After nearly four decades, New York's Cornell University is moving to close its world-famous equine drug-testing laboratory. An equine science program at a state university 70 miles up the road is eagerly willing to take over, and expand, an operation vital to the state's horse industry.
18 hours ago
Officials said all blood and urine samples collected from horses that competed in the Nov. 6-7 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park have come back clean.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Trainer Dave Anderson has been suspended for one year after Reach One More tested positive for oxymorphone following his victory in the Aug. 1 Iowa Stallion Stakes at Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino.
Monday, September 21, 2009
A survey of sports fans and "core" horse racing fans indicates impressions have improved following a rough 2008, but nowhere near enough for industry officials to proclaim a turnaround.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Breeders' Cup has added to its medication and testing policy and increased penalties for violators for 2009.
Monday, August 10, 2009
State racing regulators in New York, seeking additional and timely information about medications given to racehorses, are eyeing a major crackdown on recordkeeping practices by Thoroughbred owners and trainers.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Even after an eight-hour hearing July 7, the arguments still aren't over concerning a May 2008 drug positive for one of Eclipse Award-winning trainer Steve Asmussen's horses.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said July 1 it plans to be more involved as the racing industry considers medication and drug-testing policies horsemen believe could be detrimental and counterproductive.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission has adopted a policy whereby administration of corticosteroids in horses must be stopped seven days prior race day.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium is developing protocol designed to streamline and improve equine drug-testing in the United States. And it is taking a few pages from a 1991 study that didn't gain any traction in the racing industry when it was released.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Year-and-a-half-old testing for anabolic steroids in racehorses produced some unusual results -- including the discovery of a Standardbred filly that's actually a male.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Though most racing jurisdictions in North America have greatly curtailed the use of race-day medication, two drugs commonly used in racehorses are getting a hard look from industry officials.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
On April 6, two days after Gato Go Win was scratched from the Bay Shore Stakes (gr.III) at Aqueduct because the horse's trainer, Jeff Mullins, was observed administrating an orally-injected substance to his horse in the detention barn, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board said the "matter is still in the hands" of the Aqueduct stewards.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Legislation linked to the long-delayed approval of the California state budget Feb. 20 could mean up to an additional $32 million a year for the state's beleaguered horse racing industry.
Monday, March 02, 2009
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has circulated a list of more than 15 compliance standards that could be finalized in early March and serve as the basis for accreditation in the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium board of directors Feb. 6 received an update on an anabolic steroids study, results of which will be used to set thresholds for testing in plasma.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Safety Committee said Feb. 11 it will fund a Racing Medication and Testing Consortium frozen-sample and retrospective testing program that will begin in April.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The University of Florida Racing Laboratory has been selected to handle equine drug testing for Kentucky.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Jayne Vaders, the leading trainer at Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack in 2007, lost her appeal Jan. 9 in Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania for an indefinite ban from training due to multiple drug positives.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association will discuss aftercare for racehorses, equine medication and drug-testing thresholds, and synthetic surfaces during its winter convention Jan. 30-Feb. 2 in Hollywood, Fla.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
A Kentucky lawmaker is preparing racing-related legislation with a primary goal of funding the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, equine drug testing, and supplements for purses and stakes at the state's racetracks.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
New York racing regulators have approved a final set of rules restricting the use of anabolic steroids in horse racing, effective Jan. 1, 2009.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Kentucky horse racing and breeding industries are losing ground to other states, and if immediate action is not taken to stem the tide, the state could find itself in jeopardy of losing one of its signature industries, according to a 70-plus-page document released Dec. 15 by the Governor's Task Force on the Future of Horse Racing.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Chances are many more officials in the horse racing industry support uniform regulations a lot more than they support uniform penalties -- at least beyond a literal interpretation.
Monday, December 08, 2008
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium recently prepared a list of 2009-10 goals, one of which is tackling use of corticosteroids in racehorses.
Monday, December 08, 2008
The Todd Pletcher-trained Wait a While, champion 3-year-old filly of 2006, tested positive for procaine in the $2-million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Park, it was confirmed Dec. 5 by the California Horse Racing Board. Procaine is a local anesthetic found in the antibiotic procaine penicillin G.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Using emergency regulations, the Louisiana Racing Commission has banned the use of anabolic steroids in racehorses effective Jan. 1, 2009.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
None of the horses that participated in this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships Oct. 24-25 at Santa Anita tested positive for steroids, blood-doping agents or TCO2 (bicarbonate).
Friday, November 07, 2008
The Sales Integrity Program managed by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association released data compiling the number of exogenous anabolic steroid tests and ownership registry submissions for the Fasig-Tipton, Keeneland, and Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. summer and fall yearling sales.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Legislation that would require racetracks to submit detailed daily reports on pari-mutuel handle and attendance, and various parties to submit racehorse injury reports, has been pre-filed for the 2009 session of the Kentucky General Assembly.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission postponed taking action Oct. 27 on trainer Rick Dutrow Jr.'s suspension and sent his case back to a hearing officer to gather more information.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A week after announcing a major safety and integrity initiative for horse racing, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association board of directors said it has launched a national search for an executive director to spearhead the endeavor.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A hearing officer has recommended the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission overturn a 15-day suspension given trainer Rick Dutrow for a positive clenbuterol test, but the commission has indicated it will challenge the finding.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Regulation of anabolic steroids will be in effect Jan. 1, 2009, in Ohio.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The California Horse Racing Board announced Oct. 7 that in conjunction with Breeders' Cup, it will be conducting random out-of-competition testing for horses pre-entered in the World Championships.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium is developing a five-prong plan to implement equine drug-testing standards similar to those used by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Governor's Task Force on the Future of Horse Racing hopes to have the framework for a plan to create an equine drug-testing laboratory in Kentucky in place by the end of this year.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Gov. Steve Beshear has made new appointments to the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council, which advises the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on equine drug-testing and research.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
During a three-hour meeting of the Governor's Task Force on the Future of Horse Racing Sept. 19, the harsh reality of the lack of funding and staffing for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission was brought to light.
Friday, September 19, 2008
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association hopes to have a long-term implementation plan for uniform equine health and safety measures in place within 30 days.
Friday, September 12, 2008
William S. Farish Jr. was unanimously re-elected as Breeders' Cup chairman, and R.D. Hubbard selected as vice chairman, during the third-quarter meeting of the Breeders' Cup board of directors Sept. 5.
Friday, September 12, 2008
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission voted unanimously Aug. 25 to ban the use of anabolic steroids in racehorses, and the rules could be in place the first week of September should Gov. Steve Beshear sign an emergency regulation as expected.
Monday, August 25, 2008
The horseracing industry will continue with a serious push to enact reforms related to equine safety and drug testing, officials indicated Aug. 17 during and after The Jockey Club Round Table in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council has adopted a recommended ban on anabolic steroids that is classified as the "toughest in the country" by the panel's chairman.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush, chairman of the congressional subcommittee that held a June 19 hearing on the Thoroughbred racing industry, has questioned the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's decision to suspend trainer Rick Dutrow only 15 days for a clenbuterol positive.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
A subcommittee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has unanimously recommended that anabolic steroids be banned in horse racing in the state.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The 2008 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale marked the first sale in which the auction company offered buyers the opportunity to have their horses tested for exogenous anabolic steroids.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Kentucky racing officials said they intend on having regulations for use of anabolic steroids in racehorses in place as quickly as possible, but discussion and research are still needed.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Bruce Levine, the leading trainer at Monmouth Park, had his entire stable of 41 horses tested for erythropoietin, commonly known as EPO, by a New Jersey state veterinarian who made a surprise visit to Levine's Monmouth barn June 24 at the request of the New Jersey Racing Commission.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Trainer Steve Asmussen was notified June 26 that a horse in his care tested positive for the Class 2 substance lidocaine following a May 10 maiden special weight race at Lone Star Park, and his lawyer said Asmussen would fight the charge.
Thursday, June 26, 2008