BC to phase out raceday meds; No Lasix for '12 Juvenile events

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

It just occurs to me that the Breeders Cup would have to get state regulators buy-in to make this work. I want to know what track wants to deal with the headache of lasix being permissable on a Thursday, and even for a couple races on Friday morning, then not for the Breeders Cup races Friday through Saturday. The whole thing just seems like a massive logistical headache.

I don't think the logistics are the issue though there would seem to be a certain double standard in allowing you to bet on some races with Lasix and other without. Again it seem naive on the part of the BC and opponents of Lasix in general to act like this is some huge performance enhancer 25 years after it has been introduced and NOT seem to the vaunted general public like they haven't been duped for those years. It seems to me that racing loses a lot more credibility to its customers (I really still could care less what the rest of the world supposedly thinks) with the criticism of horseman and exaggeration as to what Lasix is and does.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Again it seem naive on the part of the BC and opponents of Lasix in general to act like this is some huge performance enhancer 25 years after it has been introduced

Everyone knows lasix slows a horse down a tad, and hasn't been able to hide anything via "urine dilution" in two decades.

It is a performance enhancer in that yes, it allows horses to run fast and hard while attenuating bleeding. In my mind it would be cruelty to try and run horses on dirt, fast, like we do in American racing, without lasix. Even in mild bleeders, it attenuates lung scarring and harm to performance.

Sure, you can say you want to eliminate lasix, and change the sport to encourage non-bleeder genetics, but I doubt the sport would be able to survive that. It's an awful big reach. That would take 20 years, at least.
An admirable goal, but not quick nor easy.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Riot

Everyone knows lasix slows a horse down a tad, and hasn't been able to hide anything via "urine dilution" in two decades.

It is a performance enhancer in that yes, it allows horses to run fast and hard while attenuating bleeding. In my mind it would be cruelty to try and run horses on dirt, fast, like we do in American racing, without lasix. Even in mild bleeders, it attenuates lung scarring and harm to performance.

Sure, you can say you want to eliminate lasix, and change the sport to encourage non-bleeder genetics, but I doubt the sport would be able to survive that. It's an awful big reach. That would take 20 years, at least.
An admirable goal, but not quick nor easy.

The idea that you can purge the "gene pool" of bleeders is so ridiculous even in a sport where most people are clueless.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

The idea that you can purge the "gene pool" of bleeders is so ridiculous even in a sport where most people are clueless.

You don't think restricting breeding to maybe one out of every 50 horses would work, huh?

I suppose we could start from cold scratch again via importing bloodstock.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Riot

You don't think restricting breeding to maybe one out of every 50 horses would work, huh?

I suppose we could start from cold scratch again via importing bloodstock.

The entire idea that the breed has somehow changed is completely unproven and immeasurable. The idea that a minute factor like Lasix affects the breed so negatively that its elimination will lead to some genetic revolution is pure folly.

[Alan07]

Gulfstream Park owner Frank Stronach has asked Florida regulators to help him implement a program that would phase out all raceday medication, including Lasix, for 3-year-olds at the track, beginning with the 2011-12 meeting.
http://www.drf.com/news/stronach-ask...day-medication


Guess Frankie wants more 3 year olds to go to Tampa.