Update on Graded and Listed Stakes Race Compliance with TOBA Drug Testing Requirements under the HISA ADMC Program

As per the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the independent enforcement agency of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication (ADMC) Program, maintains the authority to direct all testing in HISA-governed jurisdictions upon implementation of the ADMC Program, which began March 27, 2023.

For graded and listed stakes races in the United States to preserve their respective statuses each year, one of the requirements is that testing in relation to these races satisfies the American Graded Stakes Committee Drug Testing Protocol for TCO2 and Post-Race Testing.

In recognition of the authority granted to HIWU by the Act, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, which founded and manages the American Graded Stakes Committee, will accept the testing protocols and criteria administered by HIWU for graded and listed stakes races conducted in HISA-governed jurisdictions. HIWU will assign TCO2 and Post-Race testing for these races at quantities and rates specific to each race.

Thus, a racetrack is not at risk of losing graded or listed status for its races if the HIWU testing protocols for these races differ from the American Graded Stakes Committee’s requirements.

Racetracks operating in states that are not under the jurisdiction of HISA will remain subject to the American Graded Stakes Committee Drug Testing Protocols in regard to maintaining graded and listed statuses of their races.

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) was established in 2022 by Drug Free Sport International to administer the rules and enforcement mechanisms of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The ADMC Program establishes a centralized testing and results management process that applies uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across all American Thoroughbred racing jurisdictions that HISA governs. HIWU oversees testing, educating stakeholders on the program, laboratory accreditation, investigation of potential violations, and prosecution of any such violations. For more information, please visit hiwu.org.

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), based in Lexington, Ky., was formed in 1961 and is a national trade organization of leading Thoroughbred owners and breeders. TOBA’s mission is to improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders. Projects managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, Claiming Crown, Educational Seminars, OwnerView, Owners Concierge, US-Bred and the Sales Integrity Program. TOBA provides international representation for U.S. owners and breeders on the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee, International Cataloguing Standards Committee and International Thoroughbred Breeders’ Federation. Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) is the charitable arm of TOBA. TOBA Media Properties, a subsidiary of TOBA, is the co-owner of BloodHorse LLC.

Contact: Alexa Ravit, Director of Communications & Outreach
 (816) 516-9572
 aravit@hiwu.org