NAARV opposes HISA

We just posted that H.R.1754, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is set to be voted on today, Sept. 29th. There are powerful horse racing groups who are in favor of the bill; there are powerful horse racing groups who are opposed to it. All have been lobbying strongly for their wills to be…

Study to examine combined use of Lasix, Bisphosphonates

The BloodHorse reports: Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center have planned a multidisciplinary study to explore the effects of the combined use of Lasix and bisphosphonates in racehorses. Led by Dr. Mary Robinson, assistant professor of veterinary pharmacology and director of the Equine Pharmacology Laboratory at Penn Vet's…

The Chemical Horse, 2nd edition

Jane Allin's groundbreaking report on the doping of racehorses — "The Chemical Horse" — has been revised to update its citations. Allin's update coincides with the US House Subcommittee Hearing of the Horse Racing Integrity Act which would establish an anti-doping agency to oversee all horse racing (for an interim period anyway) to include Quarter…

From backstretch to slaughterhouse, Fair Grounds horse deaths shouldn’t surprise

James Gill, writing for NOLA.com, states: The death of four thoroughbreds in six race days at the Fair Grounds track in New Orleans, a couple of weeks after two quarter horses were put down at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, was not as shocking as it should have been.Horse racing is a dangerous sport anywhere,…

Horse Racing 2019 Year in Review

JANUARY With 10 horses suffering catastrophic injuries in January 2019 at celebrated Santa Anita Park in California, horse racing got off to an unusually bad start. Over the course of the year, horse deaths became the prevailing national horse racing story, culminating with the death of Mongolian Groom in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on November…

1953 dead racehorses in 4525 days in the UK

Death and disarray on the racetrack seems to know no bounds. The numbers in the title of this post are what you find when visiting the UK based Animal Aid's Race Horse Death Watch page. They describe their mission: Animal Aid's Race Horse Death Watch was launched during the 2007 Cheltenham Festival. Its purpose is to…

The Breeders’ Cup: From the track at Keeneland to a committee in Kentucky on the use of Lasix

TRACK, DRUGS AND THE BREEDERS' CUP Use of Lasix Kentucky committee consider rules allowing Lasix free races Cross-posted from the Daily Racing Form By MATT HEGARTY LEXINGTON, Ky. – A committee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is scheduled to consider a rule next week that would allow tracks to write races that prohibit the…

Gulfstream plans Lasix free races in 2015

Hallelujah!  Something to cheer about concerning Thoroughbred racing in 2015. Tom LaMarra (@BH_TLaMarra) reporting for the The Blood-Horse writes: Gulfstream Park, which plans to become the racetrack prototype for integrity in the sport, is to to offer furosemide-free races for 2-year-olds in 2015 and eventually operate an on-track pharmacy to ensure tight regulation of medication.…

Jockey Club urging potential Salix study

Cross-posted from The Blood-Horse by FRANK ANGST The Jockey Club has called on leading industry organizations to come together to conduct a Salix study that would examine the timing of administration on the medication used to prevent exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. At the June 17 meeting of the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council, member A. Gary…

American horse racing: Gonna have to face it you’re addicted to drugs

Will the North American racing industry ever fess up? by JANE ALLIN Every August, the Albany Law School’s Government Law Center hosts the “Saratoga Institute on Racing and Gaming Law” a program dedicated to exploring the legal and public policy implications of racing and gaming in New York State and across the country. The first…