Letter to the Editor: Katherine Voss

I would like to present a different opinion about the significance of Runhappy and Mongolian Saturday winning Breeders' Cup races without Lasix. Having trained horses for over 45 years (well before Lasix), I find the Breeders' Cup results confirm my belief that Lasix is not performance enhancing. Horses run faster when they don't bleed. We all know that not all horses bleed all of the time, but the reason for running everything on Lasix is preventative. I used to run all of my young horses without it until they showed signs of bleeding and one day it hit me. Why am I waiting for them to bleed? The damage from bleeding (scar tissue) is cumulative and the science (which all of us in the field already knew) has proven that Lasix reduces the occurrence and severity of bleeding.

What actually happens, I believe, is that a horse can go a little further with Lasix before bleeding starts and if that gets you to the wire before it starts, you have protected your horse. The “fact” that Lasix significantly lengthens the time it takes a horse to recover from a race is ridiculous. The body, mind and legs need a lot more time to be ready for the next race. If you manage your horse properly with electrolytes, it is not an issue. If you care about the welfare of the horse, it is far preferable to the alternative measures that have been suggested, like withholding feed and water for lengthy periods. Some of us actually remember the old days when, on a fairly regular basis, horses would come back to unsaddle with blood streaming out of their noses and splattered across their chests.

And please, stop using “eliminating Lasix” and “reducing breakdowns” in the same sentence. There is no connection.

People are free to run their horses without Lasix if they think their horse is better off, but every time they do, they are gambling (remember Rich Tapestry). On the other hand, a horse who has run without Lasix and never bled and who is fit and sound (like I hope all Breeders' Cup horses are) is at very little risk. The fact that those two horses could beat stellar fields without Lasix reaffirms my belief that Lasix is not a PED.