Already delayed one month by a court order, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control program will not launch until May 22, according to information provided on Tuesday to the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission by Tom Chuckas, the regulatory agency’s Thoroughbred bureau director.
Chuckas told commissioners during a regularly scheduled meeting that the program is being delayed from May 1 in part because of the Triple Crown, which gets under way on May 6 with the Kentucky Derby and continues with the Preakness Stakes on May 20. The third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, is run on June 10.
Chuckas said he was notified of the delay by an individual associated with the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, a newly formed division of Drug Free Sport International contracted by HISA to administer its regulations and enforcement rules. The comment was made as part of Chuckas’ update to the Pennsylvania commission on HISA and HIWU activities.
