Lasix Issues Laid Out for NY Regulators
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With an eye toward a possible proposal to change New York's rules on the race-day medication furosemide, the state's Gaming Commission met in Saratoga Springs Aug. 25 to solicit opinions about the medication.
The Gaming Commission is staffed by members who requested the forum be held, admitting that they have no background in horse racing and little to no knowledge about the anti-bleeder medication furosemide—also known as Salix or Lasix.
Said commissioner Peter J. Moschetti Jr., "You consistently hear from casual fans that racing has a drug problem." He added later, "There's a concern, and when there's a concern it should be addressed."
But whatever action the Gaming Commission takes, if any, it will not be immediate, as the commissioners will now try to reach a determination about the role of Lasix after a day of listening to panelists present widely divergent points of view.
Following morning presentations by veterinarians, the main afternoon panel was comprised Thoroughbred trainers and owners. One of them, Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, said, "This is a complex issue. The more I hear about it, the more confused I get. I wish I'd never heard of (furosemide)."
Some of his fellow panelists were less ambivalent, offering strongly worded statements in support of race-day furosemide, suggesting that Thoroughbred racing has far more serious medication problems to deal with.
Owner Arthur Hancock of Claiborne Farm was the lone voice speaking out unequivocally about the elimination of race-day medication.
"We're losing 4% of our fan base a year," Hancock said, referring to a McKinsey study commissioned by The Jockey Club in 2011. "This is a great industry that's being hijacked by drug money. Let's stop this madness."
Trainer Mark Casse challenged Hancock's observations. "The big handicappers I know aren't concerned about Lasix at all. They're concerned about the unknown, what's not reported."
Casse added that he was frustrated by competing against horsemen who violated medication rules without having to face significant penalties.
Owner Maggi Moss, speaking directly to the commissioners, suggested that they stop worrying about Lasix and turn their attention to medication problems that could be linked to catastrophic injuries, which have spiked in New York at several points in recent years.
"People get upset," she said, "when horses are dying."
During a morning panel, Dr. Corinne Sweeney, a former New York Association veterinarian now at the University Pennsylvania, said that no current research links Lasix to musculoskeletal injury.
Trainer Rick Violette, president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, echoed a position that he has voiced before, emphasizing that using Lasix is a humane way to deal with pulmonary bleeding while at the same time preserving the sport's integrity.
"Protect the horse," he said, "and you protect the gambler."
Said Sheppard, explaining why he both trains and races his horses on the medication, "I don't think Lasix is as effective as some people say it is, but bleeding is a major problem in this country, and I think prevention is better than a cure."
Several trainers expressed concern about a return to practices used before Lasix was permissible, such as withdrawing food and water from horses as early as the day before a race.
The forum concluded with a panel of racing executive offering advice to New York regulators on how to proceed. The panel was comprised of Alan Foreman, chairman and CEO of Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association; Ed Martin, president of the Association of Racing Commissioners International; Bill Nader, executive director of racing for the Hong Kong Jockey Club; and Alex Waldrop, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Waldrop urged the commissioners to fully adopt the National Uniform Medication Program. While several elements of the program are in place and others are in progress, New York's rule-making has been typically slow.
Martin encouraged New York to keep its Lasix rules as-is, while Nader pointed out that most racing jurisdictions in the world conduct successful racing meets without the medication.
Foreman suggested that the racing industry take all the money that's being spent on fighting Lasix to finding an acceptable, regulated alternative.
Admitting that he was "confused" by the variety of opinions offered over the five hours of panels, Moschetti said, "There was a ton of information and for me it was great. I was hearing things that I had no idea even existed."
Now, Moschetti said, the Gaming Commission will review the information.
"We'll digest all of this and then decide what we want to do, if we want to do anything," he said. "We want to do what's going to benefit racing and New York."