The RCI is Right

--Sue Finley

In my freshman English class at NYU, we were given an assignment to write a paper in which we had to take a position on something, and defend it.

Being a racing fanatic, I naturally chose to write a piece on why race-day medications should be banned for Thoroughbreds in North America. (Even at 18, I was a bunny hugger.)

Thirty years later (good God, I’m old) it’s nice to see that the Association of Racing Commissioners International agree with me. Last week, the RCI leaders called for a five-year phase out of of race-day medication, “to take the moral high ground and implement drug rules that mirror the racing in Australia, Dubai, Europe, Hong Kong and even Russia,” said new chairman William Koester.



My fellow students found the
use of race-day medications
horrifying.

 I was never sure why we wanted to cede the moral high ground in the first place. My first job was at NYRA, the last bastion of `hay, oats and water,’ and I was proud to show newbies around and tell them how loved and well-cared for the horses were, and how maybe in other states they were allowed to race on drugs, but they weren’t here.

Back in school, we had to read our position papers aloud in class, and I’ll never forget the expressions on the faces of the other students (none of them had had any exposure to racing) as I described the rising rate of not only breakdowns, but states which allowed medications to be given to racehorses in order to enable them to race through minor aches and pains, pulmonary bleeding, etc. Maybe I was leading the witnesses a little, but I’m going to bet you that it’s not a tough leap for the general public to go from injecting a horse with drugs on raceday to watching a horse break down in a race–whether that’s fair or not. In short, they were disgusted.

My argument then was the same as it is now: whether you think that it’s beneficial or harmful to horses, helpful/harmful to owner economics, increases/decreases field size, or any of the other arguments set forth to justify the use of medication in the racehorse, it is, if nothing else, terrible PR for our industry.

It was, therefore, refreshing to hear Koester, say, “Today over 99% of Thoroughbred racehorses and 70% of Standardbred racehorses have a needle stuck in them 4 hours before a race. That just does not pass the smell test with the public or anyone else except horse trainers who think it necessary to win a race. I'm sure the decision makers at the time meant well when these drugs were permitted, however this decision has forced our jurisdictions to juggle threshold levels as horsemen become more desperate to win races and has given horse racing a black eye.”

Koester is right. As a nation, we grow more compassionate to animals all the time. Smart businesses turn this sentiment to their advantage every day. Five years ago, I had to go to a health food store to find cage-free eggs. My local Acme now has five choices of free-range eggs, along with free-range organic-fed chicken breasts (and the Acme is about as far from a high-end market as it comes.)



300 stores and counting...

 To find a wider range of humanely raised meats (not that I’d eat them, but the family does), I drive a few miles to Whole Foods Market, which now operates more than 300 stores in North America and the UK. Partnering with the Global Animal Partnership, a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals raised for their meat, Whole Foods’ stated mission is to offer “organic meats, raised humanely and processed with compassion.” Fifteen years ago, people would have laughed at that statement. Now, they’ll pay double for that meat because it makes them feel better about eating it.

Is it working? In the worst economy since the Great Depression, Whole Foods is projecting an earnings increase of 22.4% this year.

Let’s all side with the RCI on this one. Let’s take the moral high ground back, and let the public feel good about horse racing again.

Maybe our own 22.4% increase in sales will be just around the next corner.