The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, which consists of 25 racing industry stakeholders and organizations that represent the four major racing breeds, will hold a special meeting of its board on August 4
near Cincinnati, Ohio. The meeting follows the 'International Summit on Race Day Medication, EIPH and the Racehorse,' which was held in June and was co-hosted by the RMTC, American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA).
At the August 4 meeting, the board will hear reports from committees that were formed in June to focus on the following topics:
- Penalty guidelines
- Proposals to phase out race day medication
- Enhanced stable area security and surveillance
- Guidelines for administration of race day medication
The committee members consist of a cross-section of industry stakeholders, including horsemen, industry executives, racetrack operators and directors of racing, regulators and veterinarians.
"In April, when we announced that we would be co-hosting an international medication summit with our colleagues at the AAEP and NTRA, we noted that we hoped to begin a process that had no pre-determined outcome," RMTC Chairman Dr. Robert Lewis said. "As a follow-up to the Summit, the RMTC has created several committees to develop the needed background information which will enable the full RMTC board to move expeditiously in developing specific recommendations relative to the various areas of focus identified at the Summit."
(With files from the RMTC)