Racing commissioners approve 24 therapeutic medications

Racing commissioners approve 24 therapeutic medications

Racing Commissioners International (RCI) on Tuesday gave final approval to

the "RCI Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule," setting the stage for

uniform implementation of racing medication rules in the United States and

beyond.

The RCI schedule is intended to be a guide for testing laboratories in

determining the level at which the presence of a substance would violate the

rules and become a violation. It also creates restrictions on administering

medications within times certain prior to a race, creating a clear line that

horsemen and veterinarians should not cross.

"For years we have talked about uniformity but today is the first day that we

can say there is agreement as to what constitutes a violation," said RCI

Chairman Duncan Patterson, who is also the chairman of the Delaware Thoroughbred

Racing Commission.

Twenty-four (24) substances deemed appropriate for normal equine care are

included on the RCI schedule. Additional substances may be considered for

inclusion in the schedule upon recommendation from the American Association of

Equine Practitioners or the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.

According to RCI, approximately 75 percent of all medication rule violations

each year are for overages associated with substances contained on the RCI

Schedule.

RCI President Ed Martin said regulators are being encouraged to achieve

uniformity by adding the RCI schedule to their rules "by reference," a common

way to incorporate a nationally recognized standard into public policy.

"If everyone works from the same schedule, we will have uniformity," Martin

said, noting that a movement coordinated by the Thoroughbred Horsemen's

Association is already underway in several Mid-Atlantic states to implement the

RCI schedule.

Substances not contained on the schedule will be considered "prohibited,"

meaning they should not be present in a post-race sample at any level or at

levels exceeding defined limits found elsewhere in the rules.

Patterson indicated that a proposal to address overages that may be caused by

environmental contaminants submitted by the National Horseman's Protective and

Benevolent Association (NHBPA) will be discussed at the RCI meetings commending

in New Orleans on April 23. Also to be discussed will be modifications to the

recommended penalty guidelines.

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