N.Y. Gaming Commission to undertake survey on Lasix ban

The New York Gaming Commission will undertake a survey of the state’s racing constituencies to gauge support for a partial ban on the raceday use of the drug furosemide in the wake of an announcement from major racetracks in support of the ban, commission officials said during a meeting on Monday.

The commission’s survey is the first effort announced by a racing commission to consider the partial ban, which was announced 10 days ago by a slate of influential tracks, including the New York Racing Association. The partial ban is not supported by a number of horsemen’s groups, including the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, nor many veterinary groups, so the survey is likely to turn up a mixed bag of opinions.

The survey will be undertaken by John Williams, the executive director of the commission.

Dr. Scott Palmer, the equine medical director of the commission, urged the commission to discuss the issue with the veterinary community in the state. Most members of the veterinary community support the use of furosemide on raceday as an effective treatment to mitigate bleeding in the lungs, while those in opposition contend that North American rules allowing for raceday treatments are counter to raceday bans in most other major racing jurisdictions outside the U.S. and Canada.

“It’s important to get veterinary input on this,” Palmer said, when asked whether he wanted to comment on the survey effort. “I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about what this drug does.”

The announcement from the coalition of racetracks said that they would support efforts to convince regulators to enact the partial ban, which would go into effect next year for 2-year-old races and be expanded to all stakes races in 2021. It is unclear what will happen to the effort if the coalition does not get widespread buy-in from racing commissions.

John Crotty, a commission member who has frequently brought up the topic of regulating furosemide use, said that he believes it is important for the racing commission to set the rules on the medication, rather than racetracks.

“As a commission, we should not divest that authority to them and hope that it goes in their best interests,” Crotty said.

In other action during the meeting, the racing commission approved revisions to the multiple-medication violation system to bring it in line with recent changes to model rules proposed by the Association of Racing Commissioners International, an umbrella group for racing commissions. The multiple-medication violation system assigns points to trainers based on the severity of medication violations, much like points on a driver’s license, with additional penalties handed down to trainers who have amassed a certain level of points during a 12-month period.

The commission also approved new requirements for helmet and safety vests worn by riders, in line with recommendations from the Jockey Injury Compensation Fund in the state. In addition, the commission approved a rule prohibiting some treatments, such as ultrasonic therapy or magnetic therapy, 24 hours prior to a race. The commission said the new restriction “will have no impact on racing integrity.”