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Will Washington D.C. Regulate Horse Racing?Safety Welfare and Drug-Free Agendas May Lead to Fed ControlsState race tracks have lacked the will to institute, or to enforce drug and safety policies, leaving the door open for federal control after high profile fatalities.
Summits convened in Washington D.C. are scrutinizing horse racing in historic fashion after high profile fatalities in the Sport of Kings has brought a cloud of suspicion and anxiety to hover over the industry. Some believe federal controls to bring the sport under stricter compliance in matters of performance enhancing drugs, safety, and the general welfare of the industry's animals will quickly follow the U.S. government's inquiry hearings. State race tracks may lose their abililty to control their own territory, or stiffen their policies before the federal father moves in. Waldrop Sees Willingess to AdjustAlex Waldrop, president and chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said in the June 28 issue (No.26) of The Blood-Horse magazine "...a wake-up call" has been presented to the industry. "I see a will to act" but horsemen and others in the industry must step forward to make it clear who "is on board, and who's not. Transparency isn't such a bad thing," Waldrop stated. Roy Jackson, former owner of Barbaro, who's breakdown in the 2006 Preakness Stakes was widely reported and analyzed, said, "An awful lot of people are tired of committees and talk." Gretchen Jackson also spoke at the federal hearing held in the Rayburn House Office Building June 19 to review the problems and concerns of the Thoroughbred industry. Martin, Means Doubtful; Jockeys DisappointedEd Martin, president of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, expressed concern that federal control may lead to more confusion than already exists. Greg Means, representing the lobbyist The Alpine Group in the NTRA's Washington D.C. circles, said no one has a good idea of what racing reforms from the federal government would entail. Jockey Robert Colton, a member of the Delaware jockey association, said it was disappointing that riders, who many times bear great injury, had no voice in the federal hearings. Big Brown Owner Iavarone Steps UpMichael Iavarone, creator of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings Stables that owns, along with Paul Pompa, Jr., Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes champion Big Brown, announced on June 23 that IEAH will embark on a no-drugs policy by October 1, when all IEAH horses will have been cleared of any current medications. Iavarone reluctantly agreed to IEAH trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr.'s request to make an exception for the accepted bleeder medication Salix, previously named Lasix. Dutrow said he believes some horses need the medication. Leaving no room for misunderstanding, Iavarone said emphatically, "I'm sick of people getting up there and saying 'No drugs'...and doing nothing about it...owners...can make change. They own the horses, they pay the bills."
The copyright of the article Will Washington D.C. Regulate Horse Racing? in How to Race Horses is owned by BarbaraAnne Helberg. Permission to republish Will Washington D.C. Regulate Horse Racing? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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