The 65th annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing Aug. 13 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., closed out with an update and a rally cry for legislation that would overhaul oversight of horse racing’s drug testing and medication rules.
The investigation of popular trainer Tom Smith, of Seabiscuit fame, after ephedrine was discovered in an atomizer he used before a 1945 race saw the “absolute insurer” rule put to an early test.
Many of the country's leading regulators will listen to panels and presentations on drug testing and enforcement, policing of the backstretch, and promotion of the sport when they gather this week in Charleston, S.C.
New York horsemen and tracks will pay the full costs of equine drug testing in the state, an amount that totals more than $4 million annually, under a state budget deal that was given final adoption by lawmakers April 9.
The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council has adopted a statement supporting screening limits at drug-testing laboratories as a result of the proliferation of irrelevant substances that have shown up at low levels in equine drug tests.
New York racing regulators on Jan. 23 gave preliminary approval to an expansion of equine drug testing and recordkeeping rules, as well as to set a minimum set of penalties to be imposed on trainers and others with repeated equine drug violations.
New York state would stop paying costs associated with equine drug testing in the horse racing industry, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed in his new 2017 state budget plan.
The California Horse Racing Board in the near future will begin using biological markers designed to identify the effects of substances administered to racehorses.
The need for consensus among major stakeholders in horse racing in regard to drug testing and enforcement of penalties again was a major theme during The Jockey Club Round Table Conference held Aug. 14 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
The Jockey Club will use its Aug. 14 Round Table Conference to discuss ways it can build upon existing programs, and also will continue its advocacy for federal legislation regarding equine medication and drug testing.
The pros and cons of federal legislation that would grant the United States Anti-Doping Agency oversight of equine medication and drug testing were discussed yet again Aug. 9.
The New Mexico racing and breeding industry recently held the first of what could become a regular series of meetings to address common issues, including equine medication and drug testing protocol.
Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges will deliver the keynote address during the Aug. 14 Jockey Club Round Table Conference in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Claims can be voided for additional race-day blood and urine positives for banned substances under a new rule approved July 25 by New York racing regulators.
Regulators and track executives in West Virginia hope to have about 50% of the starters in two upcoming graded stakes tested out of competition as part of a launch of the program in the state.
The Maryland Racing Commission June 27 voted unanimously to treat a spate of recent positive tests for glaucine as environmental contamination, to release purse funds that had been withheld in some cases, and to hold harmless the affected trainers.
Updates on the Equine Injury Database and compounded medications are part of the agenda for the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit June 28 at the Keeneland sale pavilion in Lexington.
The Humane Society of the United States, a member of a group that supports federal legislation that would grant USADA authority over equine medication policy and drug testing, has formed a horse racing council to promote animal welfare standards.
Franklin, Ky., Circuit Court Judge Phillip Shepherd plans to issue a ruling in the next day or two on a request for a stay by suspended owner/trainer Otabek Umarov.
The West Virginia Racing Commission plans to launch its out-of-competition program in conjunction with the $750,000 West Virginia Derby (gr. II) Aug. 6 at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort.
Some proposed changes and updates to Thoroughbred racing rules in West Virginia will have to wait almost another year because of an indirect veto by the governor.
Suddenbreakingnews, a Belmont Stakes (gr. I) contender who recently had his sex status changed from gelding to ridgling, might still be considered a gelding had he not contested any of the Triple Crown races.
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium added Dr. Carolyn Cooper to its task force charged with reviewing information on glaucine and addressing the issue of recent positives for the substance.
John Servis, trainer of Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Cathryn Sophia, is questioning three clenbuterol positives in his horses in April and May at Parx Racing, including one for a 3-year-old filly he said had never been administered the medication.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission will almost triple the number of veterinarians it has on a typical race day to assist with the two biggest programs of the year May 6-7 at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Marcus Vitali moved his stable from Gulfstream to Laurel, but he must deal with positive tests for Class 4 and Class 5 medications in Florida before the Maryland Jockey Club will allow him to continue racing horses.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and Churchill Downs have outlined protocol for medication, drug testing, security, and safety during Kentucky Derby week, including out-of-competition testing and the monitoring of horses.
Members of the Congressional Horse Caucus April 28 discussed the pros and cons of legislation that would grant the United States Anti-Doping Agency oversight of equine medication policy, testing, and enforcement.
Of the four parts of the National Uniform Medication Program, the multiple medication violation penalty system has been adopted by the lowest number of jurisdictions. But one official April 11 said he expects that to change.
An April 7 town hall meeting organized by the Association of Racing Commissioners International revealed consensus on the need for a central governing structure for horse racing, but little agreement on how to achieve it.
Six Standardbred trainers in New York were suspended after horses in their care registered extremely high levels of cobalt, and for three of them, the levels were so high the NYSGC issued 10-year bans per incident.
The New York State Gaming Commission has put together a proposed rule it hopes would add scrutiny to the practices of racetrack veterinarians.
Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association chairman Alan Foreman is confident a 2015 decision not to pursue a medication overage case against trainer Todd Pletcher won't negatively impact the National Uniform Medication Program.
Trainer Peter Moody, who said he will give up training and not appeal a six-month ban for a cobalt positive, went out a winner March 24 when the 6-year-old millionaire gelding Flamberge won the group I William Reid Stakes.
Regulations for cobalt have been adopted by the Ohio State Racing Commission, which will begin testing April 15 for the naturally occurring mineral that can adversely affect the equine health when given in large doses.
The Jockey Club March 17 said its Graded Stakes Out-of-Competition Testing Grant Fund program again will be in effect in 2016.
Federal legislation that would grant the United States Anti-Doping Agency oversight of equine medication policy, testing, and enforcement has picked up additional sponsors in the U.S. House, officials said March 14.
The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council has formed a committee to examine the 170 differences between its drug and medication classification schedule and RCI classifications.
The New York Racing Association board of directors March 10 voted to support federal legislation that would grant USADA authority over equine medication and testing.
The American Quarter Horse Association said it remains committed to addressing misuse of medication in racing but a need for more resources has led it to suspend use of its multiple medication violation system pending review.
New York regulators Feb. 29 approved a ban on the last anabolic steroid that does not occur naturally in horses but has, until now, been permitted at specific threshold levels.
Legislation designed to modernize horse racing in Pennsylvania was signed into law Feb. 23 by Gov. Tom Wolf, who last fall threatened to shut down the industry because it couldn't pay for regulation.
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium Feb. 19 issued an overview of its procedures in setting withdrawal times and drug-testing threshold levels after the National HBPA said it would pursue its own research.
Protocol in the testing of equine hair samples was the focus of a racing chemist's workshop organized by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium and held at the University of California-Davis.
An organization formed to represent the interests of racetrack veterinarians has become proactive in the area of research into therapeutic medications and continues to make its case that vets should be part of drug reform.
The National HBPA Feb. 6 said it plans to help fund research to develop administration and testing guidelines that could be incorporated into the Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule.
Achieving true uniformity in equine medication and testing goes well beyond basic adoption of model rules, according to attorneys, horsemen, and veterinarians who picked apart the current system Feb. 5.
The ARCI plans an industry congress for the end of this year to develop consensus on equine medication and testing given its belief Congress won't be anywhere close to acting on legislation introduced last year.
An anti-doping task force in Ireland has issued recommendations designed to combat use of illegal drugs in racing and breeding and strengthen testing programs.
Medication, legislation, aftercare, and the importance of media awareness are among the topics to be discussed during the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association winter convention Feb. 3-7 in Florida.
