Gramm Immediately Suspended as Owner, Contest Player

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority said Aug. 24 that owner Marshall Gramm, who HISA has charged with an alleged hack of its equine medical records, has been provisionally suspended while that case plays out. Gramm has denied those allegations in a case that HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said could result in a lifetime ban for the owner, and well-known handicapper. A provisional suspension is an immediate suspension put in place while a case is considered. Sometimes participants under HISA—owners, jockeys, trainers—are able to continue to participate while their case plays out while other times they are immediately suspended. A HISA spokesperson said Monday that Gramm had voluntarily accepted the provisional suspension while HISA's case that includes charges of fraud and unauthorized access and usage of confidential horse health information plays out. Also Monday, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced that Gramm has withdrawn from the 2027 National Horseplayers Championship (March 5-7 at Horseshoe in Las Vegas). Furthermore, after consultation with the NHC Players Committee, the NTRA said it has deemed all NHC contest participation and NHC Tour membership for Gramm be suspended pending further investigation by HISA. Following a comprehensive review that involved internal and third-party expert investigators, on Aug. 17 HISA alleged that Gramm violated multiple HISA rules arising from unauthorized access of confidential horse health information in May and June. Gramm called it unfortunate that HISA decided to pursue disciplinary proceedings and said he intends to vigorously defend himself. HISA said its investigation included robust information sourcing and interviews conducted by HISA employees and contractors, as well as an independent third-party forensic cyber security analysis conducted by Arete, a leading expert in the field. It said the results unanimously pointed to Gramm being solely responsible for accessing confidential horse health information and creating past performances for horses to which he had no legitimate connection. HISA said its investigations concluded that Gramm, a founding partner of owner Ten Strike Racing, deliberately and methodically misappropriated confidential horse health information from the HISA portal during a six-week window beginning in early May and concluding in mid-June. In terms of accessing the information, Gramm painted a much different picture than HISA. He said the information he accessed was available through his authorized HISA account and said his only mistake was not bringing this vulnerability to HISA's attention sooner. HISA said during the time period that Gramm allegedly accessed the horse health data, he claimed horses and also participated in handicapping contests and in pari-mutuel wagering on horses. Monday's developments follow the Aug. 18 announcement by The Jockey Club that it planned to take steps to remove Gramm as a member.