This will effectively kill horse racing

[Riot]

A micro-overage of clenbuterol is illegal on race day, and should be, but a micro-overage is not "cheating" in the least, as it doesn't, couldn't possible affect a horses performance. Yet it's portrayed - incorrectly - as a cheating horror in the uneducated and undifferentiated racing press and fan base, who don't know what the drugs are or what they can and cannot do.

Some horses need daily medication for their allergies and small routine aches and pains - we can't take that away. They are elite athletes and deserve to be treated as such.

Horse racing isn't unique as far as using drugs, legal or illegal. Abuse exists in all equine disciplines. The FEI and USEF manages to have very tough medication rules, while recognizing therapeutic meds are needed (just went to a rules update conference at Rolex last week in fact).

Such a strict rule would decimate the claiming ranks, IMO. Med regulation can be done better. But this rule isn't it.

But horse racing cannot even muster the most basic of standards to protect the bettor (and, I might add, the horses).

I think that is a really unfair assessment of the current state of drug regulation and testing.