New Federal Racehorse Drug Legislation Introduced

The new legislation would regulate/prohibit substances, methods, and treatments that can be used in racing.
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A U.S. Senator and four members of the House of Representatives have introduced the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2013 to regulate/prohibit substances, methods, and treatments that can be used in racing.

The legislation, introduced by Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Representatives Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), is not the same as the bill they introduced in the last Congress, according to the American Horse Council (AHC).

The bill calls for a new "independent anti-doping organization" to be responsible for "ensuring the integrity of horse races that are the subject of interstate off-track wagers and the safety of persons involved in such horse races," according to the AHC. "The bill gives this anti-doping organization authority to permit/prohibit the drugs and medications that may be administered to a horse in a race subject to an interstate off-track wager and set the withdrawal period for its administration."

The legislation prohibits a horse from receiving any medication or drug within 24 hours of a race. There is a two-year exception for furosemide (commonly known as Salix or Lasix) used for 3 year olds under the current Association of Racing Commissioners International rules and administered by a veterinarian with a client-patient relationship

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The Blood-Horse is the leading weekly publication devoted to international Thoroughbred racing and breeding. Since 1916, the staff of The Blood-Horse has served the Thoroughbred community with the highest standards of journalistic excellence to provide comprehensive and timely editorial coverage and analysis.

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