How Has Horse Racing Changed in the Years Since Ruffian’s Death?

Question by Starlight 1: How has horse racing changed in the years since Ruffian’s death?
This might sound like a gruesome question at first glance, but it’s not intended to be. With the 40th anniversary of Ruffian’s ill fated match race approaching in 2015, I am interested in getting a discussion going about racing as a whole- how it’s changed, how it hasn’t, differences between today’s racing climate and the one that existed 40 years ago, and so forth. I want to hear what people think. How has racing changed? Is it safer or more dangerous? Do you feel that the industry as a whole has learned anything in the decades since the match race took place? Are there lessons from the match that are still applicable to racing in the modern age?

How might racing be improved upon? Remember, there are no right or wrong answers here- I am just interested in what people are thinking.
Thanks to all who have responded so far. I am going to hold off on picking a BA for awhile longer, because I am hoping to get some further responses. Sandy, I agree with you that drug testing has helped to eliminate at least some unethical and cruel behavior in the sport. I also believe that there have in fact been efforts to make racing safer and more humane- I’m just not sure that they have gone far enough. There are so many, many issues that need to be addressed in this sport, from the over and inbreeding that is weakening the horses and making them more vulnerable to injury to competition from other forms of entertainment such as video gaming that hurt the sport financially. I’m looking for more people to add their opinions, folks. Remember, this isn’t about judging anybody- I just want to know what people THINK.

Best answer:

Answer by Dragonmistress
I don’t think the industry cares to learn anything; especially if it gets in the way of making money.

They start training them to young, don’t let them mature and race in unsafe conditions. There have been some horrific breakdowns since Ruffian.(Go For Wand comes to mind Eight Bells)

If you look into some of the backgrounds and bloodlines there are breeding’s that should not have happened. The results have been unsound horses. Actually born that way; nothing that happened in training or at the track.

the people who handled Alyadar had things so messed up (financially)
that the poor horse was worth more dead than alive. (I don’t think his “accident” was an “accident”)

the weights have gotten lighter since Ruffian’s day, so you can’t say that is a factor.

I love horses, they are magnificent, but I don’t watch racing live anymore. It’s to painful.
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the people who handled Alyadar

that is human stupidity and greed. the people that handled Alyadr

Answer by Sandra S.
I don’t think I’ll have enough room here so I’ll go with the most recent step forward. In March a bold move towards the uniform regulation of medication and drug testing in North American racing, the regulators of eight states in the Mid Atlantic and Northeast have committed to implement a uniform medication and drug testing program. The agreement, spearheaded by the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association represents the most dramatic change in medication regulation and testing in the last 50 years and could pave the way for national uniformity. The participating state- New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia & Massachusetts will implement the Mid Atlantic Uniform Medication Program. The Program divides medications into two new categories, Controlled Therapeutic Substances and Prohibited Substances. The Controlled Therapeutic Substances category will limit horsemen and veterinarians to 24 medications that have been recognized as appropriate for therapeutic use in racehorses to treat illness or injury. These medications were identified following intensive consultation among the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, the Association of Racing Commissioners International and the industry’s chemists and pharmacologists. These medications will each have a specific published restricted administration time and uniform laboratory detection level which, when combined, will enable the therapeutic treatment of the horse while ensuring that no pharmacologically significant residue of the medication will be present in the horse during a race. The presence of these and any other medication or drug in a sample collected from a horse will be strictly prohibited. The Controlled Therapeutic Substances are: Acepromazine, Betamethasone, Butorphanol, Clenbuterol, Dantrolene, Detomidine, Dexamethasone, Diclofenac, DMSO, Firocoxib, Flunixin, Furosemide, Glycopyrrolate, Ketoprofen, Lidocaine,Mepivacaine, Methocarbamol, Methylprednisolone, Omeprazole, Phenylbutazone, Prednisolone, Procaine Penicillin, Triamcinolone acetonide and Xylazine.

The testing laboratories of the participating states will uniformly test for these substances utilizing the same state-of-the-art technology and levels of detection. To ensure that the laboratories will be working uniformly and to the highest standard, each participating state will commit its laboratory to accreditation by the recently enacted RMTC Code of Standards for Drug Testing Laboratories.

With limited space I cannot continue. In closing, we have to understand, as unfortunate and sad as it may be, catastrophic injuries are inevitable consequences of horse racing, as it is in all difficult sports. Immediate change in America, after Ruffian’s death there has never been another match race between two horse racing champions, thank God.
Edit to try to add: I agree regarding two year olds. However, knowing the youngsters will not have developed fully when the season starts is the reason they are limited to only 5 furlong sprints until mid-May. From then the permitted race distance is increased to 6 furlongs until mid-June when it is increased to 7 furlongs. One mile races are allowed from August when most 2 year olds have developed further. This is at least a step forward. There are some respectful trainers, such as Michael Matz who are particularly skillful and take in consideration a 2 year olds needs, and especially if they are ready to race or not. Some also will give their horses a gentle introduction and have them ready to win second or third time out. Looking at the trainers records will point you to trainers to watch. A good trainer will wait. More trainers are now forced to follow suit, distance safety is in place for our youngsters where it once wasn’t. Another point to consider is how old is the horse really? This may seem strange to some, however, when we are just talking about two year olds not all two year olds are equal. All horses B’days are considered the 1st of January irrespective of the day they were actually foaled. So one 2 year old could have been born in January and another in June. There will be a tremendous difference in development between these two in terms of both strength and ability. A good trainer knows this, while those who know nothing about racing will rant. That to is worth checking the records to see the foal dates of the runners in juvenile races, at least in the early part of the season. I think more needs to be done but it’s another step forward. Some horses shouldn’t be raced at 3 or even four, a good trainer should always do the right thing. There’s greed in all sports, it doesn’t mean as individuals we should accept bad practices, we can and should seek the changes we want to see. There’s always room for improvement :).