The U.S. Trotting Association (USTA) recently issued a statement expressing its opposition to the Horse Racing Integrity Act of 2017 (officially known as H.R. 2651). The bill would lead to the creation of a private, independent horseracing anti-doping authority responsible for developing and administering a nation-wide anti-doping program for horse racing.
In short, the USTA opposes the provision in the bill requiring the elimination of race-day medications and it wants separate regulations regarding therapeutic medications for different horse breeds. The organization also took issue with the makeup of the board that would oversee the new anti-doping authority.
While the members of the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity respect the USTA's yearning for breed-specific, uniform medication rules for horse racing, the reasons for their opposition to H.R. 2651 are based on faulty arguments and a clear lack of understanding of what the bill would actually do.
First of all, there is nothing in the legislation that says it is a one-size-fits-all anti-doping policy.
To read this article in full written by Shawn Smeallie on The Paulick Report click on this link.