By ED FOUNTAINE
June 20, 2008
Congress came a step closer to asserting federal control over the horse racing industry yesterday when a House subcommittee held hearings in Washington, DC, on the subject of "Breeding, Drugs, and Breakdowns: The State of Thoroughbred Racing and the Welfare of the Thoroughbred Racehorse."
With the tragic deaths of Barbaro and the filly Eight Belles still fresh in the public's mind, several representatives went on the attack.
"Unlike every other professional and amateur sport, horse racing lacks any national regulatory authority that can promulgate uniform rules and regulations," Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D.-Ill.) said. "What is happening to the Sport of Kings? Horse racing remains a confusing patchwork of different regulations from state to state. One of the central questions the subcommittee wants to explore is: Does horse racing need a central governing authority?"
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R.-Ky.) said, "I believe greed has trumped the health of the horse, health of the jockey, strength of the breed, and integrity of the sport."
Several witnesses agreed racing is in crisis, especially regarding the use of drugs and medications.
"It's chemical warfare out there," said Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg, whose testimony was sparked by an article in The Post last January when he spoke out against the widespread use of drugs in racing. "The veterinarians are mostly training the horses now."
Jess Jackson, owner of Horse of the Year Curlin, agreed that racing "has a drug problem. We must replace inconsistent and unenforceable state standards with a uniform national standard. We need Congress to take an active interest in assuring the integrity, safety and economic viability of this magnificent sport."
Rick Dutrow Jr., trainer of Big Brown, was scheduled as a witness but did not appear, citing illness. The subcommittee was alerted he would not attend via a third party, according to congressional staffers.
Dutrow supplied written testimony in which he said, "I'm not always the best at explaining things. I dropped out of high school more than 30 years ago to take care of horses, and sometimes I think I do better with horses than with people."
