Racing Steroids Under Washington Spotlight

Next week's US Congressional hearing on steroid use in Major League Baseball - and the possibility the inquiry could expand to other sports - "has led the thoroughbred racing industry to take pre-emptive action on Capitol Hill," reported bloodhorse.com. Representatives of the horse racing industry met with legislative staff members in Washington "to update them on steps the industry is taking to regulate use of anabolic steroids in racehorses & horses sold at auction". The effort was spearheaded by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association & the meeting was attended by NTRA officials including president Alex Waldrop, Association Of Racing Commissioners International president Ed Martin plus Racing Medication & Testing Consortium executive director Dr Scot Waterman; RCI & RMTC have formulated model rules that are being implemented in various states to regulate use of steroids. Most major US racing states "have adopted or will adopt regulations that basically ban the use of steroids in equines on race day by the 2nd quarter of 2008; questions remain as to threshold levels & withdrawal times for testing, but the consensus among industry officials has been steroid use must be regulated in some fashion". Waldrop summed up: "We met with Congressional staff members on Capitol Hill to educate them on our industry for testing for steroids in horses & to outline the guidelines & penalties that are or will be in place. We underscored that the horse racing industry is well-advised to get serious about adopting a rule." Congress has scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday (January 16) to discuss steroid use in baseball & asked if he believes horse racing will become part of a steroids inquiry, Waldrop replied: "Is it a possibility? No question. Clearly steroid use is something Congress is concerned about in all professional athletics." (Jan 11)