[Kasept]

AS OPPOSED TO TIMES' AGENDA-DRIVEN NONSENSE, THIS FROM PRESS RELEASE:

During its comprehensive examination, the Task Force found that NYRA's organizational veterinary structure was inherently conflicted by reporting to an entity (the Racing Office) whose function is inconsistent with deliberate and careful equine risk management practice. Other structural shortcomings with NYRA's veterinary practice include: a lack of uniform protocols and procedures among track veterinarians, a failure to standardize risk factors to assess racehorses' fitness to run, and no uniformity in veterinary care recordkeeping or proper use of existing veterinary practice management software.

The State Racing and Wagering Board and NYRA will be directed to take these actions:

• Establish an Office of the Equine Medical Director to oversee horse safety

• Create an independent veterinary practice structure within NYRA which will put the health of the horses first and which reporting directly to the chief executive officer of NYRA

• Establish an anonymous reporting mechanism for jockeys to report health or safety violations without fear of reprisal

• Prohibit Clenbuterol within 21 days of a race

• Prohibit Methylprednisolone (DepoMedrol®) within 15 days of the date of a race

• Prohibiting all other intra-articular corticosteroids within seven days of a race

• Prohibiting all other systemic corticosteroids within five days of a race

• Requiring trainers to maintain and records of corticosteroid administrations and notify the Stewards in writing within 48 hours of all intra-articular corticosteroid administrations

• Extending the claiming rule that voids claims in the event a claimed horse dies on the race track to make a claim voidable within 1 hour of the conclusion of a race if the horse is vanned off the track

• Amending the economic proportionality claiming rule to allow a purse-to-claim ratio no greater than 1.6-to-1

• Requiring horse claimants be notified within 48 hours of any intra-articular administration of corticosteroids to the claimed horse in the 30 days prior to the race

• Expanding out-of-competition drug testing to include corticosteroids and clenbuterol

• Improving documentation of findings of fatal injuries, including the development of standard protocols for handling of horses sustaining fatal injuries

• Requiring testing laboratory accreditation

• Formalizing necropsy procedures

NYRA will also examine the possibility of installing of a synthetic surface on the inner track at Aqueduct.