Santa Anita set to resume racing on March 29 following equine fatalities

Racing is set to resume at Santa Anita on March 29 after the track closed following the deaths of 22 racehorses since December 26, with new regulations on raceday medication implied to address the issue.

The track closed for two weeks whilst it was assessed and an agreement has now been made by course owners The Stronach Group and Thoroughbred Owners of California.

The announcement comes following the agreement that the raceday administration of Lasix will not be permitted beginning with foals born in 2018. Horses born before then will be permitted to race only on 50 per cent of the current permitted amount of Lasix.

Dionne Benson, executive director and chief operating officer of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, was quoted in a press release explaining the reason for gradually decreasing Lasix use, as opposed to applying a blanket policy to the horse population regardless of age.

"Lasix is an efficacious medication for the treatment of exercised-induced pulmonary haemorrhage and has been legal in California for almost a generation of trainers," Benson said.

"This change will require many trainers to manage their horses without the aid of this medication in racing for the first time ever. In order to ensure this is done properly, and thoughtfully, we need to allow time for this adjustment."

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