The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is seeking public comment on proposed modifications to the Rule Series 1000, 3000 and 4000 of its Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program.
HISA submitted proposed modifications to the ADMC Program to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on November 15, 2023 and supplemented that submission on May 14, 2024. While the proposed modifications were pending with the FTC, HISA's ADMC Committee—drawing on several additional months of ADMC Program operations and industry feedback—conducted a comprehensive review of the ADMC Program's implementation and performance. This review identified additional opportunities for improvement. In light of these additional changes, HISA has asked that the FTC withhold action on the November 15, 2023 submission (and the subsequent May 14, 2024 supplement), until new proposal modifications are filed, which will replace and supersede the earlier submission(s).
In the proposed updates to Rule Series 1000, 3000 and 4000 of the ADMC Program (now available for comment on the HISA website), changes that may benefit horsemen include:
- Introduction of Transfer Testing, a new offering that will allow a prospective Owner or Trainer of a Covered Horse to request (prior to the legal transfer of the Covered Horse) the testing of a Sample for a limited scope of substances;
- Creation of a Class D Controlled Medication category for certain anti-ulcer medications, reducing first-time penalties from a fine to a reprimand, with no Disqualification;
- Reduced sanctions for Controlled Medication violations resulting from Veterinarians' List Samples;
- Ability for Covered Persons to request DNA testing for Samples reported as Adverse Analytical Findings, i.e., positive tests;
- Opportunities for reduced sanctions for the Responsible Person for Adverse Analytical Findings for a finite list of human substances of abuse and for Class A and B Controlled Medication Violations;
- Updates to the Penalty Points System for Controlled Medication Rule Violations;
- Reclassification of certain Banned Substances; and
- Reduced periods of Ineligibility for Covered Horses involved in certain Banned Substance Rule Violations.
A memorandum summarizing the proposed modifications is available here. A full draft of the proposed revisions in PDF redline format is also available here. The redline reflects proposed updates compared to the version currently in effect and approved by the FTC.
HISA invites all interested parties to review the proposed modifications and share their feedback. Please send comments to HISA Assistant General Counsel Sam Reinhardt at Samuel.Reinhardt@hisaus.org no later than January 5, 2026, with the subject line "ADMC Proposed Modifications." Following this deadline, the ADMC Committee, in consultation with the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, will review and consider all relevant comments before recommending proposed modifications to the HISA Board. If approved by the HISA Board, the proposed modifications would then be submitted to the FTC.
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