Debate Swirls Around Race-Day Medication The New York State Racing and Wagering Board received an overwhelming response to its call for public comment as it weighs whether to pursue a ban on race-day medication. The debate over race-day medication has focused on furosemide, a diuretic known as Lasix that has been used to treat racehorses since the 1970s. The medication stems exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, or bleeding, in their lungs. It comes a month after the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission deadlocked, 7-7, on whether to ban Lasix. The battle lines have been drawn between breeders and owners that want Lasix eliminated because they say it is unnecessary and weakening the breed. Here is an eight-page letter from Ogden Mills Phipps, the chairman of the Jockey Club, that describes the services of the Jockey Club. Trainers, on the other hand, argue that using the drug is in the best interest of the horse. Here is the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association letter to regulators and information it has distributed about Lasix. With bipartisan legislation calling for federal regulation of performance-enhancing drugs and medications as well as stiff penalties for offenders, horse racing's stakeholders are taking a hard look at their medication rules. Most countries bar the use of Lasix on race days because it improves performance. In the United States, however, virtually every horse receives it on the day of the race. Last summer at Belmont Park, experts from around the world weighed in on the subject at the International Summit on Race Day Medication, telling American horsemen that they were medicating horses that did not need it. Bill Nader, the executive director of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said its strict policies were good for business. Nader said the organization's commitment to integrity meant stiff punishments for trainers and jockeys, as well as transparency - the veterinary history of each of its horses is available to the public. Even though Hong Kong has a population of seven million and races only 83 days a year, bettors put $10.3 billion through the windows last year, almost as much as the United States. The quality of our racing is at a very high standard, our customers demand it, and horse racing is the No. 1 sport by far," said Nader, a longtime executive with the New York Racing Association. It's really quite refreshing coming from America.