Marketing, medication highlight Jockey Club Round Table meeting

Marketing, medication highlight Jockey Club Round Table

meeting

Programs centered on the uniformity of rules, drug testing and drug testing

research as well as intensive investigative and educational initiatives have

enabled the Olympic movement to better protect the rights of athletes and

preserve the integrity of competition, which could be an example for Thoroughbred

racing to follow, according to Travis T. Tygart, the chief of executive officer

of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

Tygart made those remarks to approximately 350 attendees and a webcast

audience as the keynote speaker at The Jockey Club's 60th Annual Round Table

Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing on Sunday morning at the Gideon

Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, New York.

"In 1999, we put a stake in the ground and said clean athletes are going to

have a chance to win," Tygart said. "A win-at-all-costs culture has taken over

the system, and if you stay stagnant, the cheaters will get ahead. Testing

provides the necessary deterrent. Our experience since 1999 can be an example

for you (horse racing) in order to bring the magic back to the sport."

Medication and performance-enhancing drugs were major themes of the

conference. Tygart's presentation followed one focused on Clean and Safe

Horseracing: A Report of the Thoroughbred Safety Committee, which was delivered

jointly by Stuart S. Janney III, the vice chairman of The Jockey Club and

chairman of the Thoroughbred Safety Committee, and Matt Iuliano, the executive

vice president and executive director of The Jockey Club.

Janney reiterated the importance of adopting the Reformed Racing Medication

Rules, a set of proposed rules developed by The Jockey Club that feature a new

categorization of medications, more clearly defined regulatory limits and

dramatically remodeled penalties. The organization is encouraging all

Thoroughbred racing jurisdictions to implement them in order to improve the

integrity of the sport and enhance the safety of its athletes.

"We have to agree on a goal of ensuring that our sport is as safe as possible

and that our athletes are properly cared for," Janney said. "We must also

reassure public observers and our fans that we compare favorably to other sports

and the international racing community."

Janney also announced that a third edition of the

Reformed Racing Medication Rules has been published and that the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and the American Quarter Horse

Association have both endorsed the document.

"The support from these two important organizations exemplifies the growing

momentum for medication reform in this country, and we will be encouraging

others to follow their example," Janney said.

The updated version of the Reformed Racing Medication Rules features two

changes:

The addition of Exhibit 3 also recognized that furosemide is currently an

authorized race-day medication.

The Jockey Club has long advocated that horses race only when free from the

influence of medication.

Janney also announced the Thoroughbred Safety Committee's 14th and 15th

recommendations.

In an effort to improve safety and injury mitigation planning, the committee

has called for all racing regulatory authorities and the Association of Racing

Commissioners International develop and implement a rule calling for a stewards'

investigation and report of the circumstances associated with racing fatalities.

In an effort to further ensure the safety of horse and rider, the committee

has also called for all racing regulatory authorities and Association of Racing

Commissioners International to develop and implement a rule to allow a claim to

be voided on horses that officially finish the race yet fail to return to the

designated unsaddling area.

A copy of the entire text of the new recommendations, along with the first 13

recommendations issued by the Thoroughbred Safety Committee, is available at

jockeyclub.com/tsc.asp.

Jason G. Wilson, vice president of business development for The Jockey Club,

and Michael Lamb of the media and entertainment division of McKinsey & Company

provided an update on the initiatives undertaken by The Jockey Club following

the comprehensive economic study of the Thoroughbred industry by McKinsey one

year ago.

Gagliano pointed out that the marketing programs will be successful only if

Thoroughbred racing industry reforms its medication rules.

"We can provide the best service possible to our respective customers," he

said. "We can reach out to new fans. We can attract new owners. We can procure

sponsorship and television programming. But I assure you those marketing efforts

will be seriously and dangerously compromised if we do not reform our medication

policies and improve our drug-testing standards and our penalty system."

The Reformed Racing Medication Rules integrate rules drawn from numerous

sources, including individual racing jurisdictions, the Association of Racing

Commissioners International, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC)

and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.

"The adoption of the reformed rules would be a win/win situation for this

industry," said Ogden Mills Phipps, chairman of The Jockey Club. "It would

undoubtedly benefit the honest and rule-abiding horsemen. And, just as

importantly, it would benefit our valued customer, the racing fan, who is

wagering hard-earned money on what he believes to be a fair and clean

competition."

A replay of the Round Table Conference webcast is available at

jockeyclub.com.

An official transcript of the proceedings will be available on the website by

Tuesday.

The Jockey Club Round Table Conference was first held on July 1, 1953, in The

Jockey Club office in New York City. The following year, it was moved to

Saratoga Springs, New York, where it has been held every August since.

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