Kentucky could change steroid policy
Members of a Kentucky panel that oversees drug rules for horse racing got into a lively discussion Tuesday about whether the timing is right to tighten the reins on steroid use among thoroughbreds.
The Equine Drug Research Council is trying to determine whether Kentucky should become the 11th state to test for certain anabolic steroids that currently go unregulated. There is wide disagreement on whether the science is sufficient for proper testing.
Connie Whitfield, chairwoman of the state’s Equine Drug Research Council, said in the next few days she will organize a group of leaders in the horse industry to distinguish fact from fiction in the heated debate over steroid regulation.
“We need to get it right,” Whitfield said. “We don’t want to be rushed to judgment and make a decision we’ll regret later.”
Numerous horse safety issues have come to the forefront in the wake of the death of the filly Eight Belles, who broke down and had to be euthanized following her second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. A steroid test on Eight Belles came back negative, but drug testing rules have been among those scrutinized by critics of the horse racing industry.
While racetracks test for numerous performance-enhancing drugs, steroids have not been a focus until recently.
