Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee hears call for resources

Holding a public hearing of the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Racing and Wagering are, from left, Assemblyman John J. McEneny (D-104th Dist.), Assemblyman Alexander J. Gromack (D-92nd Dist.), chair of the committee, and Bernard Bryan, legislative coordinator for the Assembly speaker's staff. The public hearing was held Oct. 18 at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Robert Barker/University Photography

By Susan Lang

Is New York state's policy for testing racehorses for illegal use of drugs fair and effective? Is the New York equine drug policy keeping pace with new developments? Should the Cornell lab charged with testing racehorses for the state have access to new technology or equipment to improve its ability to detect equine performance-enhancing designer drugs?

These are some of the questions that were explored in a public hearing by the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Racing and Wagering held Oct. 18 at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Assemblyman Alexander J. Gromack (D-92nd Dist.), chair of the committee holding the public hearing, was joined by Assemblyman John J. McEneny (D-104th Dist.), a member of the committee, and Bernard Bryan, legislative coordinator for the Assembly speaker's staff. Witnesses included George Maylin, director of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board Drug Testing and Research Program at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine; Joseph Lynch of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board; and representatives from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Harness Horse Breeders of New York State, New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Fingerlakes Horsemen's Association and the New York Racing Association and Jockey Club.

Maylin, who was the first witness, reported that while there were only several dozen major drugs of concern in the 1970s, that number has spiraled to hundreds, if not thousands, of drugs. "New York, like all other racing jurisdictions, has a growing drug problem in the equine race industry that must be addressed if the integrity of the sport is to remain intact. It will not go away by itself. It must be addressed now," he said.

Illegal administration of drugs includes those used to mask tissue damage in order to pass prerace veterinary inspections, Maylin said, and performance-influencing drugs. "Doping to win and doping to lose have been the shady side of racing since its inception," he said.

Without any uniformity in equine drug policy across the country and with designer and synthetic drugs continually being developed, the laboratory can't maintain its leadership role in administrating an efficient testing program, Maylin said. He said he has requested an additional $200,000 annually from the executive budget as well as the state Legislature to purchase more sophisticated equipment that will allow the forensic identification of drugs, expedite laboratory turnaround time and make testing procedures more cost effective.

After Maylin's testimony, Gromack asked him to confirm that without new research and drug-testing equipment, the public's confidence in the high standards of New York horse racing would erode.

"To a degree, it has already eroded," Maylin answered. "New equipment will resolve many of the current problems. ... We cannot develop tests without a research program, and I believe it is time to update."

Lynch, the manager of racing operations for the state Racing and Wagering Board, who later testified, reported that of the 65,000 blood and urine samples Cornell tested last year, 144 were found to contain prohibited drugs. He said that with perhaps tens of thousands of drugs in use, he strongly supported Maylin's request for more annual funding.