The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) sent a
letter to pari-mutuel regulators earlier this week urging them to adopt uniform
national reforms addressing much-needed changes to medication regulation,
enforcement and laboratory testing. The letter was co-signed by more than 50
racetracks and industry organizations.
The letter specified several uniform national reforms
including the adoption of recently developed model medication guidelines,
inclusion in a multiple violator penalty system and participation in laboratory
accreditation and quality assurance programs.
The reforms have been extensively researched and developed
by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), the industry’s
scientific advisory organization consisting of 25 major racing industry
stakeholder organizations and the Association of Racing Commissioners
International (RCI), the industry’s association of state regulatory bodies
responsible for the integrity of racing.
RCI voted to incorporate the reforms
into their official Model Rules earlier this year. Individual regulatory bodies
must now move to adopt the reforms in each racing jurisdiction.
The letter included 60 pages of exhibits detailing the
rules that need to be adopted. The full text of the cover letter is now
available, and the letter and exhibits are accessible online
by clicking
here.
Earlier this year, eight states in the Mid-Atlantic and
Northeast jointly agreed to implement the reforms on January 1, 2014, or when a
participating state’s live racing begins in 2014. The states committed to
implementing the reforms are Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New
York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Several other states are in the
process of adopting these reforms as well.
“Nationwide adoption of these reforms is essential to
safeguarding horses and riders and providing uniformity to fans and participants
alike. If you have not done so already, we urge you to commit to the reforms and
move expeditiously to adopt all aspects of the reforms,” wrote Alex Waldrop,
president and CEO of the NTRA and newly elected chairman of the RMTC.
Commissioners were told to expect direct contact from
industry representatives to determine their commitment to the reforms and
timeline for adoption. They were also advised to contact the RMTC for any
scientific expertise or documentation needed to support the reforms.
Signatories to the letter (listed alphabetically) were:
Park
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