RMTC
By: Matt Hegarty
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Monday approved a rule that will allow Kentucky tracks to offer races in which horses will not be allowed to be administered the anti-bleeding medication furosemide on raceday.
The rule passed by a voice vote, with four members of the commission opposed, after discussion of the issue was limited by the commission’s chairman, Robert Beck, who indicated that he supported the rule. Officials of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the Kentucky HBPA, and the North American Association of Racetrack Practitioners spoke against the rule prior to the vote.
The rule, which will need to go through several more formal steps before being implemented, was pushed by Keeneland Racecourse, the central Kentucky track that has many high-profile breeders on its board. So far, Keeneland has been the only racetrack in the state that has said it is interested in writing the races.
