The American Graded Stakes Committee has approved a measure to require that the diuretic furosemide be banned in 2-year-old stakes in 2012 for the races to remain eligible for the grades it assigns, the committee said on Wednesday, upping the ante in a struggle that is pitting many owners and breeders against trainers on the issue of the race day use of drugs.
In a statement, the chairman of the committee, which is administered by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, said that TOBA would begin to work with the six states where racetracks conducted 2-year-old graded stakes in an effort to rollback the rules that currently allow all horses to be treated with furosemide on race day. Furosemide, which is commonly known as Lasix, is used to treat bleeding in the lungs.
"We view this as a positive step for the elite-level horses that will race in graded stakes, the ones most likely to perpetuate the breed," said the chairman, Dr. J. David Richardson.
The six states are New York, California, Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, and New Jersey. The vast majority of the stakes are held in New York, California, and Kentucky, where regulators have already said that they are re-assessing the state's race day medication policy.
"We view this as a positive step for the elite-level horses that will race in graded stakes, the ones most likely to perpetuate the breed," said the chairman, Dr. J. David Richardson.
The six states are New York, California, Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, and New Jersey. The vast majority of the stakes are held in New York, California, and Kentucky, where regulators have already said that they are re-assessing the state's race day medication policy.
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