Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) will join regulators from eight states in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast by committing to implement the Mid-Atlantic Uniform Medication Program beginning in January 2014, it was announced May 23.

According to a release, the agreement spearheaded by the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (THA), "represents the most dramatic change in medication regulation and testing in the last 50 years and could pave the way for national uniformity."

Rick Arthur, DVM, medical director of the California Horse Racing Board, said too often officials have played "gotcha" with owners and trainers, who had to worry they would be penalized for race-day residue from drugs that were legal and medically necessary when they were used.

"This is what horsemen have been clamoring for for years," Arthur said