Progress being made on uniform medication reforms

A nationwide movement to adopt uniform national reforms addressing changes to

medication regulation, enforcement and laboratory testing continues to gain

support and momentum.

As of November 1, nine states, including the entire mid-Atlantic region, have

approved the new medication reforms that are a central component of the reform

effort. The states are Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. The rules are currently under

consideration in Arkansas, California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky,

Minnesota, Ohio, New Mexico and Wyoming.

Three laboratories that conduct equine drug testing for six racing

jurisdictions have received accreditation from the Racing Medication and Testing

Consortium (RMTC) and laboratories conducting testing for 19 other racing states

have applied for RMTC accreditation. Laboratories receiving full RMTC

accreditation are The University of California-Davis (which tests samples for

racehorses in California and New Mexico) and HSL Sports Science (which conducts

testing for Kentucky, Maine and Virginia). The Ohio Department of Agriculture

has been granted interim accreditation by the RMTC, with only a site inspection

remaining before it receives a full accreditation designation.

Industrial Laboratories (which conducts testing for Arizona, Colorado,

Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wyoming), Truesdail Laboratories

(Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon and

Washington), Dalare Associates (Delaware and West Virginia), New York Drug

Testing and Research Program (New York) and Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and

Research Laboratory (Pennsylvania) have applied for RMTC accreditation.

Significant progress is also being made in the area of third-party

administration of Furosemide (otherwise known as Lasix or Salix). The Furosemide

restrictions require that Furosemide be the only medication authorized for

administration on race day and limit Furosemide administration to no less than

four hours prior to post time for the race in which the horse is entered. The

Furosemide restrictions also require that the administration of Furosemide be

performed only by third-party veterinarians or veterinary technicians who are

prohibited from working as private veterinarians or technicians on the racetrack

or with participating licensees. The program is under way or in the process of

being established in no fewer than 14 states, including Colorado, Delaware,

Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North

Dakota, Pennsylvania (at Penn National), Texas (at Lone Star Park and Sam

Houston Race Park), Virginia and West Virginia.

A total of seven states have committed to implementation of the Multiple

Medication Violation (MMV) Penalty System and regulators in many other states

have indicated a desire to adopt the MMV Penalty System once the uniform

medication rules are passed in their respective jurisdictions.

"We urge all racing states to adopt these rules in their entirety," said NTRA

President and CEO Alex Waldrop, who also serves as Chairman of the RMTC. "They

are comprehensive and far reaching, and they establish a process for future

modification to reflect the latest scientific research and development. These

rules are in the best interests of the health and safety of our human and equine

athletes, enhance the integrity of our sport, ensure a level playing field for

our competitors, assist horsemen who race in multiple jurisdictions and

accomplish the uniform regulation of racing in the United States."

The reforms were developed by the RMTC, the industry's scientific advisory

organization consisting of 25 major racing industry stakeholder organizations,

and the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI), the industry's

association of state regulatory bodies responsible for the integrity of racing.

RMTC recommended the Reforms to RCI and RCI voted to incorporate the Reforms

into their official Model Rules earlier this year. Individual regulatory bodies

must now move to adopt the Reforms.

In late September, the NTRA sent a letter to pari-mutuel regulators urging

them to adopt uniform national reforms addressing much-needed changes to

medication regulation, enforcement and laboratory testing. The letter was

co-signed by more than 50 racetracks and industry organizations. Several more

racetracks have signed on as co-signatories to the letter. The new

co-signatories are Churchill Downs, Arlington Park, Fair Grounds, Calder, Tampa

Bay Downs, and Kentucky Downs.

The reforms are accessible online at

ntra.com/feeds/testingrules.html.

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