Editor’s Note: The story linked below is not specific to harness racing, but it’s one that everyone in our industry should read. Unless you follow the Ohio Thoroughbred circuit, you likely never have heard of trainer Jimmy Corrigan. He’s the latest conditioner to get caught up in the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit’s (HIWU) “guilty until proven innocent” web of enforcement that so far has practically ruined a number of honest horsemen via suspensions linked to the publication and prosecution of environmental contaminations that no reasonable person could conclude were the result of administered medications or which had any effect upon the horse’s performance. Sadly, the sensitivity of laboratory testing far exceeds the common sense of many of those responsible for interpreting the findings and meting out the punishments.

Corrigan’s is not an isolated incident. Don’t believe us? Google “John Pimental HIWU” or “Dennis VanMeter HIWU” and see what pops up. In the meantime, though, read about Jimmy Corrigan. If you want to know why the USTA has so doggedly opposed the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Act (HISA) for six years now, this should provide some context.

If HISA survives its myriad court challenges, then HIWU is coming to harness racing. We will keep you posted.

Columbus, OH – In Thursday’s (Jan. 4) Thoroughbred Daily News story, “Jimmy Corrigan Vows to Fight HIWU Suspension,” author Bill Finley describes the situation facing the Ohio Thoroughbred trainer, who is facing a two-year suspension for a methamphetamine positive that he claims is due to contamination.

In the story, Finley writes, “The native of Ireland had been training in the U.S. since 1992 and had never had a drug positive of any kind. He said he is careful who he hires and that he’s sure that no one in his barn had ever touched the drug.

“But, at least initially, these things don’t matter under the rules of the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU). Corrigan’s horse had tested positive and he would be held responsible. With the B sample having come back and also containing methamphetamine, his suspension has taken effect. He faces a suspension of up to two years.”

Finley quotes Corrigan in describing what HISA and the HIWU have brought to Thoroughbred racing.

“This has to stop now, not just for me, but for racing,” Corrigan said. “I’m not walking out on this. But things have to change. People are scared and what they have done is create a toxic environment for everyone. People come to me and say they are scared. Is that what they want, where everyone is paranoid? It used to be that when you lost races you worried. Now, when you win races you worry as well.

“They want me to control that. I can’t,” he said. “It’s environmental contamination. That’s what happened. I can’t be responsible for what other people are doing. So many different people touch the horses by the time they get to the starting gate. It’s ridiculous that this can be penned on anyone.”

To read the complete story on Thoroughbred Daily News, click here.