Lasix

The Maryland Racing Commission has approved an overhaul of the state's Lasix program that will eliminate special race-day holding barns for Lasix-using thoroughbreds and should help streamline administration procedures.But horsemen will be required to comply with guidelines that give the board's chemists added control over post-race quantitative testing or face penalties such as fines or the loss of purse money.As long as the administration of Lasix meets certain requirements, horses will no longer need to be quarantined before race time in so-called Lasix barns because commission chemists have perfected post-race tests that can pinpoint if Lasix is masking other possible forbidden drugs.

Maryland horse racing got exposed for a lack of oversight Tuesday during an appeal to have the Rick Dutrow-trained King and Crusader reinstated as the winner of the $75,000 Maryland Juvenile Championship at Laurel Park. Dutrow and his horse's owner James Riccio lost the appeal, but Maryland horse racing may have lost more, as officials at Laurel Park were found to have not followed all of the proper procedures on the night of that December race. "I'm stabled at Laurel Park," said John Robb, the trainer of Glib, the second-place finisher who was declared the winner of the Juvenile Championship.

The Maryland Racing Commission has endorsed recommendations that will broaden the use of Lasix at state tracks.The controversial drug, which is widely used in almost every racing jurisdiction in the country except New York, will now be available locally for use on 2-year-olds.The new guidelines are designed to provide a uniform Lasix program for Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, all neighboring states that allow horses to be treated with Lasix.Until now, the youngest of racehorses were kept off the drug.

Q.My husband takes coated aspirin, furosemide and vitamins. He has just purchased a big package of licorice twists, which he loves. Did I read in your column that licorice can interfere with medicines? I am a bit concerned. A. Your concern is justified. Natural black licorice contains glycyrrhizin, an herbal ingredient that can deplete the body of potassium. In combination with a potassium-wasting diuretic furo-semide (Lasix), this could lead to a life-threatening situation. If potassium levels sink too low, heart rhythm may be disrupted.

Proposed Lasix rule changes for Maryland thoroughbreds came under fire at the monthly meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission yesterday.The commission, meeting at the Timonium Fairgrounds, heard opposition from the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and several veterinarians.After hearing discussion, the commission requested its medication committee -- made up of members of various sectors of the industry -- to reconvene for possible revisions to the proposals. The commission may consider action next month.

The last anti-Lasix bastion among major American racing jurisdictions is about to fall.Jerry Bilinski, newly confirmed chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, announced yesterday that the commission has agreed unanimously to publish a draft rule that could pave the way for Lasix usage at New York tracks by the beginning of the Belmont Park fall meet on Sept. 1.If during the 90-day publication period the rule is not altered or withdrawn, horses running in the Breeders' Cup at Belmont Park Oct. 28 will be able to run on Lasix.

Up until the question was asked, prompting Dogwood Stable manager Cot Campbell to roll his eyes, the L word had been largely forgotten this spring.And when, in front of a sizable audience at the Pimlico Special breakfast on Thursday, Campbell politely referred to Summer Squall's Lasix dependence,it revealed how different this year's Triple Crown campaign is on the Lasix issue.Which goes to show that timing is everything. Last year at thi time, and exhaustive Lasix study had been dropped into the collective lap of the racing press, leading to equally exhaustive media reviews of the drug and its effects on internal bleeding.

The New York Racing Association's decision to legalize Lasix, the anti-bleeding medication that is increasingly being given to race horses, has had an immediate impact: When Belmont Park opens its fall meet today, more than half of the 82 horses on the card will run on Lasix.The long-range implications of the change are of concern to Maryland horsemen and track officials. Until now, trainers who wanted to run their horses on Lasix would skip the New York circuit and head, instead, to Maryland and other racing states in which Lasix has been used widely for more than a decade.

FORT WASHINGTON -- The Maryland Racing Commission yesterday voted to adopt new guidelines for the anti-bleeder medication Lasix for thoroughbreds.The rules increase the framework under which Lasix is policed, but horsemen will not be affected significantly by the changes.The commission, in its monthly meeting at Rosecroft Raceway, approved the following Lasix rules:* Two-year-olds can receive Lasix, for which they previously had not been approved.* A "strictly enforced" limitation of treatment is to take place no sooner than three hours before a race.

Q.My husband takes coated aspirin, furosemide and vitamins. He has just purchased a big package of licorice twists, which he loves. Did I read in your column that licorice can interfere with medicines? I am a bit concerned. A. Your concern is justified. Natural black licorice contains glycyrrhizin, an herbal ingredient that can deplete the body of potassium. In combination with a potassium-wasting diuretic furo-semide (Lasix), this could lead to a life-threatening situation. If potassium levels sink too low, heart rhythm may be disrupted.

When Cigar is crowned Horse of the Year on Feb. 9 in San Diego, the Pons family of Bel Air will share heavily in the accomplishment. Cigar won 10 straight races and $4,819,800 last year."

Sloppy tracks often produce long-shot winners, but two fillies in Laurel Park stakes yesterday scored decisive wins as the heavy favorites on a wet strip and will now go after richer purses.Secret Prospect, the 9-5 choice, led wire-to-wire in the Fair Star Stakes and earned a spot in the starting lineup of the Dec. 2 Heavenly Cause Stakes, which is nearly double in value of yesterday's $37,475 race.Delaware Handicap winner Night Fax, who is bred to run marathon distances, pulled her jockey, Jeff Carle, to the lead around the final turn and held on for a 1 3/4 -length win in the Nobiliary Stakes at 1 1/4 miles.

The Maryland Racing Commission has approved an overhaul of the state's Lasix program that will eliminate special race-day holding barns for Lasix-using thoroughbreds and should help streamline administration procedures.But horsemen will be required to comply with guidelines that give the board's chemists added control over post-race quantitative testing or face penalties such as fines or the loss of purse money.As long as the administration of Lasix meets certain requirements, horses will no longer need to be quarantined before race time in so-called Lasix barns because commission chemists have perfected post-race tests that can pinpoint if Lasix is masking other possible forbidden drugs.

The New York Racing Association's decision to legalize Lasix, the anti-bleeding medication that is increasingly being given to race horses, has had an immediate impact: When Belmont Park opens its fall meet today, more than half of the 82 horses on the card will run on Lasix.The long-range implications of the change are of concern to Maryland horsemen and track officials. Until now, trainers who wanted to run their horses on Lasix would skip the New York circuit and head, instead, to Maryland and other racing states in which Lasix has been used widely for more than a decade.

The last anti-Lasix bastion among major American racing jurisdictions is about to fall.Jerry Bilinski, newly confirmed chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, announced yesterday that the commission has agreed unanimously to publish a draft rule that could pave the way for Lasix usage at New York tracks by the beginning of the Belmont Park fall meet on Sept. 1.If during the 90-day publication period the rule is not altered or withdrawn, horses running in the Breeders' Cup at Belmont Park Oct. 28 will be able to run on Lasix.

Five horses were scratched from the seventh race at Pimlico Race Course yesterday when it was discovered a veterinarian treated the animals with the wrong medication.James Stewart, a veterinarian in private practice, administered the painkiller Butazolidin, commonly known as "Bute," instead of pTC the anti-bleeding agent, furosemide or Lasix, when the horses were sent to the detention barn to receive the prescribed medication.Lasix, used to prevent horses from bleeding through theirnostrils or internally from exertion during a race, is a legal drug frequently used at Maryland tracks.

Kentucky Derby winner Sea Hero cannot run on Lasix in the Preakness.Dr. David Zipf, head veterinarian at Pimlico Race Course, said yesterday that since Sea Hero is not a confirmed bleeder and has never been put on an official bleeders' list, he won't be able to run on the anti-bleeder medication in Maryland.Sea Hero ran twice on Lasix in Kentucky, first in the Blue Grass Stakes, where he finished fourth, and then in the Derby, which he won."The story I got is that when the horse was in South Carolina during the winter, a vet saw a teeny spec of blood after the horse worked," Zipf said.

Legislative approval of a regulation that would permit 2-year-olds to begin running on Lasix at Maryland tracks could come as early as today.The 18 members of the Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review (AELR) committee were polled this week by Pat Sylvester, counsel to the committee. Ms. Sylvester said yesterday that "a decision is pending."After a two-year process, new regulations involving the Lasix program for thoroughbreds and harness horses were sent by the Maryland Racing Commission to Annapolis for approval.

Kentucky Derby winner Sea Hero cannot run on Lasix in the Preakness.Dr. David Zipf, head veterinarian at Pimlico Race Course, said yesterday that since Sea Hero is not a confirmed bleeder and has never been put on an official bleeders' list, he won't be able to run on the anti-bleeder medication in Maryland.Sea Hero ran twice on Lasix in Kentucky, first in the Blue Grass Stakes, where he finished fourth, and then in the Derby, which he won."The story I got is that when the horse was in South Carolina during the winter, a vet saw a teeny spec of blood after the horse worked," Zipf said.

Pimlico Race Course stewards said yesterday that it is OK for Alydeed to race on Lasix in the Preakness.But Roger Attfield, trainer of the horse, said it is still uncertain whether the 3-year-old Canadian-bred colt will be shipped to Maryland.Questions about Alydeed's Lasix eligibility surfaced after Attfield planned to run the horse today in the Illinois Derby at Sportsman's Park near Chicago.Illinois stewards said the horse couldn't run on Lasix in that state since Alydeed had bled after a workout at Woodbine Race Course in Toronto on May 4. Attfield then did not enter the horse in the Illinois race.