Delegates to the 22nd World Trotting Conference, which convened in New Jersey at the Hyatt Regency Jersey today for the second of five sessions, turned their attention to an all-star lineup of speakers who dealt with the many facets of integrity and regulation

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Scot Waterman, former director of the Racing Medication Testing Consortium, who now is an industry consultant, spoke about the state of drug testing in the U.S., but also turned his attention to the international scope of the problem.

“The problem [of finding illicit medications] is international in scope,” Waterman observed. “The Internet has made access to things a bit easier, and the threat we face comes in part from the substances we don’t even know about -- yet. None of us, individually, has enough money to solve the problem, meaning international collaboration is a must.”

John Blakney, executive director and CEO of the Ontario Racing Commission agreed and proposed the formation and launch of an International Racing Intelligence Information System (IRIIS).

"Today, despite all our individual efforts and good intentions, I am here to say the integrity of our business is more at risk than in 2007 (when Blakney last spoke to the WTC). I believe we need to act boldly and decisively," said Blakney. "Despite all of our best efforts, we are aware that drugs and criminal elements are embedded in the racing industry and not limited to a specific jurisdiction.

"There is no turning back. The international racing community must respond to the challenge...We believe the pursuit of integrity must be international. This body has agreed to an agreement of international cooperation and sharing of international intelligence."

Blakney proposed that a motion be developed, for a working group to create a project plan to put IRIIS into action. He stressed the importance of IRIIS in sharing information across borders.

"Let's look at our future through the eyes of the horse."

International cooperation was also mentioned by Dr. Don Catlin, founder and chief executive of Advanced Doping Research, one of the world’s leading authorities on blood doping, who serves both the Olympic and racing communities.

Catlin observed that the World Anti Doping Agency should serve as a model for racing, and that there needs to be an equine anti-doping code, armed with sufficient punishment to deter wrong-doers.

Catlin noted that there are a huge number of banned substances, and with 19 labs in the U.S., there is no way that those labs can all be equivalent. "There are no rules for how they do testing," he said.

“Sanctions are uneven," he continued. "Punishment works. For human violations a penalty of two years suspension has been a real deterrent.

“Racing needs a WADA-like organization, or perhaps collaboration with WADA, but you also have to realize that drugs are here to stay, and you have to get used to that...Cheaters are good. They'll find the loopholes. They go where you're not."

Ed Martin, president and CEO of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, also joined the call for worldwide cooperation on substance intelligence.

“We don’t have a runaway drug problem in racing,” said Martin. “We have a drug challenge, but you should remember that our anti-drugging rules are even more stringent than the Olympics. States conducted 309,000 equine drug tests last year and only 200 tested positive for substances that you could say were there to change the outcome of a race.

"We have challenges. The funding for research and drug testing is very much under pressure," he continued. "Research sharing is vital in developing tests in a timely manner wherever it happens."

"Horses must be exempt of any drugs and we strongly stand by that policy and wish the U.S. would join us in that policy," commented Jacques Chartier of France, speaking on behalf of the European Union of Trotting.

Another speaker, Mike Hall, presiding judge at Harrah’s Chester, spoke about the Racing Officials Accreditation Program (ROAP), supported industry-wide and in part by the U.S. Trotting Association, which puts sitting race officials through stringent continuing education seminars designed to elevate the quality of race officiating.

The accreditation program is actually a detailed eight day, eight hour per day intense program. More than 1,000 people have participated in ROAP since 1991, including judges from countries around the world. Hall invited the international community to join ROAP and to send their officials to schools in the United States.

Following an afternoon of committee meetings, the delegates will depart for Empire City at Yonkers Raceway, to witness the final round of the 25th World Driving Championship. On Saturday, they will all travel to Meadowlands Racetrack to enjoy the Hambletonian Day races -- before reconvening for a day to discuss marketing the racing product on Sunday.

(With files from the USTA)