Louis Romanet, chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing
Authorities (IFHA), will discuss the importance of and need for international
harmonization of medication policies when he delivers the keynote address at The
Jockey Club’s 57th annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing
at the Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, New York., on August 23.
Romanet has served as chairman of the IFHA since its creation in 1993. As the
single representative body for the global racing industry, the IFHA’s primary
mission is to coordinate and harmonize the rules regarding breeding, racing and
wagering among its more than 50 member countries. Such efforts promote
cross-border commerce and ensure the integrity of the sport and of member
nations’ stud books.
In addition to his responsibilities with the IFHA, Romanet served as director
general of France Galop, the organization that oversees all flat and jumps
racing in France, from 1998 to 2007. He has been involved with French racing for
more than 40 years and his family’s involvement dates back more than 100 years.
Romanet’s remarks will conclude a segment on domestic and international
medication standards.
That segment will also feature an overview of the regulatory process,
presented by Joe Gorajec, executive director of the Indiana Horse Racing
Commission and past chairman of the Association of Racing Commissioners
International, and a progress report and new recommendations from the
Thoroughbred Safety Committee, presented by Stuart S. Janney III, the chairman
of the committee. Dr. Scott Palmer, chairman of the American Association of
Equine Practitioners’ Racing Task Force, will provide a veterinary perspective
on medication, and Steven Crist, chairman and publisher of Daily Racing Form,
will share some thoughts on the way Thoroughbred racing medication issues are
perceived by bettors, the public and the media.
The first part of the conference will focus on the post-racing care of
Thoroughbreds. Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s vice president of registration
services, will provide an update on The Jockey Club’s Tattoo Identification
Services and retirement checkoff program, and Diana Pikulski, executive director
of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, will discuss the foundation’s
vocational training program.
In the area of equine safety, Dr. Mick Peterson of the University of Maine
will provide an update on the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, and a progress
report from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity
Alliance will be presented by Mike Ziegler, executive director of the alliance.