MassGaming’s Division of Racing issues Trainer’s Manuals for Plainridge Park and Suffolk Downs
- March 17, 2014
- by MGC Communications
- 0 comments
A Message from MassGaming’s Chief Commission Veterinarian, Dr. Alexandra Lightbown:
MassGaming’s Division of Racing has recently released new trainer’s manuals to provide racing stakeholders with important updates to new rules and regulations recently adopted by the Commission. The manuals have been posted to the Commission website at MassGaming. com to provide convenient access to this information.
These new manuals provide owners, trainers, and others an overview of the rules and procedures that apply to the medication and health of horses at Massachusetts racetracks. Policies and procedures are explained in detail. More importantly, the explanations give horsemen background knowledge on why many rules or procedures are required. The system under which we operate was designed to protect the racing industry and all of its participants. We hope that all of our racing stakeholders will read through this manual and use it as a reference.
In an effort to establish a uniform medication and drug testing program, which has been a long-time goal of horsemen, veterinarians and regulators, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has adopted new regulations that will distinguish between those medications which have been recognized as appropriate for therapeutic use in the horse and those which have no business being in a horse on race day. There is a new medication category called the ARCI Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule, which lists 24 therapeutic medications that have been recognized as necessary in the routine treatment of illness or injury in the horse. Withdrawl times, dosages, administration routes and uniform laboratory detection thresholds are being provided to ensure compliance with MassGaming’s rules and regulations.
Other information regarding subjects such as pre-race veterinary exams, infectious disease control and equine infectious anemia testing are also found in the manuals.
MassGaming’s Division of Racing is looking forward to a great racing season with all of the stakeholders participating at both tracks.
To view both trainer’s manuals, please visit the sidebar of the Division of Racing page.