's opinion piece published by NBC News the morning of the Kentucky Derby.

Background:

Aware of the public outrage over the mounting number of racehorse deaths on American racetracks, leaders at Animal Wellness Action worked for the better part of six years to secure enactment of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). It was signed into law in December 2020 by President Donald J. Trump following a Congressional hearing in January 2020 where Irby testified, and the indictment of dozens of individuals involved in illegal doping scandals across the country.

The legislation, led by Reps. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Andy Barr, R-Ky., in the U.S. House, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as well as Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., was designed to execute and enforce a uniform national standard for drug testing. It created national regulations that will be overseen by a new national Authority and implemented at every Thoroughbred racetrack in the U.S.

The legislation established the new HISA board of directors. They were in negotiations with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for most of 2021, but the HISA board failed to secure an agreement with USADA to execute the intent of the legislation and HISA recently announced their decision to partner with Drug Free Sport International instead.