Kentucky committee will discuss medication rules

A Kentucky Horse Racing Commission rules advisory committee will discuss a “broad range” of possible amendments to its medication rules during a Monday meeting, according to the commission's general counsel.

The topics will include the state’s trainer responsibility rule, and the classification and use of therapeutic medications, among other subjects, according to John Forgy, the KHRC general counsel who will run the meeting of the five-member Rules Committee.

“There’s a whole series of issues we’re going to go into,” Forgy said. “We’re going to take them one by one.”

The discussion will take place against the backdrop of a legal challenge to the so-called “absolute insurer rule,” which holds trainers responsible for the condition of their horses regardless of circumstances. Last year, a Kentucky district court judge ruled that the state’s current regulation violated a trainer’s right to due process in a case that is being closely watched by other racing commissions that have similar rules. The commission has appealed the decision.

The Rules Committee reviews possible amendments to Kentucky’s racing regulations, and if a rule is approved by the committee, it is sent to the full commission for review. The chair of the committee is Mark Simendinger, a former general manager of Turfway Park.