W.Va. Issues Support for Uniform Racehorse Medication Plan

The resolution furthers an effort to implement uniform racehorse medication, penalty, and testing rules.
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The West Virginia Racing Commission (WVRC) Feb. 26 approved a resolution agreeing in principle with the effort to bring uniform medication, penalty, and testing rules to racing jurisdictions in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.

The Maryland Racing Commission was the first to do so Feb. 19. Other states that have met privately to discuss the plan include Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Key components of the plan floated by Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association chairman Alan Foreman are threshold levels and withdrawal times for 24 therapeutic medications; improved, uniform drug testing; a ban on adjunct bleeder drugs; continued race-day use of furosemide, also known as Salix or Lasix; and administration of Salix by regulatory veterinarians. Foreman has said he hopes the Mid-Atlantic action serves as a template for the rest of the country.

WVRC deputy attorney general Kelli Talbott, who attended the first Mid-Atlantic meeting earlier in February at Delaware Park, said West Virginia when it rewrote its Thoroughbred racing rules already addressed some issues. She noted, however, West Virginia has threshold levels only for seven of the 24 therapeutic drugs

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Tom LaMarra, a native of New Jersey and graduate of Rutgers University, has been news editor at The Blood-Horse since 1998. After graduation he worked at newspapers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as an editor and reporter with a focus on municipal government and politics. He also worked at Daily Racing Form and Thoroughbred Times before joining The Blood-Horse. LaMarra, who has lived in Lexington since 1994, has won various writing awards and was recognized with the Old Hilltop Award for outstanding coverage of the horse racing industry. He likes to spend some of his spare time handicapping races.

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