Jockey Club supports move to end race-day medication

Ogden Mills Phipps, the chairman of The Jockey Club, Monday applauded the

recent Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) initiative to

formulate a plan that would eliminate the use of medication in horses competing

in races.

"We have often voiced concern and we sincerely believe that the overuse of

medication endangers our human and equine athletes, threatens the integrity of

our sport and erodes consumer confidence in our game," Phipps said. "There is a

growing and correct perception that horses in this country are over-medicated.  

"The percentage of total starts with furosemide injections on race day in

this country has increased from just over 45 percent in 1991 to nearly 95

percent in 2010," he said. "And nearly 90 percent of all two-year-old starters

receive furosemide on race day.

"Horses should compete only when they are free from the influence of

medication."

Phipps noted that medication policies in the United States stand in

increasingly stark contrast with the rest of the world as international racing

authorities continue to phase medication out of their racing programs.

He also said that The Jockey Club is not advocating a so-called "zero

tolerance" policy where results may be influenced by the precision of the

laboratory equipment used to test the samples.

"The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Safety Committee encourage the member

organizations of the RCI to work with the National Thoroughbred Racing

Association, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, the American

Association of Equine Practitioners and other industry stakeholders to

immediately develop a strategic plan and set a timeline for the development of

rules and penalties to transition the U.S. to medication-free racing. The Jockey

Club stands ready to assist in those activities.

"The ban on anabolic steroids proved that when this industry works

collaboratively, game-changing progress can be made in a short period of time,"

Phipps said. "We need more of that spirit of cooperation and a greater sense of

urgency."