Horseracing brings in major company to crack down on doping. Here's what we know

More than 16 months after Congress approved a framework to reform thoroughbred racing, the structure is finally taking shape.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), unable to come to terms with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), has agreed to a five-year contract with Drug Free Sport International (DFS) to bring uniform testing and standardized disciplinary processes to a business beset by inconsistency and high-profile integrity issues.

"I think there’s many good people who love this industry and love the horses and want it to be the best version of itself," said Lisa Lazarus, the new chief executive officer of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. "This is one really important piece of the puzzle to get right...

"I think there’s a widespread understanding that if you don’t have integrity in your sport, you don’t have a healthy sport."

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In the wake of a federal probe that resulted in 29 indictments for racehorse doping, and with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert serving a 90-day suspension for a series of positive drug tests culminating in Medina Spirit’s disqualification from the 2021 Kentucky Derby, racing has rarely been more open to reform or more urgently in need of reputational repair.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, signed into law in December 2020, was designed to streamline a sport which operates in 38 states but without a central authority. Lawmakers had presumed USADA  "or an entity equal in qualification" would provide racing the expertise, resources and credibility to confront its challenges and hold its bad actors accountable.

But though the legislation was specifically drafted with USADA in mind, negotiations broke down in December. Reform-minded racing interests continued to seek common ground between HISA and USADA and Lazarus confirmed conversations between the two organizations were still active as recently as last month.

“When discussions between the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency ended, the entity best equipped to conduct an anti-doping testing regiment was discarded," said Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action. "The DFS will have to go a long way to demonstrate rigor, testing ability, and independence to do the work and to convince the American public that our national anti-doping law is being enforced."

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Ultimately, though, cost concerns led HISA’s board to consider alternatives and to conclude, as Lazarus put it, Drug Free Sport International (DFS) "checks the most boxes."

"I was really impressed with those guys," said Dr. Mary Scollay, executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, after meeting with DFS representatives at Turfway Park. "They were interested. They were focused. They asked a lot of good questions."

In a prepared statement issued Tuesday, Keeneland said, "We believe today’s announcement is a leap forward for HISA and the equine industry.”

Based in Kansas City, Missouri, DFS claims more than 300 clients, including the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the NCAA.

"We have our work cut out for us," said Chris Guinty, the company’s chief executive officer. "But we are starting from a strong position thanks to the efforts of so many to date."

DFS will establish a Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, to be headed by a five-member advisory board, to act as thoroughbred racing’s anti-doping and medication control enforcement agency.

That board will be chaired by Jonathan Taylor, a London-based attorney formerly of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s compliance review committee. Dr. Larry Bramlage, of Lexington’s Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, is another committee member.

Their efforts will be aided by the 5 Stones intelligence firm, whose investigations on behalf of the Jockey Club exposed a widespread doping program drug tests had failed to detect and led to the indictments of trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro and 27 others.

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A draft of proposed rules has already been developed based largely on input from USADA. An updated version is expected to be presented later this month for industry and public comment prior to being presented to the HISA Board of Directors and, in turn, the Federal Trade Commission. HISA hopes to be able to implement the doping part of its program in early 2023.

"I can’t tell you exactly what it’s going to cost," Lazarus said. "Part of the process is going to be having an advisory council make recommendations: Right amount of testing, right amount of investigations, what really is necessary to deliver an effective program. Some of those variables are to be determined."

For 2022, racing states will be assessed fees based on a formula involving total purses and starts. Kentucky’s first-year obligation is $1,284,408, which amounts to $87.49 per start and represents 8.9% of a national budget of $14,331,949. Kentucky’s share ranks fourth among individual states, behind New York, California and Florida.

"The board is very cognizant to the sensitivity around cost," Lazarus said. "It has to be a cost that you can bear. The North Star is what’s affordable and what’s best in class... We don’t want to spend money foolishly. We want to make sure we’re thoughtful and we’re strategic about where we put resources."

Tim Sullivan: 502-582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @TimSullivan714