Lasix-Free Pegasus a Preview of Days to Come

For all the elements rolled into last weekend's Pegasus World Cup Series, what may be more important than the result of either race was the glimpse into the future it provided.

The two Jan. 25 stakes at Gulfstream Park, worth a combined $4 million, did not allow the race-day use of the anti-bleeding medication Lasix, serving up a preview of what awaits this year and in 2021 when the medication will be banned on a larger scale across the country.

A total of 22 horses competed in the two races, and all returned safely with none showing any outward signs of bleeding. At least three had minimal internal bleeding.

"We didn't see any bleeding from the nose after the races. We didn't scope them, but we didn't have any severe bleeding, which is great," said Dionne Benson, the chief veterinary officer for The Stronach Group. "I thought the races were competitive. We didn't see any horses come back with an injury throughout the card. We had no issues to speak about."

Yet the Pegasus also reflected the deep divide in the racing industry over Lasix. From a sampling of trainers and owners representing 11 of the starters, none expressed interest in running their Pegasus starters without Lasix in their next starts—unless it was mandated by the jurisdiction—and the general consensus was that the experience did little to alter their objections to banning the medication, a diuretic used to prevent or reduce the severity of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.

"In America, if everyone else is using Lasix, I'll do it," said Brad Cox, who trains Arklow, who finished fifth in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1T). "I wouldn't handicap my horse by not giving it to them."

The timing of the Pegasus came at a crossroads for the industry. It was contested three days before a Congressional subcommittee hearing that discussed the pros and cons of the Horseracing Integrity Act that would reform medication rules and drug testing on a national level and would call for the end of race-day medications such as Lasix. Beyond that, a coalition of leading tracks from New York to California will ban Lasix in 2-year-old racing this year and in stakes races beginning in 2021.

From the operators' standpoint, Benson said The Stronach Group, whose holdings include Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita Park, and The Maryland Jockey Club, among others, is committed to eliminating race-day medications and believes the Pegasus was an example of what the new landscape in the sport can be.

"I hope this helps," she said about no race-day medications at the Pegasus. "We believe very much in medication-free racing, and in order to prove to people it can be done, we did something different with the Pegasus and used that platform to help change the way we view medications. The fact we had a very safe and successful race day is a testament to the idea that we can make it work this way."

Benson also pointed to TSG's Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course that are scheduled to soon enact regulations forbidding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications within 48 hours of a race and intra-articular joint injections within 14 days of a race, regulations that will be in place for the Preakness Stakes (G1) in May.

"We have changes coming in Maryland which are in line with what California has been doing for the last year," Benson said. "A lot of those changes will happen quicker than Lasix, but we are committed to working with our industry partners to phase out Lasix in each of our jurisdictions."

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who won the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1) with Mucho Gusto, believes an opportunity was squandered because pertinent data could have been compiled that would have shed more light on the impact of racing without Lasix.

"Out of curiosity, I would have liked to see them scope all the horses afterwards and put the results out there," the two-time Triple Crown winner said. "It would have been interesting to see. Some horses didn't show up."

Tax, who finished ninth in a field of 10 in the dirt race, bled slightly, according to part owner Dean Reeves, but Reeves said the gelding going to his knees at the start had much more to do with Tax's disappointing performance than the bleeding. The connections of the other two horses who experienced some level of EIPH did not want to have the names of those horses released.

Chad Brown, the Eclipse Award-winning trainer the past four years, understands both sides of the argument in the Lasix debate but agreed that more data should be obtained before new regulations are instituted throughout the country.

"We need more data on the subject. The only way to gauge the potential economic impact down the road is to gather data like Bob has suggested. That will guide us in what direction we should go," said Brown, who had three starters in the turf race: Instilled Regard (third), Sacred Life (fourth), and Without Parole (11th).

Baffert added that instead of enacting Lasix reform on a wide spectrum, there should be smaller test areas to better monitor the impact of removing Lasix.

"I wish they would have started in turf racing first because they don't run as fast. With dirt racing, there's a kickback and it's a different animal. What I am afraid of is that we have short fields now—we'll have even shorter fields without Lasix, and it will affect dirt racing. I worry about having someone to run against," said Baffert, who added that he usually administers only a smaller 3 cubic centimeter dose of Lasix to his runners instead of the standard 5 cc. "Maybe what we need is (the New York Racing Association) says no Lasix at the Saratoga or the Belmont Park meet. Try it and see what happens."

Trainer Peter Miller voiced his concern on the economic impact of banning Lasix and how breeders also play a role in the problem.

"I'm pro-Lasix as all veterinarians are. It's too bad the veterinarians and the trainers that care for the horses don't have a say in the matter," said Miller, whose Mo Forza finished ninth in the Pegasus Turf. "It's going to shrink the business. It's going to shrink ownership. It's ironic the breeders are behind this, and they created the problem by breeding unsound bleeder to unsound bleeder and now they want to take away our one weapon against it. It's a shame.

"Lasix, if anything, makes the game safer. When horses bleed, they tend to collapse. Gamblers like (Lasix). It makes it fairer. It makes it more feasible for owners. It's a big mistake, but that's par for the industry. They are charging at windmills. They are grasping at straws. They are always backing the wrong things."

Brown also warned that eliminating Lasix could lead to a situation where horses race less and owners lose interest in the sport, creating an economic downturn across the board.

"As someone who tries to be an ambassador for the sport and tries to bring in new owners and fans, I'd love to have something positive to say to recruit new people. I'd love to say it's medication-free, but the flip side is, who are we trying to get? Should we give in to all the perception from people who will never be horse racing fans, or should we listen to the people who already have real money invested in it? That's where I'm torn," Brown said. "Where are our priorities? With the people who are already involved in it and gambling on our sport, or for those potential new people that we don't have and may never get? If we get rid of Lasix and whips, will PETA embrace horse racing? I don't know. I doubt it.

"It's not just about me. It's the entire industry. There's a lot of ripple effect. As the person who raises money to go to auctions and spends $15 million here or $10 million at Tattersalls that benefits sellers, consignors, and sales companies, I wonder how the commerce of horse racing will be affected. They can talk to me all they want about European racing. The races are run differently here, especially on dirt. We've bred this into horses, and do owners have the monetary wherewithal to wait it out over a generation of breeding or are they going to pull out before the process is completed?"

Baffert also fears the loss of owners.

"Right now, we need fuller fields and dirt horses. With kickback, horses get stressed and if they bleed, you stop on them," Baffert said. "Then they bleed again and they say, "Give the horse six months off," and people are going to say, "This is not for me. I'm going to buy a boat.'"

For the Pegasus, most horsemen adjusted to the lack of Lasix by tacking a few extra hours into the customary four-hour ban on water and hay before a race, but handling it on a regular basis in the coming months with 2-year-olds promises to require different methods.

"You can get by for one race as long as you do not have a bad bleeder. You take hay and water away for a longer period," said trainer Tom Albertrani, whose Sadler's Joy finished sixth in the Pegasus Turf. Albertrani, who has signed a letter supporting the Horseracing Integrity Act of 2019, worked internationally, where race-day Lasix is banned, for about a decade. "For me, I hardly run my 2-year-olds on Lasix. But for others, there will be adjustments you will have to make. Maybe less training and maybe easier training so they don't bleed before the race. I think most trainers use Lasix as a precaution during works. If you have a bleeder, you will probably have to space his races out more."

Other trainers admit there will be a learning curve.

"The industry is leaning that way toward no Lasix, and it's certainly something we'll learn a lot more about as we go along," said seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher, whose Channel Cat was 10th in the turf race. "It's a case-by-case situation. Some horses are fine without it, and it could be an issue for some. We'll continue what we're doing for now, and when the situation changes, we'll deal with it on a case-by-case basis."

Pletcher also has signed the letter supporting the Horseracing Integrity Act. That letter concludes, "None of us takes this stance lightly, but we believe we are at a precipitous moment at which the industry must act to revive public trust in our sport and to protect our most cherished possession, our racehorses."

One other potential problem in eliminating race-day medication could be how some horsemen replace Lasix.

"I wonder if some horsemen are going to search for an alternative to Lasix that is not a level playing field that can't be tested," Brown said. "It doesn't have to be illegal. There could be various techniques with supplements, but horseplayers cannot monitor it because it's not listed. What can hurt is the whispers among gamblers. I'm not saying that's going to happen, but you leave yourself open to it.

"All of this is not as easy as marching up to Capitol Hill and saying no Lasix."