Commission instructs Laurel officials not to write Lasix-free races

The Maryland Racing Commission on Thursday informed officials with Laurel Park that the track cannot write races for 2-year-olds that would prohibit the raceday administration of furosemide without a change to existing regulations, according to officials who participated in the meeting, which was conducted via teleconference.

The commission’s statement, which was based on a report from the state attorney general’s office, according to the commission’s executive director, is a blow to Laurel’s effort to run races furosemide-free, as similar efforts proceed in other states. The Stronach Group, Laurel’s parent company, told the commission in a letter sent last week that it intended to offer the races in late June, adding that it was informing the commission “should it believe any further action is required.”

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The raceday administration of furosemide, a diuretic that is used to mitigate bleeding in the lungs, is a fraught issue among racing constituencies. A number of powerful racing organizations are concurrently pressing efforts to limit the use of the drug within 24 hours of a race, contending that the use of furosemide, commonly known as Lasix, harms public opinion of the sport and is overused. Many horsemen’s and veterinary groups believe the drug is effective when used to mitigate bleeding.

According to officials who attended the meeting, Alan Rifkin, who is Laurel’s general counsel, told the commission that the track would not write any races for 2-year-olds if the track was not allowed to ban the administration of furosemide within 24 hours of a race, leading to objections from horsemen’s representatives who participated.

In a statement in response to a request for comment, TSG said that Laurel “does not intend to card 2-year-old races under the condition of Lasix.”

A number of tracks in other racing jurisdictions have begun writing Lasix-free 2-year-old races, including tracks owned by The Stronach Group in California and Florida. Churchill Downs in Kentucky has offered Lasix-free 2-year-old races this year, and Keeneland intends to do the same when it runs an abbreviated five-day meet in July.

◗ Also at the meeting, the commission approved a new “policy” in which riders will be limited to six strikes of a horse from the quarter pole to the finish line, with no more than two strikes in succession without giving the horse an opportunity to respond. Jockeys will be free to use the whip an unlimited number of times prior to the quarter pole, provided they only use the whip underhanded.

Michael Hopkins, the executive director of the commission, said on Friday that the policy is not a rule and will replace a policy approved in January that limited riders to 10 underhanded strikes throughout the race, with no more than three in succession without giving the horse an opportunity to respond.