Letter from Gary Biszantz

In Response to Dr. Gary Priest’ s letter joining the Water Hay Oats Alliance (4/20/15):

GARY BISZANTZ, COBRA FARM:

Thank you Dr. Gary Priest for your excellent assessment of the major problem confronting American
racing, the excessive and often unwarranted use of therapeutic medication used and allowed to be used
on or very close to race day.

In 2002, I spoke to this problem at The Jockey Club Round Table Conference in Saratoga Springs and we
are still struggling to correct the error that was accepted in belief that increased use of therapeutic
drugs would improve racing in America. I have always believed the opposite occurred, including weakening of
the breed and performance enhancing drugs creating an un-level playing field. I suggest federal legislation could be helpful, and I am more convinced of that today.

Therapeutic medication should always be administered to help horses recover from an illness or injury, but it should never have been the formula to race on. Advances in veterinary diagnostic treatments should allow the racetrack veterinary community to re-think its current methods of selling and injecting drugs. Proper diagnostic analysis allows the vet to offer treatments that treat the cause, not the symptoms, and allows the horse to recover and be sound to enter and race clear of drugs. Vets should consider charging for their time to diagnose an injury thereby possibly reducing the need for extremely expensive drugs in lieu of rest.

As Dr. Priest so accurately reports, track vets make their living by selling drugs and injecting drugs. The current model is not in the best interest of racing, best interest of the horse or the perceived opinion of American racing by both our fans and foreign countries. The current vet model is wrong and all owners of
horses should eagerly support the water, hay, and oats movement and the affiliation with USADA, the
independent oversight organization that runs the antidoping programs for U.S. Olympic and other athletes.

As an industry in America, too many years have gone by with lots of talk and not much action. We got it
wrong when Lasix was approved and the definition of therapeutic was re-written.

Thank you again Dr. Priest. It is enlightening and encouraging that someone with your experience sees
the light. I urge every Thoroughbred owner in America to support and join WHOA, the water, hay, and oats
movement and support USADA to help us improve both our quality of racing and our perceived integrity by the world at large.