BloodHorse.com | Horse Racing News

Horsemen: Put Brakes on Race-Day Salix Ban

The largest horsemen's groups in the country said they don't support a call by the Association of Racing Commissioners International for a five-year phase-out of race-day anti-bleeding medications.

TRA Supports Concept of Medication Ban

The racetrack association supports a realistic and practical approach to a proposal to ban all race-day medication in racehorses within five years.

TOBA Latest Group to Support Medication Ban

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association said April 14 it supports the recent proposal by the Association of Racing Commissioners International to develop a plan to eliminate the use of race-day medication.

Ludt New BC Chair; Support for Medication Ban

The Breeders' Cup board of directors, with Tom Ludt as its new chairman, will form a sub-committee to develop a plan to eliminate use of race-day medication--Salix and other anti-bleeding drugs--in the World Championships

Sources: Waterman Leaving Post at RMTC

Dr. Scot Waterman, executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium for almost 10 years, is leaving the post at the end of April, according to multiple industry sources.

KTA Supports, NTRA Discusses, Drug Phase-Out

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, which operate as one entity, issued a statement April 12 saying it supports a call by RCI to phase out race-day medication.

New WV Rules of Racing Take Effect July 10

An overhaul of the West Virginia rules of racing, including revisions in the area of equine medication and penalties, has passed the state legislature. The document was filed April 11 with the Secretary of State.

RCI: Phase Out Use of Drugs in Five Years

In an announcement that could meet with disagreement with some horsemen's groups and perhaps others, the Association of Racing Commissioners International has called for a five-year phase-out of equine medication in racing.

'McKinsey' Drug Report Revisited by Horsemen

As McKinsey & Company prepares for The Jockey Club a broad report on Thoroughbred racing, a horsemen's group has reviewed a medication study the company authored 20 years ago.

Proposed WV Rules Include Pre-Race Exams

The West Virginia Senate Feb. 25 passed an overhaul of the state's horse racing regulations, which include mandatory pre-race veterinary exams for horses.

Sound Advice - By Dr. Christine Orman

You can determine the 
post-career fate of a horse from day one of his
 racing career.

Read Blog

RCI Board Votes to Lower Bute Threshold

The Association of Racing Commissioners International board of directors voted Oct. 22 to lower the threshold level for phenylbutazone from five micrograms per milliliter of plasma or serum to two.

Give Bute the Boot - By Eric Mitchell

Few issues in horse racing fire up people's emotions like medication. A couple of years ago the target was anabolic steroids, and the industry reacted quickly.

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Upset Lingers Over Proposed Bute Regulation

The largest horsemen's group in the country continues to call for the racing industry to perform thorough research before it continues with its plan to lower the testing threshold for phenylbutazone.

KY Panel Approves Out-of-Competition Testing

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, operating on a tight schedule, approved a regulation Sept. 7 governing out-of-competition equine drug testing with plans to have it in place in advance of the Nov. 5-6 Breeders' Cup.

KHRC Pledges to Consider Input on Testing

Kentucky Horse Racing Commission officials acknowledged concerns about aspects of the proposed out-of-competition testing of racehorses and pledged Aug. 25 to consider the input before the regulations are approved.

Officials Cite Progress Made in Drug Testing

Laboratories that test samples for the presence of drugs in California, Delaware, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and other states have signed letters of intent to submit to accreditation.

Out-of-Competition Testing Meetings Set in KY

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has scheduled two informational sessions on proposed regulations for out-of-competition testing.

Kentucky Drug-Test Upgrade Needed for BC

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission hopes to expedite regulations for out-of-competition testing and have them in place in time for this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs.

Penn Trainer Charged After Grand Jury Probe

A Pennsylvania horse trainer was charged July 28 with trying to rig races at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course by injecting horses with performance-enhancing drugs.

Wanted: Supporters of Change in Bute Rules

Proposals to alter medication regulations will again be discussed by the National HBPA during its summer convention in July.

RMTC Acts to Reduce Potential Impact of Bute

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium has lowered the testing threshold level for phenylbutazone, a commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, but has kept the administration time at 24 hours prior to a race.

RCI Plan Targets Regulation, Drugs, Wagering

As it prepares for its annual meeting April 12-15, the Association of Racing Commissioners International has released a three-year strategic plan focusing on reforms in regulation, medication, and wagering security.

Kentucky Has New Equine Drug-Testing Contract

The company that conducts equine drug testing in Great Britain but which has not been involved in testing of horses in America has been awarded the contract to handle the testing of horses racing in Kentucky.

NY Drug-Testing Lab to Move From Cornell

New York lawmakers have given approval to move the state's equine drug-testing laboratory from Cornell University to Morrisville State College. The Senate and Assembly both approved the move March 1.

RCI Sets Agenda for April Conference

The Association of Racing Commissioners International has scheduled its annual meeting and conference for April 12-14 in Lexington.

KY Trainers Suspended for Class I Positives

Two Kentucky trainers received 180-day suspensions because their runners tested positive for the Class I substance O-desmethyltramadol, which has an analgesic effect, in 2009.

Horsemen Wary of Florida Drug Positives

At least five Florida positives for a widely-used therapeutic tranquilizer have horsemen's groups on edge.

Drug Uniformity Remains Somewhat Elusive

Though studies have been completed to determine threshold levels for almost 20 therapeutic medications, it doesn't mean the industry will know for certain whether the drugs can impact equine performance.

Can Public, Fans Understand Drug Testing?

The sensitivity of equine drug testing is a big plus for the racing industry, but it also has created confusion. How are the public and media supposed to understand when some industry participants can't make sense of it?

Perception Improves, But Work Far From Over

Positive trends in the public perception of horse racing reinforce the need for the industry to work even harder, horsemen were told Dec. 5.

McLaughlin Takes Suspensions for Trace Levels

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin will serve three concurrent 30-day suspensions handed down by the Kentucky Racing Commission for three individual medication violations, the New York-based horseman confirmed Dec. 1.

Test for Blood-Doping Agent Developed

Anti-Doping Research Inc., which oversees the non-profit Equine Drug Research Institute in California, has developed a test for CERA, a blood-doping agent.

Move Planned for New York Drug-Testing Lab

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.

All BC Equine Drug Tests Come Back Clean

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.

Class 1 Positive Brings One-Year Suspension

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.

Poll: Progress in Racing, But Long Way to Go

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.

Medication Issues Top Jockey Club Round Table

Though there are differences of opinion on what should be done next in the area of medication reform, everyone seems to agree there is a continuing problem and something should be done.

Breeders' Cup Adopts Tougher Drug Policy

Breeders' Cup has added to its medication and testing policy and increased penalties for violators for 2009.

NY May Demand Horses' Complete Vet Records

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.

Possible Change in Drug Rules Questioned

The Association of Racing Commissioners International is looking at extending the cutoff time for use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in racehorses beyond 24 hours prior to a race, but horsemen's groups claim the action is premature.

'Zero Tolerance' an Issue in Asmussen Case

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.

Horsemen, Chemist: Drug Problem Exaggerated

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.

It's a Bird Positive After Oaklawn Handicap

It's a Bird, winner of the Lone Star Handicap (gr. III) on Memorial Day, could lose the purse from his April 4 victory in the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II) as the result of a positive test for the prohibited substance naproxen, an anti-inflammatory medication.

HealthWatch: Surface Safety and Medication

3D dynamometric shoe gives insight into the biomechanical effects of diverse surfaces on the entire musculoskeletal system; Nanomedicine is a rapidly expanding field and is anticipated to have a huge impact on equine practice in the not-so-distant future.

PA to Regulate Corticosteroids as of June 1

The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission has adopted a policy whereby administration of corticosteroids in horses must be stopped seven days prior race day.

Changes Ahead for Drug-Testing Protocol

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.

Test for Steroids Shows 'Filly' a Male

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.

New Targets for Medication Regulation

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.

Mullins: NY Incident 'Honest Mistake'

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.