Bramlage: Lasix Good, but Must Go

by Lucas Marquardt
The Thoroughbred Club of America’s annual Honor Guest Testimonial dinner has often provided a platform for those looking to make strong statements, and Sunday night’s 83rd renewal was no exception. Held at the Keeneland Entertainment Center, the dinner honored three longtime and respected veterinarians: Dr. Larry Bramlage, Dr. Edward Hagyard Fallon, and Dr. A. Gary Lavin. Bramlage, often the on-call vet for the Triple Crown races and arguably the most recognized equine specialists in the country, didn’t pull any punches when addressing the thorny issue of furosemide (commonly referred to as Lasix). During a lively speech, Bramlage called for the elimination of the diuretic on raceday, despite believing the horse benefits from its administration. 
“Let there be no doubt about what I am saying,” Bramlage stated. “I believe furosemide is valuable to the horse when racing. But there are too many reasons we can’t keep it. The general public can’t understand it, and the continual drumbeat of journalists, most of whom truly have no idea of what they are talking about, will become a death knell if we don’t stop it. The connotation that has been created is unsavory to the general public, because they can’t discriminate between furosemide and cocaine. They just read the headline ‘raceday medication,’ and feel racing is proving itself 
unsavory, if not dishonest, again.” 
Bramlage continued, “Other racing countries won’t let up emphasizing that they have no raceday medication, and overseas yearling consignors aren’t going to give up the newly found marketing advantage of their bloodstock being so-called ‘drug free.’ So, I think the horse, and we connections, will have to go back to racing without furosemide’s help. Racing survived 100 years without it, we can do it again, though it will cost horsemen more money and be terminal to some horses careers to do without it.” 
Taking on the medication issue writ large, Bramlage also called on all industry participants to embrace uniformity. “We must remove the sometimes deserved and sometimes illusory target from squarely on our chest,” he said. “I don’t care if your ‘alphabet organization’ doesn’t like one or two items of the framework of nationwide uniform medication. You 
you can’t afford to oppose it any longer.” 
Bramlage was being recognized for his contributions to veterinary care, particularly in the field of orthopedic surgery. One of Bramlage’s most famous patients was Personal Ensign, who, following surgery at two to repair a fracture to her left hind pastern, went on to become an undefeated Breeders’ Cup champion. For a full transcript of Bramlage’s speech, click here. 
Preceding Bramlage at the podium were two living legends of equine medicine. Dr. Ed Hagyard Fallon hails from the esteemed an esteemed family of veterinarians who founded the hospital now known as Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. Fallon, according to the TCA, “was instrumental in bringing about an era of increased efficiency in broodmare management. He utilized and promoted such scientific developments as ovarian palpation to determine pregnancy in mares and use of artificial lighting to stimulate estrous cycles.” 
Fallon said that while he worked a great deal with mares, he’s most often asked about the stallions he’s 
been around. “They’ve included some truly great racehorses,” he said. “Mr. John Galbraith asked me to assist in bringing Ribot from Europe to the United States. I remember when Ribot was on the ramp and about to board the plane, a groom who was also accompanying him bumped his head on the ceiling above the open door. Ribot saw that, and ducked his head and walked right through. Ribot had a reputation for having a terrible temperament, but he was nice to me…maybe only to me!” 
Of Affirmed, the 1978 Triple Crown winner, Fallon said, “[He] was a very kind horse. If he stepped on your toe, he’d all but apologize.” For a full transcript of Fallon’s speech, click here. 
Dr. A. Gary Lavin, son of the well-known racing secretary Allan Lavin, was a long-time practitioner and surgeon on the race track. His honors included being named a Distinguished Life Member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, and his designation as a Distinguished Practitioner of the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners. Lavin and his family operate Longfield Farm in Goshen, KY. Lavin’s wife, Betsy, serves on the Kentucky Racing Commission, and their sons are involved in bloodstock agency and equine insurance. 
In his address, Lavin noted how much has changed since he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. “As a senior, I had written my thesis on laryngeal hemiplegia; you know it as one-sided paralysis of the larynx. The 
best paper on the subject, at the time, had been published in 1892! To give you a sense of 1962, my class of 41 seniors made a field trip that spring to the Hanover Shoe Farm, the largest Standardbred breeding farm in the country. Our two female classmates, weeks 
from being licensed veterinarians, were not allowed in the breeding shed. And so I became Doc Lavin, with a three-foot-long metal instrument the width of a ball point pen called an endoscope, connected with wire to four flashlight batteries to confirm a suspected laryngeal paralysis. Unreliable tranquilizers made the exam just that much more of a challenge.” 
Lavin noted that not all the change he’s seen has been for the better. “The medication rules in Kentucky at the time were quite simple: no stimulants, no depressants, no local anesthetics, or any product that interfered in the testing laboratory. Therefore, in the avalanche of steroids, hormones, and synthetic medications, the use of these products became extremely popular. Used properly, and I emphasize properly, they were therapeutic in purpose and very effective as such. The abuse of the same became a serious burden on the industry.” 
Like Bramlage, Lavin said that stiff penalties should be levied against rule breakers. “With interstate wagering, a positive test for banned substances should be subject to federal prosecution,” he said. “Swift results and severe penalties most certainly would be a monumental deterrent.” For a full transcript of Lavin’s speech, click here. 
For over 83 years, The Thoroughbred Club of America Annual Testimonial Dinner has honored persons who have rendered distinguished service to the sport of Thoroughbred racing. 

Letters to the Editor… 
WHOA congratulates Dr. Larry Bramlage and Dr. Gary Lavin for being honored by the Thoroughbred Club of America and for using that opportunity to speak out publicly about banning race-day medication and Lasix in particular. The WHOA members have great respect for them and any other veterinarians who put the good of the horse and the industry above their own personal gain. We are all in this together and it is uplifting and heartening to read about their stance. The entire success or failure of our industry depends upon one thing alone: the betting dollar, which is wagered by one entity: the fans. 
If the fans lose confidence in our industry and cease to bet (the McKinsey Report says that is precisely what is happening), then all of those nice mares and stallions out there will be of little monetary value. Hundreds of thousands of people will lose their jobs; a wonderful industry will close its doors… barn doors on the farms, doors at the race tracks, and doors at the veterinary clinics. We will all be out of business. 
Congratulations Larry and Gary for taking a stand and pushing for change. 
–Arthur Hancock, Water Hay Oats Alliance