Update: La. Racing Commission rescinds all drug-policy changes

The Louisiana State Racing Commission held an emergency meeting on Friday and quickly rescinded drug policy changes that had been met with an uproar from horsemen and Churchill Downs Inc., the owner of Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

According to a report in the BloodHorse, the Louisiana State Racing Commission will revert back to their previous standards that were established and endorsed by the Association of Racing Commissioners International.

In April, the racing commission had approved rules that, among other things, would have reduced withdrawal periods for the bronchial drug clenbuterol and on the pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory steroid Depo-Medrol. This led to CDI CEO Bill Carstanjen to send a letter to the commission’s executive director, Stephen Landry, stating that because of the uncertainty created by the rule changes, “there is a strong likelihood that we will not hold the Risen Star, Lecomte, or the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, to name but a few key races.”

Also in response to the drug policy changes, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority had announced it would adopt an emergency rule that required all horses shipping out of Louisiana to racetracks under HISA’s authority to immediately be placed on the veterinarian’s list, but dropped this policy following the commission’s decision to return to the previous drug standards.