( CNN ) -- The Kentucky Derby resides on a summit of high-society pomp . But with the clink of champagne glasses , the flutter of feather-bedecked sunhats and the drumming clomp of purebred hooves just weeks away , animal rights advocates may have turned over a rock , revealing an alleged equine hell beneath it . Injured horses compete under peak demands , PETA said . It alleges they are doped against the excruciating pain of worn-out joints , hooves with holes and bleeding lungs . Their handling and training are so grueling , prized chargers drop dead before making it to the racetrack , People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said . The group targeted one of America 's top horse trainers , Steve Asmussen , and his main assistant , Scott Blasi , in a monthslong undercover operation that included video recorded clandestinely . Though the sting singled out the two men , the group said what it found is `` standard practice '' in the horse racing industry , where `` death and injuries are business as usual . '' But an attorney representing Asmussen and Blasi said `` the PETA piece is sensationalism . '' Ugly video . PETA backs its allegations with a lengthy report and hidden camera video that the activists posted to YouTube on Wednesday . The images of alleged doping are grueling . They are matched by what appears to be incriminating conversations -- laden with profanity -- with workers who appear disgusted by the suffering of the animals . The videos are edited . Racehorses receive so much medication that they are often called `` chemical horses , '' PETA said . Horses in Asmussen 's care received a thyroid drug to `` speed up metabolism , '' muscle relaxants , sedatives and the diuretic Lasix to prevent lung bleeds during overexertion , the group alleges . It did not say whether the treatments were legal or customary . But the group said one of Asmussen 's primary veterinarians at New York 's Saratoga Race Course said `` basically all '' horses trained by Asmussen are given Lasix . PETA has a reputation for a sometimes puritanical approach to animal rights and protection , and it advocates a vegan lifestyle . The group said it has filed 10 complaints against Asmussen and others working with him in Kentucky and New York . Authorities in those two states are taking the allegations seriously . The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the New York State Gaming Commission have opened investigations based on the undercover operation . `` The behavior depicted in the undercover video and supporting materials is disturbing and disgusting , '' said veterinarian Scott Palmer of the Gaming Commission . Animal welfare activists : Horse racing industry needs reform . Reserving comment . Clark Brewster , the attorney representing Asmussen and Blasi , said PETA 's effort `` has little to do with true accusation of wrongdoing and everything to do with condemning the horse racing industry as a whole . '' `` PETA seems to suggest in some of the videos that somehow the horses were mistreated , '' Brewster said . `` But if you watch the video where claims of anything improper occurred , it was in front of some of the finest equine vets in the industry . It 's impossible to blame the trainers . '' The attorney also said the group edited the piece `` to show the most sensational parts . '' PETA also accused Asmussen of paying less than minimum wage and hiring undocumented workers . Everything that the trainer did is standard practice in the sport and done under veterinarians ' guidance , said Brewster . The recordings and allegations tarnish the shine of two of the country 's top horse racetracks . PETA said its activist obtained access to Asmussen by going to work for him , and made the recordings from April to August 2013 at the Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville , Kentucky -- the home of the Derby -- and at New York 's Saratoga Race Course . The National Thoroughbred Racing Association -- which describes itself as a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests -- notes there are n't yet uniform rules in the sport to regulate the administering of medication , or enforcement of existing rules and laboratory testing , though there is a movement to make such blanket rules . As to Lasix , for example , a report by a Lexington , Kentucky , lab director Richard Sams pointed out several racing commissions had once banned it only to reverse that position in the mid-1990s . The NTRA said there has been `` significant progress '' toward a program that has been or is set to be adopted in 14 states -- including Kentucky and New York -- approving regulated administration of Lasix by third-party veterinarians or technicians . The New York Racing Association , which conducts racing at the Saratoga Race Course , said it was concerned about the allegations brought to the Gaming Commission . `` The New York Racing Association takes the health and well-being of its equine athletes very seriously , '' the group said . `` We pledge to continue to work in partnership with the Gaming Commission and all industry stakeholders to promote the safety , integrity and transparency of our racing . '' Churchill Downs issued a statement expressing concerns about the health of horses . `` This has always been a topic of great importance to us , and we 've made long-term and far-reaching commitments to incorporate health and wellness measures for every race , every day , '' it said . The racetrack describes the Kentucky Derby as `` the greatest two minutes in sports . '' Former racehorses get a second chance at life . CNN 's Greg Botelho contributed to this report .
A PETA piece about one of America 's top horse trainers . Covert recordings of grueling images , apparently private conversations . The animal rights group is known for its purist approach to animal welfare . Attorney for accused trainer says ` ` the PETA report is ' ''