Press Release

Animal Wellness Says California Horse Racing Board Decision Relating to Triple Crown winner Justify Amounts to an Industry and Regulatory Cover-Up

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Today, on the heels of the California Horse Racing Board’s decision Tuesday to deny further investigation into the controversial doping scandal related to 2018 Triple Crown Winner, Justify and the Santa Anita Derby, the Animal Wellness Foundation and Animal Wellness Action issued the following statement from Animal Wellness Action executive director Marty Irby:

“Justify’s infraction could have excluded him from Triple Crown races because of illegal substances in his system. The Triple Crown win may not have been warranted.  Yet the California Horse Racing Board refuses to admit it acted inappropriately by not announcing this violation.  What’s more, it’s denied a conflict of interest even though its chairman does business with the key trainer involved.

“Horse racing, more than ever, needs independent national oversight, and that’s exactly what the Horseracing Integrity Act would do by placing drug testing under the purview of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Denial of further investigation into the potential corruption in California  continues to drag down the industry and compromise the welfare of the horses – Congress should intervene.”

Click here for today’s online release. 

Click here for Animal Wellness’ previous release on the matter.

The Animal Wellness Foundation (Foundation) is a Los Angeles-based private charitable organization with a mission of helping animals by making veterinary care available to everyone with a pet, regardless of economic ability. We organize rescue efforts and medical services for dogs and cats in need and help homeless pets find a loving caregiver. We are advocates for getting veterinarians to the front lines of the animal welfare movement; promoting responsible pet ownership; and vaccinating animals against infectious diseases such as distemper. We also support policies that prevent animal cruelty and that alleviate suffering. We believe helping animals helps us all.

Animal Wellness Action (Action) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty. We champion causes that alleviate the suffering of companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife. We advocate for policies to stop dogfighting and cockfighting and other forms of malicious cruelty and to confront factory farming and other systemic forms of animal exploitation. To prevent cruelty, we promote enacting good public policies and we work to enforce those policies. To enact good laws, we must elect good lawmakers, and that’s why we remind voters which candidates care about our issues and which ones don’t. We believe helping animals helps us all.

Animal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) whose mission is to help animals by promoting laws and regulations at federal, state and local levels that forbid cruelty to all animals. The group also works to enforce existing anti-cruelty and wildlife protection laws. Animal Wellness Action believes helping animals helps us all. Twitter: @AWAction_News

Animal Wellness Foundation is a Los Angeles-based private charitable organization with a mission of helping animals by making veterinary care available to everyone with a pet, regardless of economic ability. We organize rescue efforts and medical services for dogs and cats in need and help homeless pets find a loving caregiver. We are advocates for getting veterinarians to the front lines of the animal welfare movement; promoting responsible pet ownership; and vaccinating animals against infectious diseases such as distemper. We also support policies that prevent animal cruelty and that alleviate suffering. We believe helping animals helps us all.