Marketing, medication highlight Jockey Club Round Table
meeting
Programs centered on the uniformity of rules, drug testing and drug testing
research as well as intensive investigative and educational initiatives have
enabled the Olympic movement to better protect the rights of athletes and
preserve the integrity of competition, which could be an example for Thoroughbred
racing to follow, according to Travis T. Tygart, the chief of executive officer
of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Tygart made those remarks to approximately 350 attendees and a webcast
audience as the keynote speaker at The Jockey Club’s 60th Annual Round Table
Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing on Sunday morning at the Gideon
Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, New York.
“In 1999, we put a stake in the ground and said clean athletes are going to
have a chance to win,” Tygart said. “A win-at-all-costs culture has taken over
the system, and if you stay stagnant, the cheaters will get ahead. Testing
provides the necessary deterrent. Our experience since 1999 can be an example
for you (horse racing) in order to bring the magic back to the sport.”
Medication and performance-enhancing drugs were major themes of the
conference. Tygart’s presentation followed one focused on Clean and Safe
Horseracing: A Report of the Thoroughbred Safety Committee, which was delivered
jointly by Stuart S. Janney III, the vice chairman of The Jockey Club and
chairman of the Thoroughbred Safety Committee, and Matt Iuliano, the executive
vice president and executive director of The Jockey Club.
Janney reiterated the importance of adopting the Reformed Racing Medication
Rules, a set of proposed rules developed by The Jockey Club that feature a new
categorization of medications, more clearly defined regulatory limits and
dramatically remodeled penalties. The organization is encouraging all
Thoroughbred racing jurisdictions to implement them in order to improve the
integrity of the sport and enhance the safety of its athletes.
“We have to agree on a goal of ensuring that our sport is as safe as possible
and that our athletes are properly cared for,” Janney said. “We must also
reassure public observers and our fans that we compare favorably to other sports
and the international racing community.”
Janney also announced that a third edition of the
Reformed Racing Medication Rules has been published and that the
Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and the American Quarter Horse
Association have both endorsed the document.
“The support from these two important organizations exemplifies the growing
momentum for medication reform in this country, and we will be encouraging
others to follow their example,” Janney said.
The updated version of the Reformed Racing Medication Rules features two
changes:
scheduled post time for which a horse is entered to compete. Previously, the
Reformed Racing Medication Rules recommended 10 days.
and best practices to regulators in the administration of their furosemide
programs.
The addition of Exhibit 3 also recognized that furosemide is currently an
authorized race-day medication.
The Jockey Club has long advocated that horses race only when free from the
influence of medication.
Janney also announced the Thoroughbred Safety Committee’s 14th and 15th
recommendations.
In an effort to improve safety and injury mitigation planning, the committee
has called for all racing regulatory authorities and the Association of Racing
Commissioners International develop and implement a rule calling for a stewards’
investigation and report of the circumstances associated with racing fatalities.
In an effort to further ensure the safety of horse and rider, the committee
has also called for all racing regulatory authorities and Association of Racing
Commissioners International to develop and implement a rule to allow a claim to
be voided on horses that officially finish the race yet fail to return to the
designated unsaddling area.
A copy of the entire text of the new recommendations, along with the first 13
recommendations issued by the Thoroughbred Safety Committee, is available at
jockeyclub.com/tsc.asp.
Jason G. Wilson, vice president of business development for The Jockey Club,
and Michael Lamb of the media and entertainment division of McKinsey & Company
provided an update on the initiatives undertaken by The Jockey Club following
the comprehensive economic study of the Thoroughbred industry by McKinsey one
year ago.
Gagliano pointed out that the marketing programs will be successful only if
Thoroughbred racing industry reforms its medication rules.
“We can provide the best service possible to our respective customers,” he
said. “We can reach out to new fans. We can attract new owners. We can procure
sponsorship and television programming. But I assure you those marketing efforts
will be seriously and dangerously compromised if we do not reform our medication
policies and improve our drug-testing standards and our penalty system.”
The Reformed Racing Medication Rules integrate rules drawn from numerous
sources, including individual racing jurisdictions, the Association of Racing
Commissioners International, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC)
and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.
“The adoption of the reformed rules would be a win/win situation for this
industry,” said Ogden Mills Phipps, chairman of The Jockey Club. “It would
undoubtedly benefit the honest and rule-abiding horsemen. And, just as
importantly, it would benefit our valued customer, the racing fan, who is
wagering hard-earned money on what he believes to be a fair and clean
competition.”
A replay of the Round Table Conference webcast is available at
jockeyclub.com.
An official transcript of the proceedings will be available on the website by
Tuesday.
The Jockey Club Round Table Conference was first held on July 1, 1953, in The
Jockey Club office in New York City. The following year, it was moved to
Saratoga Springs, New York, where it has been held every August since.
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