It's About Time

[TJ]

California will implement the first Anabolic Steroid Free Breeders Cup in 2008. They are also considering allowing horses to run barefoot. This should knock out a lot of business for the Vets, Drug Company's and Blacksmiths. It's about time :>) TJ
Here is the story from Bloodhorse:

CHRB to Tackle Steroid-Free Cup
by Jack Shinar
Date Posted: November 29, 2007
Last Updated: November 29, 2007

The California Horse Racing Board is planning for the first anabolic steroid-free Breeders' Cup World Championships in 2008 at Santa Anita Park.

The commission's medication committee -- consisting of board chairman Richard Shapiro and vice chairman John Harris -- is recommending rule changes that would add the four most commonly used anabolic steroids in horses to the list of drug substances it can sample in official urine tests. The full board will examine the committee's recommendation at its meeting Nov. 29 at the University of California-Davis.

"The Breeders' Cup is very much in support of this," said Dr. Rick Arthur, the CHRB's equine medical director.

Testing approval is just one step in the process. The board also plans to move these four anabolic steroids into the Class 3 level, which carries penalties such as purse disqualification and suspension. They are currently categorized in Class 4, punishable by a warning.

Arthur said he hopes to have all the necessary rule changes covering anabolic steroids at the Oak Tree Racing Association's Breeders' Cup in place by July. The 2008 Breeders' Cup will be held Oct. 24-25.

Recommended allowable levels in urine tests would ensure that competing horses are as anabolic steroid-free as possible, according to Arthur. The anabolic steroids that would be affected by the restrictions are Stanozolol (one nanogram per millimeter of urine), Nandrolone (one nanogram for fillies, mares and geldings and 45 nanograms for males), Boldenone (15 nanograms in males other than geldings) and Testosterone (55 nanograms in fillies and mares and 20 nanograms for geldings). The latter would be allowed at any level in non-gelded males.

The proposal is based on the Racing Medication Testing Consortium and Racing Commissioner International anabolic steroid model rules. Additional allowable levels would have to be adopted if the board wishes to test for anabolic steroids through blood samples, acknowledged as being more accurate than urine.

Arthur said withdrawal times have not been established for horses under anabolic steroid treatment, but suggested that two months would be a conservative estimate.

"The effort here is to regulate anabolic steroids rather than to prohibit them," Arthur said. "We may do that, but anabolic steroids are widely used in horse racing. This is a way to ease the industry to this particular step."

Added Harris, "One challenge is to get the word out so people can change their regimens."

With the Breeders' Cup less than a year away, California racing expects many horses from throughout the world. Anabolic steroids have been banned overseas, in some cases for decades.

"The international community is way ahead on this one," Arthur said.

More than 40 other anabolic steroids are considered Class 3 substances in California. Designer steroids such as Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) are Class 1.

The committee also voiced its concerns about regulating anabolic steroid use at the state's horse sales.

"It's one of the most pressing issues that we're dealing with today," Shapiro said.

In other business, the committee recommended that the CHRB consider allowing horses to race unshod, a change reflecting the synthetic track era. "Horses who race unshod actually may have stronger hooves," Arthur said. "With the move to synthetic tracks, I think it makes a lot of sense."
Copyright © 2007 The Blood-Horse, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[ruaff]

Saw something similar for PA too on the bloodhorse website.

I also read in a newsletter where PA is no longer allowing Amicar - and cut the withdrawl time on Clenbuturol from 72 hours to 24 hours.

[Tucumcari]

Interesting as Clen has anabolic properties.... will we see a rise in use as a result?

[Tiz]

This is a good day for racing. Now on to other racing jurisdictions, and other drugs.
Thank you PA & CA racing commissioners. This is definitely a move in the right direction.

[TJ]

Interesting as Clen has anabolic properties.... will we see a rise in use as a result?

Hi Tuc,
If there is a rise in the use of Clen with all it is used now, they're gonna be able to drive cars through horses airways :>) At least it's monitored and they have race day WD times established, hopefully they will make that tougher too. TJ

[Bunty Lawless]

Interesting as Clen has anabolic properties.... will we see a rise in use as a result?

Exactly. It also has appetite suppressant qualities, which means it probably also makes a horse more hyper and less able to retain water.

Clenbuterol is said to be along the lines of Phen-Phen in its dangers, at least to humans. This means it strains the heart and is probably very much like getting more Lasix than allowed.

Pros
• Used to treat asthma
• Limited product information
• Similar to Epherdra

Cons
• Doesn’t contain Advantra-Z ®
• No free trial
• Possible dangerous side-effects
• Clenbuterol is banned for use by professional athletes

Products Formula
According to the online information about Clenbuterol, it is a supplement that elicits a response that is very similar to Ephendrine. The websites selling Clenbuterol claim that it was designed as a bronchodilator that may provide relief for people with asthma. However, these websites also promote the thermogenic compounds in Clenbuterol, and tout its ability to “increase energy and decrease fat.”

Formula In Depth Clenbuterol and its marketing scheme seem very suspicious. The side effects related to Ephendrine have been widely publicized, so we have to wonder why anyone would want to potentially risk their health by using a product like Clenbuterol that claims to mimic those effects. Clenbuterol is reported to stimulate the central nervous system and raise blood pressure, which may be a strain to the cardiovascular system. Warnings about Clenbuterol also suggest that prolonged use may lead to arrhythmia and cardiac arrest.

More Clenbuterol info verifying anabolic and other performance enhancing qualities can be found here: http://www.ask.com/web?qsrc=167&o=0&l=d ... ol&search=

[winds]

PA cut the withdrawl time from 72 hrs to 24 hrs? That makes no sense, why? The horses will still have all the help that Clen gives, now even trainers that didn't use Clen are now going to use it because they won't want to lose. This is the same mentality with lasix.

Even if my horse doesn't need lasix I don't want to lose if my horse "does" bleed. So, they get a vet to check after a work and if there is a trace amount of blood, they give the horse lasix.

Have you ever seen what clen does to a horse when it's first treated? Have you ever seen how much a horse pees after given lasix?

I don't think anyone would want to put themselves through this if they didn't need the treatment. I have to take lasix to help in keeping my blood pressure down and I curse every day when I have to run to the bathroom multiple times and I'm on a low dosage. Has it changed me? Yes.

I've administered I don't know how much clen, to horses that actually needed it and to those that didn't. I worked in a barn where every horse was given clen, every horse in a 60+ racing stable. Now how in the hell can 60+ horses need clen? They can't ! But now in PA, just about every horse that runs in PA will have clen in it's system.

That ruling needs to go back to 72 hours.

winds

[Tucumcari]

Also how many trainers with bad clen tests will now refute their bad test under the new rule... they are basically saying go ahead and use it. I use it. I am asthmatic. I don't always have an inhaler handy. It stays in my system a long time and it helps me with any physical activity, I breathe better and last longer. I have "old" lungs and they are suddenly useful for an extended period of time. Stuff sure works.

[ruaff]

I agree all.
I read, re-read and read again that statement. Really couldn't believe it.

The PHBA news letter I received in the mail had this statement - anyone else receive it? It's the first one I've EVER received and I've been a licensed owner at Penn Nat and Philly since 2004 (Philly has their own publication that I receive monthly, I think).

The paragraph where the Amicar / Clen statements are made also references a possible anabolic steroid ban - but in a wonderful piece of proofreading the statement was cut off mid sentence. The reason for the changes was cited as studies conducted by New Bolton Center.

[winds]

I just find the new ruling absurd. I hope they rethink this.

winds

[Bunty Lawless]

Have you ever seen what clen does to a horse when it's first treated?

I haven't. Can you elaborate please?

[Rokeby Forever]

Have you ever seen what clen does to a horse when it's first treated?

I haven't. Can you elaborate please?

You mean when a horse drips more than if it just stepped out of a bathtub?

[winds]

It was the dead of winter, the wind was whipping the snow around, we had just had a blizzard 4 days earlier. The temps were in the teens, I walked up to a horse that shipped in the afternoon before from the farm. He was a just turned 3 yr old, never run before and his name was on the clen list. I was going down the line administering the drug to the horses on the list not crossed off. I came to the colt and gave him the drug. When I got to the end of the shed, I had to go back to the office to get more clen. As I walked by the colt, he was standing there shaking, his eyes were crazy, whites showing and he was frightened. Sweat was dripping off of him like someone was above him with a hose running. You could see his heart beating.

That's what it's like for a horse the first time they are administered clen.

winds

[Bunty Lawless]

It was the dead of winter, the wind was whipping the snow around, we had just had a blizzard 4 days earlier. The temps were in the teens, I walked up to a horse that shipped in the afternoon before from the farm. He was a just turned 3 yr old, never run before and his name was on the clen list. I was going down the line administering the drug to the horses on the list not crossed off. I came to the colt and gave him the drug. When I got to the end of the shed, I had to go back to the office to get more clen. As I walked by the colt, he was standing there shaking, his eyes were crazy, whites showing and he was frightened. Sweat was dripping off of him like someone was above him with a hose running. You could see his heart beating.

That's what it's like for a horse the first time they are administered clen.

winds

And the horse was getting Clen because? __________________

[ruaff]

First off I apologize for hijacking this thread with something I read and can't find anywhere online to post.
I wish someone would confirm what I wrote about the withdrawl time because I really do not believe it was actually shortened.

At any rate - WINDS / ROKE / TUC - you guys have seen this first hand - I have never been around for the administartion of the drug, nor have I had a horse that used it (at least it has never appeared on a vet bill). What happens the second time it is given, the third, fourth....? Would you see a difference in performance if it was given 3 days out as opposed to one? If the reaction is consitently as violent as WINDS describes wouldn't the horse leave his/her race in the stall if it was given 24 hours out. From a cold handicapping standpoint do we need a "C" next to horses names now?

At any rate - I've searched the New Bolton site to no avail for the study referred to in the news letter. Only found vague referrences to a current project that was looking to see if horses COULD run on the drug without ill effects.