California takes first step toward altering Lasix rules

DEL MAR, Calif. - The California Horse Racing Board moved closer to implementing rules for the third-party administration of Lasix when its medication committee approved proposed rules at a meeting on Friday.

The committee, which consists of Thoroughbred owner and breeder Madeline Auerbach and Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis, voted in support of a rule that will require representatives of horsemen’s organizations and racing associations to reach an agreement on the assignment of third-party veterinarians or third-party veterinary technicians to administer the medication.

The committee heard 80 minutes of testimony from racing officials and veterinarians before approving the changes.

In August, the racing board considered proposed rules for the third-party administration of Lasix, but tabled the measure to allow further discussion. A previous draft of the proposed rules stated that a track’s official veterinarian would be responsible for staffing the position of third-party veterinarians.

Currently, private veterinarians hired by trainers administer the medication. Under the proposal, potential third-party veterinarians or technicians must not have a working relationship with any trainers whose horses they treat, and cannot have had a relationship with that trainer in the 30 days preceding their work in a third-party capacity.

The administration of Lasix via a third-party has been enacted in other states in recent years, notably Kentucky and New York.

The implementation of the rule in California is months away. The full racing board is scheduled to hear the committee’s proposal at its next meeting, at Los Alamitos on Sept. 16. If approved, the new rules must go through a lengthy process that involves a 45-day public comment period, another review by the racing board, and finally a review by the state’s office of administrative law before it can be enacted.

Racing board officials said the new rule may not be implemented until the first few months of 2016, at the earliest.

The proposed rules have the support of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and California Thoroughbred Trainers association. In addition, the CTT has called for greater security on backstretches through a collaborative effort between horsemen’s organizations and racetracks to provide portable cameras that can monitor the stalls of runners on race days.