Dutrow Won't Testify Before House Panel

The House subcommittee on commerce, trade and consumer protection will hold a hearing this morning on thoroughbred horse racing and the welfare of its horses, but evidently without one of its star panelists, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr.

Dutrow, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes last month with Big Brown before the colt inexplicably faltered June 7 in the Belmont Stakes, was scheduled to appear as part of the first of two panels at the hearing called by subcommittee chairman Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) and ranking member Edward Whitfield (R-Ky.).

The controversial and outspoken Dutrow, cited for numerous medication violations in his career, said yesterday he decided not to appear at the hearing because of a virus he has had for several days, according to the Associated Press.

Others scheduled to appear include Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg, an outspoken opponent of the use of steroids in racehorses; California Horse Racing Board Chairman Richard Shapiro; and Jockey Club President and Chief Operating Officer Allen Marzelli.

The second panel will feature leading equine veterinarians as well as Alex Waldrop, chief executive of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

The subcommittee will examine the lack of centralized governance in horse racing, commercial breeding practices, the prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs, and the relationship between various track surfaces and mortality rates.

Of the approximately 15,000 licensed trainers in the country, 1,335 have been cited for medication rules violations in the past five years, according to figures provided to the subcommittee by the Association of Racing Commissioners International. The organization also reported that 3,035 horses from 2,427,561 starters have died in the past five years at racetracks that responded to an ARCI survey, or 0.125 deaths per start.

A release by the subcommittee suggested a lack of reform in the sport could jeopardize the benefits it receives from the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, which opened the door to off-track wagering, phone accounts and Internet wagering, all of which are illegal for other sports and gambling games.

-- John Scheinman