PROPOSED RACING RULES: What Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen Should Know

An October 7 Daily Record article about proposed Maryland Racing Commission regulations has generated questions about increased penalties, medication enforcement and the state’s investment in Thoroughbred racing.

MTHA General Counsel Alan Foreman reviewed the proposals and emphasized that the regulatory package is separate from, and has nothing to do with Maryland’s Thoroughbred redevelopment project. The article discusses those developments together, but Foreman advises that there is no association between the project and the proposed rules.

The Maryland Racing Commission has begun a long-term project to review and update its regulations governing both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing and they cannot be read together. The regulations referred to in the Daily Record article are the first proposed changes. Understanding the proposals requires distinguishing between the Commission’s regulatory responsibilities pursuant to the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) applicable to Thoroughbred racing as opposed to Standardbred racing. The distinction is critical.

For Thoroughbred horses and participants covered by HISA, anti-doping and medication control, equine safety and integrity regulation operate under uniform national regulatory programs and rules administered by HISA and not the Maryland Racing Commission. HISA preempts state laws. The MRC’s proposed regulatory changes do not create a new Maryland medication enforcement system for Thoroughbred racing as the MRC has no jurisdiction to do so. HISA regulations.

Foreman describes much of the package—including provisions addressing stewards’ authority, hearings, appeals and reciprocity—as clarification and cleanup of the existing framework. For example, the current regulations already address reciprocity by State racing commissions, but now make specific reference to reciprocal enforcement of HISA and USTA enforcement actions.

Most importantly, the proposed increases in state medication penalties only apply to the Standardbred industry, which is not under HISA’s jurisdiction.

Increases to the thoroughbred stewards’ maximum disciplinary authority - fines would rise from $2,500 to $10,000, and suspensions from 90 days to two years - only apply to those matters within the stewards jurisdiction that are not covered by HISA but to all matters involving Standardbred racing.  Maryland Register.

For horsemen, the essential distinction is between State racing regulation of Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing and the national anti-doping and safety programs already governing Thoroughbred racing under HISA. Reporting on increased state penalties should not be read as announcing a new medication crackdown connected to Maryland’s redevelopment investment.

The regulations remain proposals, with public comments accepted through November 2, 2026. Maryland Register. The MTHA reviewed and commented on these proposed regulations in April in consultation with the MRC.

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