But many thoroughbred owners and breeders have a positive view of the synthetic surfaces, embracing the early evidence showing that they reduce fatal breakdowns substantially — from 2.3 per 1,000 starts on dirt to 1.47 per 1,000 starts on synthetic surfaces, according to preliminary data presented in March.

“We’ve been doing our due diligence for about six years … and the more we learned about these surfaces, the more we became convinced that it was the wave of the future,” said Bill Casner, chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and co-owner and chairman of WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky. , a major breeding operation that this year had two starters in the Kentucky Derby, Colonel John and Court Vision.

The divisions play out differently on the medication issue, with some owners, trainers and veterinarians arguing that the therapeutic drugs allow the horses to recover more quickly from the day-to-day aches and pains that come with racing, while handicappers and other factions of owners, trainers and vets maintain that they are used to mask illegal drugs that have no place in racing.

Racing’s leaders say they are working to gain a better understanding of the injury problem with an eye toward putting forward some solutions.

The Jockey Club, the breed registry for thoroughbred horses in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, last week announced the formation of a thoroughbred safety commission charged with examining the issues raised by Eight Belles’ death and the subsequent debate over industry practices and issuing recommendations. The Jockey Club and its associated charity, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, also have hosted two racehorse health and welfare summits since Barbaro was injured. 

“A lot has been done,” Stuart Janney III, a thoroughbred owner and breeder serving as chairman of the new panel, said Thursday. “People lose sight of the commitment that the industry has to horse safety.” 

But critics such as Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., say the industry has been unable to clean up its act, noting that it had promised to do so in regard to drug use in 1981, after congressional hearings led to calls for federal intervention.

“And look where were we are today. People who I really respect in the industry think that there’s an uneven playing field and that people are pushing the envelope on drugs. Why, even the trainer of the Kentucky Derby winner has a record of drug suspensions,” he said, referring to Big Brown’s trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr.

Whitfield said he is working with congressional Democrats in hopes of scheduling a hearing within 60 days that would focus on the racing industry and consider either imposing federal guidelines on the sport or creating a governing body for racing. The sport is currently run by dozens of state racing commissions, resulting in a patchwork of rules and regulations. 

“The incident with Eight Belles reignited discussion about the horse racing industry, but lots of breeders and owners and others have been quite upset about the state of racing and the general lack of transparency in the industry for quite some time,” he told NBCSports.com Thursday from Capitol Hill. “….No one even knows how many horses go down on the track each year. Unfortunately, the industry does not have the information to say what is going on.”

Also pushing a federal role — though for a different reason — is Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States.

He said his organization has been working with lawmakers he would not identify on legislation to create a governing body for the sport and indicated it would likely be introduced before the Belmont Stakes on June 7.

“There is an attempt to set up a central authority because self-regulation does not seem to be working well,” he said. “There are a number of lawmakers who have approached us. … I don’t want to speak for them at this point because it’s not ripe yet, but we’ve had a number of inquiries asking for our recommendations on the policy side.”

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