Six Ky. Derby Horses Made Salix-Free Racing Debuts

All of this year’s Kentucky Derby starters will receive furosemide, designed to prevent EIPH.
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A half-dozen horses entered in this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands field made their initial starts without race-day furosemide (also known as Salix), but for Saturday’s 1 1/4-mile classic all six—along with every other horse in the field—will receive the diuretic used to prevent exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH).

The group of six includes Derby morning-line favorite Orb, who was not given Salix (also referred to as Lasix) in any of his four juvenile starts. The other four U.S.-based horses who started their careers without receiving race-day Salix are Java’s War, Frac Daddy, Will Take Charge, and Oxbow. Salix is allowed to be administered on race days in the United States and all five U.S.-based horses eventually were moved to race-day Salix.

The sixth horse in the group is Lines of Battle, who has made most of his starts in Europe and Dubai, where race-day Salix is prohibited. He will receive Salix for the first time before the Derby after six previous starts without it, including his off-the-board finish in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. For the first time in last year, Breeders’ Cup prohibited race-day Salix in its races for juveniles.

Last year many leading owners pledged to race their juveniles Salix-free, including Orb’s owner-breeders Stuart Janney III and Phipps Stable

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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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