Breeders' Cup Presents Lasix-Free World Championships

After one start and stop a few years ago, Breeders' Cup this year will reach its long-stated goal of offering its World Championships under the international standard that prohibits race-day medication; a change that has been embraced by overseas horsemen.

For the first time, all 14 Breeders' Cup races will be contested free of race-day medication, meaning horses will compete Nov. 5 and 6 at Del Mar without an administration of race-day Lasix. The complete ban on race-day medication is the final step in phasing in the policy that saw Lasix prohibited last year in races for 2-year-olds at last year's Breeders' Cup.

Breeders' Cup president and CEO Drew Fleming is pleased to see the long-considered change come to fruition.

"This is extremely important for Breeders' Cup because we're on the global stage of racing and we want to have uniform rules and regulations across the world," Fleming said. "The world as a whole has been running Lasix-free for quite a while and it's important that the Breeders' Cup now join them."

The world didn't wait long to applaud the change in a way especially beneficial to Breeders' Cup: through participation. Breeders' Cup saw a record 56 overseas-based horses entered for this year's World Championships. That support included eight pre-entries of horses based in Japan, with seven from that group scheduled to compete.

Japan Racing Association president and CEO Masayuki Goto welcomed the move, calling the policy a core principal of racing. He believes it encouraged this year's strong participation from Japan horsemen.

"Tightening the restrictions on Lasix in recent years has been positively recognized by many Japanese racing connections since it contributes largely in upholding the integrity of horse racing and ensures a level playing field to all stakeholders," Goto said. "I have no doubt that it is one of the factors in the added participation of Japan-based horses this year."

Tom Robbins, executive vice president at Del Mar and chairman of the Breeders' Cup selection committee, said having consistent rules eliminates one concern for international horsemen considering a Breeders' Cup start.

"I think in this business, level playing fields are always what's desired," Robbins said. "And so I'm sure that might have some play in (the record pre-entries)."

Fleming said the added international support most assuredly is tied to the event going Lasix-free.

Salix (furosemide), commonly referred to as Lasix, is a diuretic that has been widely used in United States racing to prevent or curtail exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Most of the world's other major racing jurisdictions have not allowed its race-day use.

This is not the first time Breeders' Cup has attempted to phase out Lasix. In 2011 Breeders' Cup approved a plan calling for its 2-year-old races of 2012 to be Lasix-free. That plan then called for all Breeders' Cup races in 2013, and going forward, to be Lasix-free. The juvenile races of 2012 were conducted Lasix-free but Breeders' Cup backed off its original plan after threatened with litigation in a letter from prominent owners Gary and Mary West.

Breeders' Cup opted to not expand the Lasix prohibition in 2013, opting to keep it in place only for the 2-year-old races. (Oddly enough the Wests' New Year's Day  won the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, G1, which was conducted free of race-day medication.)

In 2014 Lasix was permitted for all Breeders' Cup races. That policy stayed in place until last year, when Lasix again was prohibited in the 2-year-old races.

As Breeders' Cup moves forward with the ban of Lasix from all of its races this year, it's not as far out on a limb in the U.S. In 2019 Breeders' Cup joined major track owners Churchill Downs Inc., The Stronach Group, the New York Racing Association, Del Mar, and Keeneland as a founding member in the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, which also is phasing out Lasix. 

The TSC phased out Lasix in 2-year-old races in 2020 and then in all stakes races at member tracks this year, which resulted in the vast majority of 2021 graded stakes being conducted Lasix-free. For instance, this year the Triple Crown races were conducted Lasix-free.

"I think Breeders' Cup and U.S. racing in general are making these changes," Fleming said. "If you look back to December of 2019 Breeders' Cup along with five major racetracks formed the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, which has implemented more than 30 reforms to date to not only improve safety but also to have fair and clean competition for all."

Ireland-based Aidan O'Brien, who ranks second on the Breeders' Cup list of leading trainers by purse earnings at more than $26.6 million, would race horses on Lasix in the Breeders' Cup to be on the same footing as competitors. He likes that the same footing now will be racing without race-day medication.

"We don't medicate our horses over here at all and very rarely give any. The only medication they get is antibiotics for cold or flu or infections. They're really the only medications we use," O'Brien said. "So we're always very happy to go. We think that the (change) is definitely a good thing."

In line with the changes in the World Championships, all races in this year's Breeders' Cup Challenge series also were Lasix-free. Fleming hopes that policy can spur others to consider medication-free racing.

"Extending this standard to all races associated with the Breeders' Cup World Championships will hopefully set an example for other racetracks and stakeholders to embrace forthcoming safety and integrity measures, including the elimination of race day medication, as a new, safer era for our storied sport approaches," Fleming said when the Challenge series policy was announced earlier this year.

Beyond Lasix, Breeders' Cup has posted a webinar hosted by veterinarian adviser Will Farmer for trainers outlining all of the medication, safety, and veterinary rules and protocols for this year's event. Fleming noted that Breeders' Cup is trying to be as transparent as possible about its medication rules.