Seth Hancock Discusses Race-Day Medication & The Thoroughbred Breed

[@juliehertz8768]

I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED SETH HANCOCK, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF SECRETARIAT BUT FOR WHAT HE STANDS FOR. HATS OF AND TONS OF RESPECT FOR SETH.

[@patriciaadams3010]

Amen, Mr. Hancock.

[@711ATOM]

Thank you for posting this interview. While I have read Mr. Hancock's writings on this matter so was already familiar with his view, hearing him speak clearly on the subject was heartening. With Mr. Peter Willmott's election to the chairmanship of TOBA (The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, of which Mr. Hancock is vice chairman) on Aug. 10, 2011, I am hoping that the momentum has finally turned and we will see eventually see meaningful reform.

[@SmittyCat3]

Bring back old time hockey... Eddie Shore...! No seriously Mr. Hancock I agree with you and your mentor Woody Stevens. I hope people will listen and start thinking about the future in longer terms than tomorrow or the next day. Thanks for speaking out.

[@kwgrid]

I agree. Good breeding. Good care. Good training. No drugs for performance.

[@paulyarek]

I was impressed with Seth during the syndication of Secretariat

[@kwgrid]

If a horse experiences bleeding during a race, that tells me it's a breeding problem. Lasix has been approved in most places. So be it. But if I had a stallion or a mare and was looking to breed to an outstanding runner, whether or not they required Lasix would be on my checklist. And also whether or not they needed joint therapy with cortisone or hyaluronic acid. I don't care how good they are. I would not breed to that horse. That's just me, I suppose.

[@georgesouthwick7000]

You are absolutely correct.

[@marinagallant1847]

I really don't like medication for these racers. Secretariat was pure

[@georgesouthwick7000]

If Lasix was not allowed, in a few generations, horses with bleeding problems would disappear because the trait would be bred out. Simply put, just don’t breed to horses that are bleeders.

[@jthomas99yt]

Could Lasix be the ONLY reason f'or the change in race schedules? I've heard that horses are not bred for stamina anymore, that training methods have changed, a whole complex of reasons. Would banning Lasix compensate for other trends? In the claiming ranks horses still race back to back. Are they on Lasix? Why are they able to carry a heavy racing schedule while "quality" horses don't. Is there a different racing philosophy with quality horses? I'm not disagreeing I'm just trying to understand.

[@onion6foot]

Good points. I gave extra care to a well bred offtrack mare for several years. She had been raced a lot. Could barely walk at age 13. Another casualty.

[@lired70]

I agree with Seth Hancock, but I am a bit cloudy about what he thinks Lasix does. I do know it is used in horses that are bleeders. A race horse's blood pressure goes up 4X's the norm when racing. Some horses experience bleeding in the lungs, which results of blood coming out of their nose. Lasix, is a diuretic, which makes the horse pee like a race horse. We have all heard that expression. Now, give a bleeder Lasix about 4 hours before a race, the horse will pee out about 10 to 20 pounds of urine! Ah, this makes him lighter! That is where the doping with Lasix is wrong. Well I guess if a bleeder can be lighter, so can a non bleeder? Bingo if you can relieve a horse of 20 pounds! These horses that are given Lasix, are not allowed water 4 hours prior to the race. Why? They can regain the weight! I have to take Lasix! Why? Not for a blood pressure problem or weight problem, I have Lupus. I don't bleed out, I can just simply wake up without any warning and have 15 pounds of water bloat. My feet swell and legs. So I am grateful for the drug which can knock the water retention off in about 3-5 days. Do I think it is good to give a horse Lasix who doesn't need it? Absolutely not! It is not an addictive drug, not a steroid or a narcotic! If they bred horses the right way today, forget artificial insemination and trying to genetically change a stallion, we would see a huge swing in horses that we can be proud of again! As my dad always said, oats and hay! I agree, I am old school when it comes to breeding any animal! Thank you Seth Hancock for all that you have contributed to horse racing. I love the way you think!

[@juniorjohnson5961]

I've always wondered why they haven't started cloning the great horses , I've read they do that with Polo horses .

[@lired70]

@@juniorjohnson5961 Junior, I do know that they clone Polo horses. Imagine cloning Secretariat. He would keep winning. Betting would probably be destroyed! So many facts to be digested.

[@juniorjohnson5961]

@@lired70 Even if they didn't race him to be able to see what he looked like would be a treat .

[@lired70]

@@juniorjohnson5961 Junior, it would be a treat! However, he is the one and only equine who crushed the Triple Crown! One would have to consider the fact that he suffered from Laminitis. The pain he endured had to be excruciating! I could never see a clone suffer like Secretariat did. His legacy will live forever. He and Ronnie Turcott changed racing history forever!

[@juniorjohnson5961]

@@lired70 Treatment for laminitis has come a long way but I'm not shure cloning is the right thing to do it was just a thought I had . Thank You for responding 🙏

[@WellConditioned]

I have to disagree with Seth on this. Lasix is a medication that helps prevent bleeding, bute is an anti-inflammatory. While one could argue these are performance enhancing medications, they are far from what a lot of trainers use to enhance performance. What is destroying the sport in the constant injecting of joints with cortisone and hyaluronic acid. While there is a time and a place to do so, it has been abused by many trainers and vastly shortens the horses' careers.

[@marinagallant1847]

Winning as a doped-up horse isn't real

[@chirelle.alanalooney8609]

What you said doesn't make any sense. It is real, if they are doped up.

[@ratherrapid]

doubtful i have listened to anything more illogical on the topic. what would starts per horse be without lasix?

[@slide_drexler]

Part of this problem IS greed. Owners nowadays think nothing but cashing in after their horse wins a couple of Grade Ones and off to the Stud Farm with their horse. Case in point: Flightline. 6 starts in 2 years! And they pegged his Stud Fee at $200K a cover! GTFOH.