PETA Statement, re: Trainers Propose Phase-Out of Race-day Medication, Lasix

For Immediate Release:
August 1, 2014

PETA supports the proposal by leading trainers to phase out race-day medications, beginning with banning Lasix for 2-year-old Thoroughbreds in 2015 and ending Lasix use for horses of all ages in 2016. As PETA’s recent investigation revealed, Lasix, a  dangerous diuretic that is used to lessen the effects of pulmonary bleeding, is often used to gain an advantage rather than for valid medical reasons, because it makes horses lighter and faster. We urge the trainers who back this proposal, including Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott, and D. Wayne Lukas, to turn the proposal into action by being the first to dump Lasix in the trash can, where it belongs.

Attributed to PETA Senior Vice President, Kathy Guillermo