HISA seeks public comment on anti-doping rule changes

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority seeks public comment on proposed modifications to Rule Series 1000, 3000 and 4000 of its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.

HISA submitted the proposed modifications to the Federal Trade Commission on Nov. 15, 2023. It supplemented that submission on May 14, 2024.

While those proposals remained pending with the FTC, HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Committee drew on several additional months of program operations and industry feedback. The committee conducted a comprehensive review of the program's implementation and performance. That review identified further opportunities for improvement.

In light of these additional changes, HISA asked the FTC to withhold action on the Nov. 15, 2023, submission and the subsequent May 14, 2024, supplement until new proposal modifications are filed. The new proposals will replace and supersede the earlier submissions.

The proposed updates to Rule Series 1000, 3000 and 4000 of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program are now available for comment on the HISA website.

Changes that may benefit horsemen include the introduction of transfer testing. That is a new offering that allows 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.

Other updates create a Class D controlled medication category for certain anti-ulcer medications. That reduces first-time penalties from a fine to a reprimand with no disqualification.

Additional changes include reduced sanctions for controlled medication violations resulting from veterinarians' list samples. Covered persons also will have the ability to request DNA testing for samples reported as adverse analytical findings, meaning positive tests.

The updates offer 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.

They also include 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. Send comments to HISA Assistant General Counsel Sam Reinhardt no later than Jan. 5, 2026, with the subject line “ADMC Proposed Modifications”.

After this deadline, the Anti-Doping and Medication Control 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 the board approves them, the proposed modifications would then be submitted to the FTC.