Dr. Dionne Benson, who has served as the executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium for the past seven years, has accepted a position as Chief Veterinary Officer for The Stronach Group, the privately held company whose Santa Anita Park has been beset with criticism because of a spate of equine fatalities this winter. As head of the RMTC, Benson coordinated with a diverse set of industry stakeholders to devise medication policies for the industry that are consistent with scientific findings and research. The RMTC, which is funded by industry groups, also accepted grant proposals and determined which of those studies to fund. The hiring of Benson fulfills a pledge by The Stronach Group in late March to hire a “director of equine welfare” in response to the deaths at Santa Anita, which have abated considerably since the initial spate. In a release, The Stronach Group said Benson’s responsibilities would include “directing safety and welfare” protocols at all tracks owned by the company, as well as directing “veterinary research initiatives.” Benson, a former equine practitioner, is well-respected in the racing industry and is one of its authorities on equine science and pharmacology. Her position at the RMTC, however, frequently required refereeing competing camps in medication debates, due to wide divisions within the industry among some constituencies on the use of therapeutic medication and the quality of the industry’s drug-testing programs. :: DERBY WATCH: Top 20 Kentucky Derby contenders with comments from Jay Privman and Mike Watchmaker The release from The Stronach Group noted that Benson had worked closely with the California Horse Racing Board on stricter medication rules that the company recently implemented at Santa Anita in response to the deaths. It also noted her work with international racing organizations that also devise medication and drug-testing protocols. “Dr. Benson has a proven track record of advocating for the health and safety of racehorses and she is at the forefront of guiding the implementation of racing standards that are grounded in medical science,” said Belinda Stronach, the president of The Stronach Group and the daughter of its founder. “In this extremely important time of reform and modernization in the Thoroughbred racing industry, Dr. Benson brings both unique expertise and an unparalleled reputation.” In addition to Santa Anita, The Stronach Group owns Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, Gulfstream Park in Florida, and Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in Maryland. Benson said on Wednesday morning that she will begin her new job after Kentucky Derby weekend. Alex Waldrop, the president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association who is the chairman of the RMTC, said that the organization’s executive committee plans to meet next week and will “move quickly” to find a replacement. He also said that Benson would remain on the organization’s scientific advisory committee. “Dionne will be hard to replace,” Waldrop said. “She’ll be the standard by which we measure all the candidates.”