Horsemen voice opposition to proposed Kentucky Lasix rules

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Opponents and supporters of medication changes in Kentucky, including a potential ban on the raceday use of furosemide in 2-year-old races later this year, voiced familiar arguments during a videoconference hearing held by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Wednesday morning.

The hearing, held via videoconference due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, was required to be held prior to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission sending a number of regulations it approved in December on to the Legislative Research Commission, which must review the comments prior to drafting the final language of new rules.

The new rules include lengthening the withdrawal time for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from 24 hours to 48 hours and a ban on the intra-articular injection of corticosteroids within 14 days. The raceday furosemide ban would also be extended to all stakes races held in Kentucky in 2021.

The Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and several prominent veterinarians have voiced opposition to several of those rules, and representatives of the association appeared on the video conference to submit their formal criticisms.

Rick Hiles, the association’s longtime president and a trainer based on the Kentucky circuit, said it was “ludicrous” for the state to consider the limited raceday ban on furosemide, contending that it would have negative impacts on horse health. Marty Maline, the association’s executive director, also voiced his opposition, saying the new rule “will place Kentucky at an isolated disadvantage that is not supported by the majority of Kentucky horsemen.”

Andy Roberts and Clara Fenger, two racetrack practitioners in Kentucky, submitted comments opposed to the limited raceday Lasix ban and also said that the 14-day stand-down for intra-articular injections of corticosteroids had no scientific basis. Both have been highly critical of regulations designed to tighten medication usage in the state in the past.

Dr. Mary Scollay, the executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, an industry funded group, voiced support for the new regulations on corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, but did not offer a position on the furosemide rule due to the controversy surrounding the change among the RMTC’s constituents and board members. Chauncey Morris, the executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, indicated in his comments that his organization supported all the rules under consideration.

The KHRC passed the new rules at a time when the racing industry nationwide was struggling to address concerns about the health of its athletes triggered by a spate of racing and training deaths at Santa Anita early last year. The new rules largely mirror regulations that were put in place in California following the deaths, and several other racing states are also in the midst of considering the limited raceday furosemide bans.

In addition to the rules on furosemide, corticosteroids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the KHRC approved regulations requiring horsemen to submit 14 days of veterinary records at the time of entry, while also requiring veterinarians to certify that a horse is racing sound prior to entry.