IFHA joins Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, an umbrella group for racing regulatory bodies worldwide, has joined the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity, the group that is supporting an effort to pass federal legislation in the U.S. that would result in the implementation of national medication rules, the coalition announced on Thursday.

The IFHA has long been an ally of The Jockey Club, the U.S. company that has led the effort to back the legislation. The IFHA is the first foreign-based organization to join the coalition, which also counts the Breeders’ Cup, the Water Hay Oats Alliance, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, the U.S. Humane Society, and a handful of racetracks as members.

The bill, which has been introduced to a House subcommittee, would appoint the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a private, nonprofit company, as the overseer of the sport’s medication and drug-testing policies. The bill is opposed by large factions of the racing industry, and federal lobbyists have given the bill an extremely slim chance to pass this year, despite aggressive efforts by the coalition to publicize the cause.

The IFHA has long criticized the U.S. racing industry for the regulated race-day use of the anti-bleeding medication furosemide. Most countries do not allow the race-day administration of the drug, and the IFHA has contended that its race-day use damages the integrity of the sport and the quality of the breed, an argument that has drawn support from many members of the organizations that have joined the coalition. If passed, the legislation likely would lead to serious consideration of a ban on the race-day use of the drug.