CHRB votes to toughen medication rules at all California tracks

ARCADIA, Calif. – The California Horse Racing Board voted on Thursday for tougher medication rules at all state racetracks for the next 12 months during a meeting in which several animal rights activists called for the racing board to immediately halt racing at Santa Anita following a series of equine fatalities since late December.

The racing board approved rules that will suspend the use of 11 medications for horses entered to race – phenylbutazone, flunixin, ketoprofen, betamethasone, dexamethasone, diclofenac, firocoxib, methylprednisolone, prednisolone, triamcinolone, and isoflupredone.

Phenylbutazone is a common anti-inflammatory known as bute.

The measure was put in place at the end of March for the current race meetings at Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita, following a series of equine fatalities in races and training at Santa Anita that led to the cancellation of 13 racing days in March, an inspection and renovation of the main track, and greater oversight into which horses are allowed to train or race.

Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita are owned by The Stronach Group.

The medication restrictions will go into effect for the night meeting of Quarter Horses and lower-level Thoroughbreds at Los Alamitos on May 3, and at other tracks such as Del Mar, the Los Alamitos daytime Thoroughbred meetings, and the fair circuit when those meetings begin in coming months. The rules will take effect for the autumn Standardbred meeting in Sacramento.

In a separate vote, the racing board approved the continuation of the current race meeting at Santa Anita through June 23. The board canceled a meeting on April 12 that would have considered whether to move Santa Anita’s racing dates to another venue. Since Santa Anita reopened for racing on March 29, there has been one fatality in races or during training.

The subject of moving racing dates away from Santa Anita was not extensively discussed at Thursday’s meeting.

“I see no reason to move the race dates,” chairman Chuck Winner said.

The second half of the three-hour meeting was devoted largely to issues pertaining to medication or horse care.

The racing board approved measures to require veterinarians to submit reports electronically; for trainers to maintain records of all treatments given to horses, which would be subject to inspection by racing board investigators; to restrict the threshold levels of medications given to horses before timed workouts; and require trainers to participate in a mandatory review with official veterinarians if a horse in their care suffers a fatal injury.

The rules are subject to a 45-day public comment period before being heard again by the board and reviewed by the state’s office of administrative law. The rules are months from being fully implemented.

The racing board did not take action on restricting the use of bisphosphonates on Thursday, but said the matter would be discussed at the May meeting. A representative of Santa Anita said the track may enact a house rule restricting the use of bisphosphonates.

Rick Arthur, California’s equine medical director, said there were no violations of the new medication policies at Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita from March 29 to April 7, the first two weeks the rules were in place.

“I would like to point out that we test more drugs at lower levels than any other sport,” Arthur said. “I doubt most people in this room could pass the drug test.”

The comment drew laughter, but the first 90 minutes of the meeting were far more contentious. The racing board heard comments from several animal activists, who said they would support a California ballot initiative to end racing. Racing board commissioners challenged facts presented by some of the speakers, sometimes through heated exchanges.