Racehorse Anti-Doping Law Tossed in Win for Owners and Trainers

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, a federal anti-doping law enacted in 2020, was struck down Friday by the Fifth Circuit as an unconstitutional delegation of regulatory power to a private entity.

The ruling is a victory for thoroughbred racehorse owners and trainers who were the targets of the law’s regulatory scheme.

The law unconstitutionally gives “a private entity the last word over what rules govern our nation’s thoroughbred horseracing industry,” the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said in an opinion written by Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan.

“The Constitution vests federal power only in the three branches ...