CHRB Rule Changes Cause Confusion at Santa Anita

[Wandering Eyes]

ARCADIA, Ca. — Confusion reigned at Santa Anita Friday morning after a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) memo was texted to trainers Thursday evening which read, “Horses entered to race shall only be given water, hay, and grain until post time,” and that, “no drugs, medications, or substances shall be administered to a horse after it is deemed entered to race.” The link in the text pointed to a letter from the CHRB dated Feb. 27, which read, “The following amendments to the CHRB Rules and Regulations were approved by the Office of Administrative Law and became effective February 26, 2020. The memo went on to say that a list of prohibited substances after entry day includes the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) phenylbutazone, flunixin, and ketoprofen, electrolyte solutions and amino acid solutions, and that “a horse’s mouth shall only be washed with water.”

Friday morning, CHRB equine medical director Rick Arthur further clarified the situation. Though the rule changes went into effect on Wednesday, Feb. 26, they will be enforced starting Mar. 1, this Sunday, he explained. A horse is deemed entered to race at midnight the day entries close for the race. Entries already drawn are not affected.

The only exemptions to the prohibition on the use of drugs, medications and substances after the entry date are Lasix, certain injectable vitamins and ulcer medications, Arthur explained. “There is no change in the Lasix regulation,” he said.

In California, the entry date at certain tracks can be as many as six or seven days out from a race, which caused concern among a number of trainers in light of the new rules. Currently in California, an NSAID like phenylbutazone is prohibited for use within 48 hours of a race. Several Santa Anita-based trainers said they were worried they might also be restricted from using electrolytes on horses sent on the long journey to Golden Gate Fields during the hot summer months.

In what appears a bid to allay some of those concerns, The Stronach Group’s (TSG) chief strategy officer Aidan Butler said that the company would take entries at TSG tracks 48 hours from a race. “That seems like the only logical thing to do,” he said.

Arthur explained that the amendments to the various CHRB rules were noticed in January of this year. As these amendments worked through the necessary legislative processes, there had been opposition to only one of the details in the broader rule changes, he explained. “So, I’m a bit bewildered why people are confused,” he added.

California Thoroughbred Trainers president Eoin Harty, however, warned that the new changes are unworkable for multiple industry stakeholders as written.

“Entry dates fluctuate so rapidly, it’s just not a workable solution,” he said, referencing the entry dates at some of the state’s Fair tracks. “We need to take a deep breath and come up with something better.”

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