Louisiana stops short of approving rogue void-claiming rules
The Louisiana Racing Commission has pulled back from adopting rules that would have sharply restricted the reasons that owners could void a claim after receiving significant pushback from national organizations.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the commission unanimously adopted proposed rules that would allow claims to be voided in the event of death, significant injury, or lameness – as determined by a commission veterinarian. Those rules are similar to void-claim allowances that have been adopted in nearly every racing jurisdiction in the U.S. over the past ten years.
In adopting the amended measure, the commission rejected a previous proposal that would have eliminated nearly all void-claiming allowances. That proposal, which was supported by the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, was approved for public comment at a meeting this spring.
During the public-comment period, the American Association of Equine Practitioners, The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee, and some horsemen, including Louisiana native Tom Amoss, sent letters urging the commission to reject the proposal. The letters from the AAEP and The Jockey Club both cited studies showing that fatality rates are lower at tracks with expansive allowances for owners to void claims.
Stephen Landry, the executive director of the commission, also filed a “estimated impact statement” with the state’s legislature, as required by law, stating that the horsemen-backed proposal would “create increased financial risk” for owners and could lead to lower “confidence” in the claiming system.
Racing states across the U.S. began adopting measures allowing owners to void claims roughly two decades ago in response to practical concerns about the impact on owners and growing public unease over the perception that a lack of void-claim rules could provide incentives for horsemen to enter unsound horses in claiming races.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which does not have jurisdiction in Louisiana due to a court-issued stay handed down two years ago, allows owners to void claims for a wide variety of reasons, including death, lameness, or post-race epistaxis, a term for visible bleeding from the nose.
The proposed rules approved on Tuesday do not include a void-claim provision for epistaxis. Previous rules in Louisiana did allow for an owner to void the claim if the horse was observed to be bleeding.
The pull-back was the second time in the last 18 months that the Louisiana commission has ultimately rejected a proposal to adopt rules that would place the state well outside the regulatory parameters of states under HISA’s jurisdiction. In 2024, the commission, backed by the state’s horsemen, had proposed significantly liberalizing the use of corticosteroids, a class of painkillers, and the notorious bronchial dilator clenbuterol, which can build muscle mass when regularly administered to horses, but those rules were eventually pulled off the table after a public outcry.
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