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All NYRA Stakes Races To Be Run Without Lasix In 2021

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced that, in accordance with its commitment to eliminate race day medication, the use of Furosemide (Lasix) will be prohibited within 48 hours of all stakes races conducted at NYRA tracks beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

In April of 2019, NYRA led the formation of a coalition of leading racing organizations founded to address race day medication in a uniform and consistent way throughout the sport. The initiative commenced on Jan. 1, 2020, with NYRA prohibiting Lasix in all 2-year-old races at the three NYRA tracks–Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2021, the same prohibition will extend to all horses participating in any NYRA stakes, including New York-bred and New York Stallion Stakes Series [NYSSS] races.

“NYRA is pleased to honor the commitment we made to our coalition partners by greatly expanding the ban on race day medication to all stakes races in 2021,” said Martin Panza, NYRA SVP of Racing Operations. “We look forward to working with racetracks around the country who share our desire to achieve uniform and consistent rules that advance safety and integrity. As evidenced by the passage of The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, there is significant appetite for positive change that will benefit the sport.”

NYRA conducted a total of 127 stakes races in 2020, with the exception of New York-bred and NYSSS races, accounting for 25 percent of all stakes run in the United States. 95 of those stakes were of the graded variety, representing 25 percent of all graded stakes run in the United States. NYRA hosted 33 Grade 1 stakes in 2020, or 35 percent of all G1 races run in the United States. Due to the myriad impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the reorganization of the stakes calendar, 36 stakes races scheduled for 2020 were not run, with 17 of them graded.

NYRA's 2021 stakes program kicks off on New Year's Day at Aqueduct with the $150,000 Jerome, a one-turn mile for sophomores offering 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) rules prohibit the use of Lasix, which is used to treat exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in racehorses, 48 hours before the scheduled post time of the race in which the horse is to compete – unless a waiver is obtained for the horse to race with the medication. This rule remains in effect and no waivers will be granted for 2-year-olds or horses entered in stakes.

Current NYSGC rules will allow for horses previously entered in stakes who are dropping down to non-stakes competition to apply for a waiver seeking permission from the NYSGC to utilize Lasix after documenting EIPH.

NYRA is a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, a group of the nation's leading racing organizations working collaboratively to advance safety reforms across the sport. For additional information on the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, visit thoroughbredsafetycoalition.com.

The 2020-21 winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack resumes on Thursday, December 31. The current NYRA stakes schedule, which is updated through April 18, can be viewed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule.

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Omnibus Legislation Will Allow Current H-2B Visa Provisions To Continue

A series of current H-2B visa program provisions are set to continue as part of omnibus legislation passed Monday by Congress.

H-2B visa program policies set to continue include:
Authority for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of Labor (DOL), to increase the H-2B cap for fiscal year 2021 by up to approximately 69,000 visas if it determines that the needs of seasonal businesses cannot be met with U.S. workers;
Continuation of the use of private wage surveys for prevailing wage determinations;
A prohibition against DOL enforcing the corresponding employment and three-quarters guarantee provisions of its H-2B regulations relating to total work hours; and
Provisions extending the maximum employment season for up to 10 months, as opposed the nine-months in current DOL regulations.

The H-2B visa guest worker program is a nonimmigrant visa program used by many industries that need temporary non-agricultural help when domestic workers are unavailable. For the horse racing industry, racehorse trainers rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill various backside positions. Demand for H-2B visas often exceeds their availability and the cap level is quickly reached, leaving employers without sufficient help.

The NTRA, through its involvement with the H-2B Workforce Coalition, supports efforts for comprehensive reform of the guest worker visa program.

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Gosden Feels ‘Let Down’ By BHA After Positive Test Leads To Disqualification

British trainer John Gosden is feeling let down by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) after his disqualification from the Group 2 British Champions Long Distance Cup in October. The BHA ordered the disqualification following the discovery of the anti-inflammatory Triamcinolone Acetonide (TCA) in a pre-race sample of Royal Line, according to the Racing Post, which led to the horse being stripped of his third place finish in the race.

There is a mandatory 14-day stand-down period for TCA, but the BHA has warned that that stand-down period may be shorter than the actual withdrawal period. Gosden's Royal Line received 15 milligrams of Adcortyl, containing TCA, in both hind fetlocks to reduce inflammation 17 days prior to the race, which was confirmed by vet reports. Gosden accepted the results of the positive test, but wanted to make it clear there was no foul play involved.

“I'm very conservative with my use of any medication and the horse's welfare is paramount,” Gosden told racingpost.com. “I followed all guidelines and advice and the negative publicity from this matter reflects badly on the trainer, the highly respected Newmarket Equine Hospital practice and inevitably damages the image of racing. I feel exceptionally let down by this process.”

Gosden proposed that the BHA give more help on the matter and attempt to educate other horsemen to avoid more situations such as this one. He was fined £1,000 (about US$1,200) and his horse was disqualified.

Omnibus Legislation Includes Key Tax Provisions, COVID Relief For Thoroughbred Industry

Both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate on Monday passed legislation that contains key tax reform and COVID-19 relief provisions beneficial to the horse breeding and racing industry.

A $1.4 trillion omnibus package that includes funding for the federal government's current fiscal year included the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), historic legislation that will establish national standards to promote fairness, increase safety in Thoroughbred racing.

“We thank Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his pivotal role in the passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) by the U.S. Senate,” said Alex Waldrop, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). “We also applaud Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Congressmen Andy Barr (R-KY) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) and other allies in Congress whose support helped make this watershed moment possible. We look forward to President Trump signing the HISA into law and by doing so, commencing the establishment of an independent and well-informed central authority that will ensure the integrity of our sport and the safety of our human and equine athletes nationwide.”

A key provision that extends three-year tax depreciation for all racehorses through 2021 also was part of the omnibus package. Uniform three-year racehorse depreciation was among numerous tax provisions across many industries that were set to expire at the end of 2020. The provision extends the three-year depreciation schedule for all racehorses through 2021 and allows taxpayers to depreciate, on a three-year schedule, racehorses less than 24 months of age when purchased and placed into service. In the past, racehorses of this age were depreciated on a seven-year schedule. The accelerated schedule better reflects the length of a typical racehorse's career and is more equitable for owners. Maintaining the three-year recovery period for racehorse purchases has been a top legislative priority for the NTRA federal legislative team since the provision's initial enactment as part of the 2008 Farm Bill.

A $900 billion COVID-19 relief package included several positive provisions relative to horse breeding and racing. Eligible racetracks and farms would again be allowed to participate in this second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as they were in the first round after the NTRA helped secure favorable guidance from the Small Business Administration (SBA). The new provisions include:

Expanded PPP loan terms that include new eligibility for horse and farm owners without employees operating as sole proprietors or via single member LLCs
New PPP eligibility for qualifying 501(c)(6) organizations with less than 300 employees;
Additional eligible expenses that now also include software, human resources, accounting, and personal protective equipment for those who have not yet had PPP loans forgiven;
A second draw PPP loan of up to $2 million that now is available for qualifying businesses with at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts;
Extension of employer tax credits for paid sick and family leave and employee retention into 2021; and
Full deductibility of meals from restaurants during 2021 and 2022.

“The relief package has some helpful provisions for industry participants, especially with regards to the enhanced PPP loan program, and the three-year tax depreciation for yearlings,” said Jen Shah, Tax Director at Lexington, Ky.,-based Dean Dorton. “This new relief plus the current 100% bonus depreciation available on qualifying purchases continue to provide meaningful tax deductions for horse and farm owners.”

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