Keeneland Sees Lasix-Free Races, But Not Synthetics, In Future

Understanding that no racetrack, particularly a high-profile one, can afford to hold a meeting that includes a number of equine fatalities, Keeneland management is continuing to back changes to the sport that it says will make it safer. Keeneland Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Vince Gabbert told the TDN that the track's No. 1 priority going forward is “making our sport safer and doing everything we can to provide the safest conditions for our human and equine athletes.”

What Keeneland does remains a work in progress and some initiatives cannot be put in place without approval of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC). But Gabbert said he is confident the spring 2020 meet will see at least one major change, the banning of Lasix in 2-year-old races. He does not, however, see the re-installation of a synthetic surface at Keeneland as part of the track's plan of action.

The phasing out of Lasix, something that was backed by all the Kentucky racetracks, appeared to be in jeopardy when a committee, the Equine Drug Research Council (EDRC), voted against changing the state's rules regarding the medication. Gabbert said that the EDRC's vote is not binding and that the KHRC, which will have the final say, appears ready to adopt the medication changes.

“The good news is that the full commission, regardless of what the EDRC does or doesn't do, can still take up those initiatives and work through those items,” said Gabbert, who also discussed Keeneland's efforts to make the meet safer with the TDN's Katie Ritz. “We will continue to petition the commission in hopes they would still push those regulations through and get that done before the end of the year so that we can maintain that time frame, especially with us hosting the first 2-year-old races next year. We want to have as much in place as we can prior to April. We are very optimistic for what it means for our spring race meet. We are hopeful that the 2-year-old races at Keeneland in April will be Lasix-free.”

The Kentucky racetracks were part of a coalition that announced in April that they would begin to curtail the use of Lasix, starting with a 2020 ban on the use of the drug in 2-year-old races, which would proceed a ban of the drug in stakes races in 2021. With Churchill Downs, NYRA and the Stronach Group among the racing associations joining the coalition, all three Triple Crown races could be run without Lasix, starting in 2021. It is unclear where the effort to change medication regulations stands in states other than Kentucky.

Though few believe that Lasix has anything to do with a horse breaking down, many industry leaders believe that the use of the drug has emboldened the sport's critics to say that North American racing is out of touch with the rest of the world and too reliant on drugs.

Trainer Wesley Ward, who dominates the 2-year-old races at the spring Keeneland meet, said he would have no problem adjusting to Lasix-free races.

“I am okay with no Lasix,” he said. “It wouldn't be a problem at all for me. I'm not a vet guy. Over the 20 years or more that I've been training, my vet bills have been nominal. I do like Lasix, don't get me wrong. I think it is very good as far as when you have a bleeder who has been diagnosed. A small percentage of the horses I have just wouldn't be able to race without Lasix. But for the majority of 2-year-olds that I have, none of them bleed.”
The rash of breakdowns earlier this year at Santa Anita put the entire sport on notice from animal rights activists and politicians. The threats and fears that racing could be banned has led some to consider whether or not traditional dirt tracks should be replaced by synthetic surfaces. Data compiled by The Jockey Club has shown that synthetic tracks are clearly safer than dirt tracks. While California racing officials have said the return of synthetic surface racing at Santa Anita is on the table, Gabbert said not to expect Keeneland to replace its main track.

“I don't think there is sentiment in the business to go back to synthetics,” Gabbert said. “I don't see that or feel that. That may change over the next 6 to 12 months or even 24 months, but as of right now I don't see a movement regaining footing.”

Gabbert sees the potential adoption of the reforms outlined by the coalition of tracks in April as just one step in the process to make racing safer.

“I think there's going to be a lot more to come,” he said. “It's going to end up being a case of how do we continue to provide best practices for the industry as a whole, whether it's medication rules, whether it is track safety, whether it's track maintenance? How do we continually evolve and improve what we are trying to do to provide safe conditions?”