The New York Racing Association, Inc. will prohibit the use of Furosemide (Lasix) within 48 hours of racing for all 2-year-olds with the start of juvenile racing in April at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The initiative will begin this year, with NYRA prohibiting Lasix in all 2-year-old races at all three NYRA tracks across Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. Beginning in 2021, the same prohibition will extend to all horses participating in stakes races at NYRA tracks.
Following the launch of this program in 2-year-old maiden special weight races in April, the first juvenile stakes race contested under these new conditions are slated to come at Belmont with the Astoria S. June 4, Opening Day of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The first juvenile stakes event at Saratoga will be the GIII Schuylerville S. opening Day, July 16.
The New York State Gaming Commission's current rule that prohibits the use of Lasix, which is used to treat exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, 48 hours before the scheduled post time of the race in which the horse is to compete–unless a waiver is obtained for the horse to race with the medication–will remain in effect. No waivers will be granted for 2-year-olds this year and, starting in 2021, will also apply to all horses entered in stakes.
“I think this is the right thing to do in 2-year-old races and next year in black-type races,” said Christophe Clement, who said he does not usually administer Lasix to his 2-year-olds. “My percentage of winners with 2-year-olds has been as good as ever. I think you have an edge of running without Lasix because I think the horses will take their races better, especially when you're running short [distances] and early in the year, because they will lose less weight and it's easier on them, physically and mentally.”
Conversely, trainer Todd Pletcher, a winner of more than 30 individual meet titles on the NYRA circuit, generally races his 2-year-olds on Lasix, and uses it as needed when he breezes horses.
“I do believe that we've seen horses of all ages bleed, so it's not an age issue, it's an industry-wide issue,” Pletcher said. “But at the same time, there is movement towards [doing away] with race-day medication and this is the first step towards what I think we will eventually see as no race-day medication of any kind, anywhere. You can draw some positives that this is easing its way into what is going to be in the future, as opposed to going cold turkey. It's going to give people some time to sort through it. We will just take it on a horse-by-horse basis and deal with it accordingly.”
For more information on NYRA safety and integrity measures, please visit https://www.nyrainc.com/about/nyra-safety
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