HBPA Affiliates Pass Formal Resolutions in Support of Race-day Lasix

Twenty-four state-affiliates of the National HBPA, representing approximately 29,000 Thoroughbred owners and trainers, have passed formal Board of Directors Resolutions supporting the continued regulated use of race-day Lasix/Salix for all Thoroughbred horses of racing age for the health and welfare of their horses and the safety of their riders. Other National HBPA Affiliates are in the process of polling their Directors regarding similar Board Resolutions.

To date, Affiliates passing Board Resolutions include: Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia, Charles Town, Finger Lakes, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mountaineer Park, Nebraska, New England, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tampa, Virginia, and Washington.

Notable owners Maggi Moss and Ken and Sarah Ramsey are among those who concur with this Lasix position, as do leading trainers Dale Romans, Larry Jones, and Bob Baffert.

“These Affiliate Board Resolutions demonstrate to one and all that the vast majority of owners and trainers in the United States and Canada support the use of race-day Lasix,” stated Robin Richards, the Chair and President of the National HBPA. Richards added, “Owners and trainers who are at the barn every day, dealing directly with their horses know that Lasix is a safe, effective and beneficial medication for the prevention and treatment of EIPH.”

The National HBPA has always held that uniform national medication rules must be based solely on scientific proof and not passionate belief. The 2009 study by Hinchcliff, Morley, and Guthrie, (Efficacy of furosemide for prevention of exercised-induced pulmonary hemorrhage in Thoroughbred race horses, J. Am Vet Med Assoc 2009, 235:76-82), funded in large part by the U.S. Jockey Club, found that administering Lasix before a race dramatically decreased the incidence and severity of pulmonary bleeding. Horses were 3 to 4 times more likely to have evidence of pulmonary bleeding without Lasix and were 7 to 11 times more likely to have moderate to severe bleeding without it.

“The scientific research incontestably establishes that Lasix allows a horse to only run to its God-given potential; not faster than its potential” stated Phil Hanrahan, the CEO of the NHBPA. Hanrahan went on to state, “The NHBPA challenges any organization or individual that supports a ban on race-day Lasix to provide us, and the Thoroughbred racing industry as a whole, with scientific support for their position that race-day Lasix should be banned because Lasix is detrimental to the horse.”