Recent catastrophic breakdowns of high-profile racehorses have brought negative attention to the industry, culminating in a congressional inquiry that begins today.

Virginia racing has tried to be proactive since Colonial Downs opened in 1997. The New Kent Country track initially banned use of all anabolic steroids and restricts the use of specific shoes.

Horseracing, however, does not have a strong national governing body to enforce regulations from track to track and across state lines. So in response to public outcry, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection scheduled today's hearing.

Congress is acting under threat of the Interstate Horse Racing act, which allows off-track betting. Almost 90 percent of the $15.4 billion bet on Thoroughbred racing in 2007 came from simulcasting.

The racing industry reacted promptly to potential government oversight. Tuesday night, a committee formed by the Jockey Club -- the registry for Thoroughbreds in North America -- released its recommendations. Iain Woolnough, vice president and general manager of Colonial Downs, hopes that between the panel of invited speakers and the committee recommendations, the federal government won't become more deeply involved.

"It may come out right now with Congressional hearings, it may be somewhere where you get a federal mandate," Woolnough said. "That's what you really don't want to have. . . . It's a definite concern. Then they're going to come in, and I'm not sure they understand all the issues. Horsemen and the racetrack do understand the issues. Therefore, I think they should be the ones that make those decisions."

There were three initial recommendations to improve conditions, although the group will present an update. Use of anabolic steroids in horses in racing or training would be banned. Traction devices on horseshoes, particularly toe grabs -- basically a rim on the underside of the shoe something like a curved cleat -- would have to be shorter than 2 millimeters. A broader, slightly shorter "humane" crop already in use in England and by U.S. steeplechase riders would become the norm.

When it opened, Colonial Downs attempted to ban all anabolic steroids. However, according to Virginia Racing Commission veterinarian Dr. Rich Harden, the original laboratory used for analysis did not actually test for steroids.

When the track switched to a different laboratory, officials were able to test for elevated levels of naturally occurring substances. But surrounding tracks did not prohibit or restrict anabolic steroid use. In 2007, the rules were relaxed to permit four relatively common anabolic steroids.

"We found ourselves in a real pickle," Harden said. " . . . For the 2007 season, we were facing a situation that all of the adjoining states, for Thoroughbred racing, permitted steroid use. And so we would have been the only kid on the block with an eight-week Thoroughbred meet where we were prohibiting them, and it would have killed our attendance. We just would not have horses come in here from Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania . . . because we prohibited steroids and they all raced on them up there."

Racing commissions in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, as well as Virginia have since agreed to implement uniform rules. A $20,000 budget was set aside to offer free prerace testing to trainers, but more than a week into the season, no trainer has taken advantage of the service.

Since the track opened toe grabs have been prohibited on the turf courses for which Colonial Downs is most popular. Toe grabs used on dirt are limited to 4 millimeters. A dramatic 1997 study by U.C. Davis indicated that toe grabs were present in more than 90-percent of all catastrophic breakdowns in race horses.

Colonial Downs officials hope to be at the forefront of proposed changes. Frank Petramalo, Jr., executive director of the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, announced yesterday he had ordered a dozen of the humane crops. Officials were enthusiastic about track riders being among the first flat jockeys in this country to test the equipment.

"I would certainly say that we're patterning our rules off of the trend we see coming," Harden said. "So we want to be part of that first wave."