NTRA urges regulators to adopt uniform national reforms

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:

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