The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) board of directors heard important updates from the organization’s race day medication, drug testing initiative (DTI), and research committees during a meeting Oct. 6 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Items presented for discussion included penalty guidelines, race day medication administration, security and surveillance, drug administration studies, and the research being conducted under the RMTC-funded post-doctoral program.

National Thoroughbred Racing Association president Alex Waldrop presented a model rule to reflect the RMTC’s earlier recommendations that furosemide (Salix) only be administered on race day by regulatory veterinarians. The RMTC board voted to approve the model rule presentation to the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) winter meeting in Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 8 and 9.

Under the proposed language of the model rule, regulators or their designees will have responsibility for race day administration of furosemide. The various adjunct bleeder medications that have been used in some jurisdictions would no longer be authorized.

Alan Foreman, RMTC vice chairman and CEO of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Associations, presented a report on the work of the RMTC penalty guidelines committee. Foreman reported that the committee continues to pursue a simplified classification system of drug categories and penalty guidelines