California Horse Racing Board informs governor about proposed changes

The California Horse Racing Board sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, outlining 16 proposed statutory or regulatory changes to improve “animal welfare in racing,” including the elimination of racing or training on sealed racetracks, requiring enhanced medical reports for horses entered to race, and publishing statements on positive tests for prohibited substances a day after confirmation from an independent lab.

The three-page letter expands on proposals introduced at the racing’s board November meeting. Newsom requested a position paper from the racing board on proposed changes after a series of equine fatalities in racing and training at Santa Anita earlier this year made international news.

Any changes are months from being implemented.

The racing board would need legislative approval for the immediate announcement of positive tests for banned medications; earmarking revenues from license fees or financial penalties issued by stewards to be dedicated to safety measures, such as hiring more veterinarians or safety stewards; and allowing a horse’s medical records to be reviewed by owners, trainers, veterinarians, and jockeys.

Currently, information regarding a positive test is not published until racing board investigators have filed a formal complaint.

The legislature does not reconvene until January.

Issues such as replacing dirt surfaces with synthetic tracks, prohibiting shockwave therapy, prohibiting jockeys from using the whip except for safety purposes, and publishing more detailed information on racetrack fatalities can be done by the regulatory agency and are under discussion, according to the letter, which was written by executive director Rick Baedeker.

The issue of whip use is scheduled to be discussed at a racing board meeting at Los Alamitos on Thursday.

The letter concludes with a brief review of rule changes implemented this year, including suspending thresholds of anti-inflammatory medications that are not allowed to appear in post-race tests, greater out-of-competition testing, tougher scrutiny of older horses that have not raced or are returning from layoffs of at least 120 days, and providing private veterinarians with full medication records of horses claimed or purchased by a clients.