Medication Use: A Horse Racing Fan’s Need to Know

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From thorofan.com: Many racing fans and horseplayers want to be aware of testing results and are curious about the roles that various medications have in treating our equine athletes. The quandary is that they do not know how to access that information or, if they do, find it to be loaded with scientific jargon. This predicament can result in fans and even industry participants misinterpreting the available information and developing false perceptions based on rumors and backstretch anecdotes instead of science.

When it comes to drug positives, a lot of fans depend on the few rulings that make it into the industry or mainstream media for their information. Too many logical questions are left unanswered, such as, “Is this drug potentially harmful to the horse?”, “Does this drug have any purpose in the racehorse, if so, what is it?” and “Is this drug a common therapeutic medication for horses in training?” For years, racing fans and participants have bemoaned the lack of comprehensive, easy-to-access information on medication violations.

During a meeting between RMTC Executive Director and COO Dr. Scot Waterman and the Horseplayers Association of North America (HANA), members expressed their desire for information that would help “demystify” drug positives. It became more and more apparent that a central location for these rulings should be created and made accessible to the racing and handicapping community.

http://www.thorofan.com/backend/News/csNews.cgi?database=THOROFAN_Feature-Articles.db&command=viewone&id=2&op=t

Link to RMTC Recent Rulings: http://www.rmtcnet.com/content_recentrulings.asp?sort=violation

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1. cool..thanks

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2. O'Neill plans to contest 45-day suspension

From drf.com: O’Neill was penalized after Argenta, who finished eighth in the sixth race at Del Mar on Aug. 25, 2010, tested in excess of the permitted level of total carbon dioxide, 37 millimoles.

In his decision, Imhoff concluded that Argenta had not been “milkshaked,” or given a concoction designed to boost stamina.

Furthermore, Imhoff stated that there were no suspicious betting patterns to the race and “no evidence of any intentional acts on the part of O’Neill in connection with this incident,” according to a statement released by the racing board.

“The [administrative law judge] said he found no wrongdoing,” O’Neill said. “They have said it could have been Lasix, sweat, or feed. Those are things trainers can’t control. There’s no motive. The horse didn’t win. It’s ridiculous.”

http://www.drf.com/news/oneill-plans-contest-45-day-suspension

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3. Lasix benefits horses; ban would damage Kentucky racing

From kentucky.com: By Dale Romans

As I write this, I am in New York preparing Dullahan for the prestigious Belmont stakes, the biggest race of his young career.

In prior years, I would spend maybe a week or less away from my home and family in Kentucky, but it is different now. I'm learning to adjust to life in New York. I live in a flat about the size of the living room of my home in Kentucky.

Oh sure, I am fortunate and thankful for the success I have achieved in my chosen profession as a Thoroughbred horse trainer. At the same time, I miss my family.

I believed Gov. Steve Beshear's promise while he campaigned that he would deliver on his plan to save Kentucky's signature industry with legislation that would legalize gaming in Kentucky. I encouraged friends, family and my associates in the racing industry to support him in his quest to serve a second term.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/06/12/2221067/lasix-benefits-horses-ban-would.html#storylink=cpy

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4. AGSC Restates Desire for Salix Ban in Stakes

From bloodhorse.com: In advance of an expected vote by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission June 13, the American Graded Stakes Committee reaffirmed its desire to ban all race-day medication in graded stakes for 2-year-olds.

The KHRC already has prepared a draft regulation that will be discussed and most likely voted upon. It calls for a three-year phase-out of race-day furosemide, also called Salix or Lasix, in graded and listed stakes from 2014-16.

Late in the day June 12, Marc Guilfoil, deputy executive director of the KHRC, confirmed the start date for the proposed ban was moved from Jan. 1, 2013, to Jan. 1, 2014, because of the expected lengthy regulatory approval process.

The regulation is in keeping with a KHRC proposal that would allow race-day administration of the anti-bleeding drug to all other racehorses. The Salix phase-out was discussed during a town hall meeting June 5 in the state capital.

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/70522/agsc-restates-desire-for-salix-ban-in-stakes#ixzz1xdtHhp8X

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5. NY Lawmakers Oppose Ban on Race-Day Salix

From bloodhorse.com: In a development that figures to play out in other racing states, two New York senators said June 12 the anti-bleeding medication furosemide should not be banned on race day.

The release came from Republican Sens. Jack Martins, who represents Mineola, and Roy McDonald, whose district includes Saratoga Springs. It includes a comment from the president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, which opposes a ban on furosemide, also called Salix or Lasix.

“The welfare of the racehorse should be the first and most important concern for anyone involved in the Thoroughbred racing industry,” McDonald said. “Making a change to race-day medications, specifically banning the use of Lasix to prevent exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging, could have dangerous results.

“It would be unconscionable to make any horse more vulnerable to a condition that could potentially place the horse and rider into a fatal situation.”

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/70527/ny-lawmakers-oppose-ban-on-race-day-salix#ixzz1xdtWwwaD

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6. Racing commission looking into outbreak of positives for pain-killing drug at Louisiana tracks

http://www.nola.com/horseracing/index.ssf/2012/06/racing_commission_looking_into.html

Ten horses that raced at Louisiana tracks tested positive recently for the powerful, pain-killing drug dermorphin, and the Louisiana State Racing Commission is gathering information to determine which trainers might be charged with rules violations, executive director Charlie Gardiner said Thursday.

Dermorphin is an opiod peptide – an amino acid found naturally in certain species of frogs but likely being synthetically produced for improper use in horses, said Steven Barker, a chemist who is head of the state testing laboratory at LSU.

“It’s far more potent than morphine,’’ Barker said.

There’s no legitimate use for dermorphin in racing, he said. “This drug in horses is an abuse of the horse,’’ he said. “This puts the horse’s life in danger. It puts the jockey’s life in danger. This is an attempt to cheat. This is bad stuff. This is doping.’’

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8. Horsemen: Demorphin Penalties Should Be Harsh

he National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and its affiliates said they have “zero tolerance” for trainers who use illegal Class 1 and Class 2 substances in racehorses in the wake of about 30 positives for the pain-killer Demorphin in the Southwest.

The substance, fluid from certain South American frogs, was discovered in tests at Industrial Laboratories in Colorado and later used by the Louisiana State University equine drug-testing laboratory. Demorphin is related to morphine; it can kill pain, stimulate running, and suppress the feeling of exhaustion after exercise, the National HBPA said in a June 21 release on the topic.

“Dermorphin is doping,” National HBPA chief executive officer Phil Hanrahan said. “Those who use Dermorphin should be severely punished.”

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/70715/horsemen-demorphin-penalties-should-be-harsh#ixzz1ySQNtWbr

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7. Furosemide Topic of Talkin' Horses Podcast

The controversial subject of furosemide, the anti-bleeder medication widely used in North American racing, will be the subject of the next “Talkin’ Horses with The Blood-Horse” live podcast at 2 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 26 on BloodHorse.com/TalkinHorses.

During the podcast, the medication marketed under the trade name Salix and formerly known as Lasix will be discussed by Dr. J. David Richardson and Dr. Foster Northrop. The podcast will be moderated by Tom LaMarra, news editor of The Blood-Horse magazine and BloodHorse.com, and Ron Mitchell, online managing editor at BloodHorse.com.

Richardson is chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s American Graded Stakes Committee and a member of the Breeders’ Cup board of members. The AGSC has endorsed a race-day ban on Salix in graded stakes for 2-year-olds and Breeders’ Cup intends to ban race-day Salix in its 2-year-old World Championships stakes this fall.

Richardson will be followed on the podcast by Northrop, a racetrack veterinarian and member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Northrop voted against the KHRC’s recent approval of an administrative regulation that would ban the use of furosemide on race-day in graded and listed stakes over a three-year period beginning Jan. 1, 2014

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/70711/furosemide-topic-of-talkin-horses-podcast#ixzz1ySQ1QTJT

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9. LeRoy Jolley discusses bleeders and Lasix

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10. Quest to Ban Race-Day Salix Called 'Insanity'

During a June 29 meeting that showed the battle over race-day furosemide is escalating, supporters ripped their opponents and vowed to take their case—that the medication is good for the racehorse—to the public.

It was no surprise speakers at a “Truth About Lasix” forum hosted by the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association support the anti-bleeding drug also known as Salix, but their comments clearly took the argument to a new level. They pulled no punches in their characterization of those trying to phase out or ban Salix.

The forum was held during the National HBPA convention at Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Iowa.

"One word comes to mind when I think about this, and it’s insanity," said Maggi Moss, a prominent horse owner and attorney. "I’m begging you all to get people to come forward and knock some sense into this insanity. Where is everybody? I’m incensed."

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/70918/quest-to-ban-race-day-salix-called-insanity#ixzz1zJA4uixQ