SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, July 15, 2010--The mood on the Oklahoma training track this morning was upbeat, as several of the horsemen we spoke with in the wake of the New York Racing Association’s decision to shutter the detention barn in favor of stringent new security policies with tougher penalties were happy about recent developments.

We followed up briefly with some of those same horsemen who gave us their input on a June 12 column that called for the closure of the controversial detention facility.

The good mood, however, doesn’t reflect continuing concerns about the leveling of the playing field. “You know cheaters will find a way if they want to badly enough,” said one. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” said another. “I’ve been around this place a long time.”

All the horsemen we spoke with were willing to give the new process a chance, happy that new robust testing regimens will be accompanied by equally stringent penalties that punishes cheaters who come up with “positives.” Every one were in favor of the new three strikes and you’re out policy.

Most of the procedures put in place are scheduled to commence starting July 23, opening day of the Saratoga race meet. The rules are consistent with the uniform regulations authored by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI).

Trainers of horses testing positive for Class A drug violations will face a minimum mandatory one-year disbarment from entering horses or being allocated stalls at NYRA racetracks for a first offense. A second mandatory disbarment for a second violation will last for a duration of three years. A third violation will result in permanent disbarment.

Of particular significance is the measure stating trainers serving disbarments will not be permitted to transfer their training responsibilities to family members or current employees, a common practice that has made a sham of the suspension process in the past.

According to a statement published by the NYRA, an ongoing effort to further enhance the new policies and procedures over the next 12 months will closely monitor the re-instituted procedure of allowing private veterinarians administering Lasix to horses on race day.

Further measures call for re-examining TCO2 testing policies with respect to historical TCO2 levels, assessing appropriate penalties for violators, and regular reporting on the results and impact of the elimination of the security barn to the Special Oversight Committee of the NYRA Board of Directors.

Regrettably, the NYRA missed an opportunity to list on the official track program, right alongside the trainer’s name, the name of the attending veterinarian. Some horsemen use more than one vet, but making the name of the vet available allows the betting public to track who dispenses medications when certain horses show sudden and dramatic improvement.

“The out-of-competition drug testing program combined with the new assembly barn and ‘in-today’ procedures will provide NYRA with potent tools to confront today’s challenges of detecting performance-enhancing substances and allow us to stay one step ahead of potential abusers,” said NYRA president Charlie Hayward in the release.

“The science empowering cheaters has changed since 2005 and these new procedures will ensure that NYRA’s countermeasures keep pace in order to preserve the integrity of the sport.” Racetracks have always had a difficult task trying to keep pace with Big Pharma’s R & D people. But continue trying they must.

On its face, the measures taken by NYRA more than compensate for the elimination of the detention barns--not that the barns didn’t serve some purpose. Suspected abusers left New York soon after they were instituted, or after they stopped winning with their normally dramatic regularity. Other suspected abusers who took up residence in New York, mostly during the Aqueduct sessions, left after learning it wasn’t as easy to win at 35 percent as it used to be.

The elimination of the detention barn coupled with new testing policies, procedures, and sterner penalties for violators, is the most comprehensive action we’ve seen NYRA take on any difficult issue in the modern era. For that, they are to be commended.

The proof, however, ultimately will reside in the execution of its plan, employing the fine tuning needed after noting what works and what doesn’t. Continued vigilance is not an elective. In the morass that has become New York racing, track management has devised a plan that surprisingly provides a reason to feel optimistic going forward.

In considering the sport’s survival, all have a vested interest in rooting for the contraction model put in place in New Jersey, hopefully reversing recent fortunes in the Garden State and provide the industry with a viable blueprint. At once, what happens on this side of the Hudson counts, too. If successful, real security measures taken by the NYRA will have a positive effect on the entire industry.

In matters of security and integrity, all who are tethered to the game reside in the same fox hole. Suddenly, achieving unity in this fractured sport doesn’t seem so impossible. The NYRA has done a good thing here. If it’s truly sincere about effecting change, it could once again occupy the role of true industry leader. For the time being, anyway, it appears all the dogs and ponies have been laid to rest.