Inquiry faults racing officials in horse fatalities at Aqueduct

by JOE DRAPE and WALTER BOGDANICH Cross-posted from the New York Times SELECTED EXCERPT Only veterinarians can legally prescribe medicine for horses, yet veterinarians often let trainers, who are paid to win races, make medical decisions, including which drugs to use. These veterinarians also have a powerful financial incentive to prescribe drugs. They are both…

Horses entered for the Travers Stakes face heightened scrutiny

Joe Drape writing for the New York Times reports: "New York authorities have ordered that all horses racing in the Travers Stakes on Aug. 25 be placed under 24-hour surveillance, and their trainers will have to document each medical treatment a horse receives in the 72 hours before the race." and "For the Belmont Stakes…

Aqueduct report on racehorse deaths to be issued Aug. 21

Cross-posted from the New York Post SARATOGA SPRINGS — The long-awaited report on the 20 racing-related horse deaths that occurred over Aqueduct’s inner dirt track last winter will be released Tuesday, Aug. 21, The Post has learned. The New York Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety was formed March 22 in response to a…

New York seizes control of horse racing tracks

Cross-posted from ABC News WRITTEN BY RICHARD ESPOSITO With the Belmont Stakes -- and a potential Triple Crown victory for I'll Have Another – just weeks away, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that the state will seize control of the scandal-plagued organization that operates the Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga racetracks. Under the terms…