Major American tracks announce formation of Thoroughbred Safety Coalition
Representatives from some of the nation’s leading Thoroughbred racing organizations held a press conference at Keeneland on Tuesday to announce the formation of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition.
Introduced as the founding members, Breeders’ Cup Limited, Churchill Downs, the Keeneland Association, the New York Racing Association, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and the Stronach Group have formed the coalition in effort to promote more uniformity with regard to medical and safety issues in the sport. Together, the entities represent 85 percent of graded stakes racing in America.
“Thoroughbred racing is steeped in tradition and we want the sport to live for generations to come, and that is only possible with all of us working together to ensure that the safety and well-being of our athletes is a top priority,” said Drew Fleming, president and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Limited, in a press release.
The coalition is an outgrowth of the increased focus on equine safety and medical issues arising from the national attention given the high number of equine fatalities at Santa Anita Park in California during the winter and spring. PETA and other organizations have protested against the sport, threatening to bring ballot measures to the voting booth to ban racing.
“We see this as a vehicle for change,” said Keeneland President Bill Thomason. “This is just a beginning.”
The group has agreed on certain medical and operational standards, including a 14-day pre-race withdrawal time for the administration of corticosteroids, uniform crop-riding rules, a safety steward position at all jurisdictions, the prohibition of the use of bisphosphonates on horses in training or racing with a penalty of 12 months on the vets’ list if detected, etc.
The members indicated that at some point they hope to hire someone to act as leader for the group, but as for now all the entities are working together to address issues and plan how the coalition will proceed.
The coalition has set up a website at thoroughbredsafetycoalition.com for more information.
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 1:27 PM.
