Horse Owner Marshall Gramm Accepts Suspension in HISA Data Case

Marshall Gramm, the racehorse owner and handicapper the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority charged with fraud and unauthorized access to confidential horse health records on August 17, 2026, has accepted a provisional suspension while the cases against him move forward. The agreement took effect August 23, 2026, one day before the authority’s deadline for his formal response to the charges.

Under the suspension, reported in full by Thoroughbred Daily News, Gramm cannot directly or indirectly own, hold any beneficial interest in, exercise control over, or have any financial interest in a covered horse. Horses he owns outright must be transferred to another owner before they can race or record an official timed workout, and he must surrender his shares in partnership horses before those horses can run. He also cannot claim horses or be present at any racetrack. All transfers require steward approval and registration with HISA.

Gramm, the managing partner of the Ten Strike Racing stable and an economics professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, can withdraw from the voluntary agreement at any time. Any time served under it counts toward whatever suspension the authority may ultimately impose, and the agreement explicitly preserves the possibility that he is found not guilty of any rule violation.

In a statement provided to Gambling Insider on August 24, 2026, Gramm said he continues to “work in good faith” with the authority.

“Prior to the agreement, I returned contest earnings. I am also working to return the purse money and horses at issue and am awaiting instructions to ensure those steps are completed properly.”

What the Suspension Actually Covers

The provisional suspension is interim relief, not a finding. The fraud charge and the impermissible-access charge remain pending, and both still carry scheduled hearings, on September 14 and September 16, 2026, respectively, according to Gambling Insider’s review of HISA’s case portal, which lists the status of both charges as “accepted sanction.” If Gramm and the authority reach a final settlement before those dates, HISA would consider the matter closed; otherwise, hearing panels would weigh sanctions for approval by the authority’s nine-member board.

The charges themselves stem from a six-week window beginning in early May 2026 and ending in mid-June, during which HISA’s investigation concluded Gramm deliberately and methodically pulled confidential health information on horses he did not own from the authority’s portal. According to the August 17, 2026 charge announcement, he developed an automated method of obtaining the data at scale in a way designed to mimic authorized activity and avoid detection, then used it to build customized past performance charts. During the same window he played in handicapping contests, bet through the pari-mutuel pools, and claimed horses at multiple tracks. The authority said it will seek restitution of all proceeds from those activities for the affected owners, trainers, and fellow contest players, and that it is sharing its investigative file with federal and local law enforcement and state racing commissions.

The case became public after past performance reports for the horses Deterministic and Griffin’s Wharf, carrying veterinary data that should only be visible to a horse’s connections and regulatory veterinarians, circulated on social media in June 2026. HISA’s preliminary review found no breach by any outsider without prior portal authorization, and a third-party forensic analysis by cybersecurity firm Arete pointed unanimously at Gramm as the sole source of the unauthorized access. When confronted, HISA said, Gramm admitted he produced the charts. In a lengthy post on X after the charges landed, Gramm said he accessed the data through his own authorized owner account, never concealed his identity, and intends to vigorously defend himself.

Racing’s Institutions Have Already Moved

The fallout has not waited for the hearings. On August 24, 2026, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced that Gramm has withdrawn from the 2027 National Horseplayers Championship and that, after consultation with the NHC Players Committee, all of his NHC contest participation and NHC Tour membership is suspended pending the HISA proceedings. The 2027 NHC runs March 5–7, 2027 at the Horseshoe in Las Vegas, with a $1,000,000 grand prize and an estimated $5.5 million in total prizes and awards.

“For more than a quarter century, the National Horseplayers Championship has realized unprecedented growth thanks primarily to sustained participation by horseplayers,” NTRA president and CEO Tom Rooney said in the announcement.

The Jockey Club, the invitation-only organization that keeps the American stud book, said on August 18, 2026 that its stewards condemn Gramm’s actions and will meet to take steps to remove him from membership, according to TDN, adding that his membership provided no special or additional access to its systems and that its data was not breached. Gramm joined the organization two years ago.

Ten Strike Racing has not started a horse since the charges were announced, and the stable’s website is no longer active. Whether the September hearings proceed or a negotiated resolution lands first, the restitution question, covering purse money, claiming transactions, and contest earnings from that six-week window, is where the case touches everyone else who was in the pools with him.