Earlier today Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, reacted to a Racing Drug Bill introduced by U.S. Congressmen Sen. Ed Whitfield and U.S. Sen. Tom Udall
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“We strongly disagree with the overall characterization of our sport by the authors of the Interstate Horseracing Improvement Act. Horseracing continues to outpace other sports in its drug and medication policies. The winner of every race is subject to drug testing at every track, every day in the United States. Non-winning horses are also subject to random drug testing. The fact is that less than one half of one percent of the more than 100,000 tests resulted in a positive for illegal drugs or overages of therapeutic medications in 2010. Our industry is committed to catching and punishing cheaters.
“The horse industry, together with capable and committed state regulatory authorities, equine veterinarians and others, is now engaged in a far reaching dialogue over legal, therapeutic, race-day medications,” he added. “Preserving the welfare of our athletes and the integrity of our competition will always be our foremost goals.”