Chuchill Downs sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking for an “independent review of HISA governance, information security, disclosure practices, and related integrity concerns” on Friday. The letter is signed by Churchill CEO Bill Carstanjen.The news was first reported by Horse Racing Nation.Addressed to Andrew Ferguson, Chairman, and Mark Meador, Commissioner, of the FTC, the letter begins, “Churchill Downs Incorporated submits this letter to express serious concern regarding a series of recent events that have raised significant questions about the governance, transparency, technology controls, and accountability of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (“HISA”).”The letter continues, “We write to respectfully request that the Commission require, or itself initiate, a formal independent review of HISA's recent handling of multiple matters implicating racing integrity, wagering integrity, non-public information, and the safeguarding of sensitive industry data. Recent events have highlighted troubling gaps and warning signs in HISA's governance.”The `matters' listed in the letter include the “Fair Hill Five” incident, where four out of five horses coming out of the Fair Hill Training Center with unremarkable workouts and form, and similar connections won races at Saratoga and Monmouth Park on the same day in August. It was reported that bookmakers in the U.K. suffered six-figure losses on bets made on the races.“Second, after public attention turned to the Fair Hill Five matter, HISA disclosed that a trainer connected to the situation had previously received a positive test for a banned substance, based on a sample collected more than a month earlier,” the letter reads. “That information was not publicly disclosed until after the betting incident had become a matter of widespread concern.”The letter says that one of HISA's pledges was more uniformity and timely information, and questions whether “delayed disclosure” of testing violations was fulfilling that promise.“This situation raises a number of legitimate questions, including whether delays in HISA's testing or repmting procedures allow violators to continue racing for extended periods after failed doping tests; whether racetracks and the betting public are being properly informed of doping violations that undermine the integrity of the sport; and whether HISA's disclosure practices are meeting the expectations that justified the creation of a national authority,” Carstanjen writes.The letter also questions the security concerns raised by Marshall Gramm's apparent ability to obtain information on other horses' medication records on the HISA portal.“HISA has stated that certain information should have been accessible only to the relevant horses' connections and regulatory veterinarians, and that Mr. Gramm allegedly accessed and used such information over a period of weeks,” the letter says, continuing, “If an individual knowingly accessed and used confidential information for an improper purpose, that conduct should be investigated and addressed through appropriate procedures.”The call for an `appropriate' investigation mirrors the comments made by Mike Repole on the August 26 TDN Writers' Room when he said he had offered to fund an investigation from a leading firm in the field.“One of the things Lisa Lazarus said at HISA is that Marshall has to repay the cost of the investigation,” said Repole. “I guessed it was a couple of million dollars. It was $80,000. How deep did you really go for $80,000? I spent $80 000 to have someone find two emails from me. Never mind an investigation. So $80,000, that's not going to tell us if we really think Marshall was the only one that had access.” Repole said that he had not had a reply from HISA regarding the offer.The Churchill letter asks similar questions, such as:How did HISA's own systems permit an authorized user to access confidential veterina1y or horse-health information for horses with which he allegedly had no legitimate connection?Were similar access-control vulnerabilities present elsewhere in HISA's systems?Did any other users access comparable information?How long did the vulnerability exist?What audit tools were in place to detect improper access?Why was the issue not detected earlier?What infonnation was shared, used, or incorporated into wagering, claiming, handicapping, or other racing-related activity?What corrective actions have been taken, and who has independently verified that they are sufficient?“The industry is entitled to understand whether this was an isolated event, a broader systems failure, or a symptom of more significant weaknesses in HISA's technology and oversight processes,” the letter says, requesting answers to 11 questions, including those raised above about the Fair Hill Five, a timeline on Gramm's portal access, the weaknesses that allowed the breach to happen, whether other users could have been involved, how someone was able to access the personal information of others, whether their detection methods are significant to detect improper actions, whether they were honest and forthcoming in their public statements about the breach, whether there are conflicts due to their relationships with their service providers, and whether they exercise appropriate control for a regulatory authority.“Churchill Downs Incorporated respectfully urges the Commission to exercise its oversight authority and require an independent review of these matters. We stand ready to cooperate with the Commission and to support a credible review process that provides the industry, the wagering public, and all racing stakeholders with the answers they deserve,” the letter concludes.A request for comment by HISA has been made by the TDN, and this story will be updated with that comment.The post Churchill Asks FTC for Independent Review of HISA appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.