Horsemen’s Groups Circle Wagons on Furosemide

While some prominent trainers called for phasing out use of race-day furosemide in a press release Aug. 1, top horsemen’s groups throughout the country said this week they have not changed their stance in supporting use of the diuretic.
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While some prominent trainers called for phasing out use of race-day furosemide in a press release Aug. 1, top horsemen's groups throughout the country said this week they have not changed their stance in supporting use of the diuretic.

The Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) Aug. 6 issued an open letter declaring its continued support for race-day furosemide (Salix, also commonly called Lasix) to prevent or reduce the severity of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. The opinion in the letter, which was signed by the THA's six state association presidents, is matched by other prominent horsemen's groups throughout the country.

On Friday, 25 prominent trainers, including multiple Eclipse Award winner Todd Pletcher and seven members of the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame, signed a letter proposing race-day furosemide be prohibited in 2-year-old races in 2015 and in all races in 2016. Because trainers have been the industry's biggest supporters of race-day furosemide, the letter, signed by four of the current top 10 trainers by earnings in North America, offered a rare public display of division on the issue among trainers.

Despite that division, prominent horsemen's groups said they have no plans to change their current support of race-day furosemide. In the THA letter, organization chairman Alan Foreman suggests the trainers' press release calling for the end of race-day furosemide was orchestrated to create momentum on the issue going into the Aug. 10 "Jockey Club Round Table on Matters Pertaining to Racing" in Saratoga Springs, New York

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Frank Angst is a staff writer for The Blood-Horse magazine. An American Horse Publications three-time winner in best news story category, Angst has covered horse racing for more than a decade. Angst spent ten years at Thoroughbred Times, where he earned awards as that magazine’s senior writer and helped launch Thoroughbred Times TODAY. Besides covering horse racing, Angst enjoys handicapping. Angst has written about sports for more than 20 years, including several seasons covering a nationally ranked Marshall Thundering Herd football team.

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