Posts Tagged ‘racing medication and testing consortium’

By Ray Paulick

UPDATED 9 P.M. 
(NOTE: Several hours after the following story was published, the Paulick Report received a press release from the group known as California Horsemen for Change in reaction to the email distributed by the California Thoroughbred Trainers to some of its members.  Click here to read the press release from California Horsemen for Change.)

The civil war that broke out recently among California trainers has escalated as a result of the following email that warns horseman what could happen if California Thoroughbred Trainers is decertified. A group calling itself California Horsemen for Change is staging a palace revolt to either replace all nine members of the CTT’s current board of directors through a special election or get enough signatures from trainers to have the CTT decertified.

Click here for a previous Paulick Report story providing background on the war between the California trainers and here for a press release from the California Horsemen for Change. 
Following is the warning email distributed by the California Thoroughbred Trainers to its members:

•     YOUR SUPPORT OF A NEWLY FORMED TRAINER GROUP COULD HAVE SERIOUS NEGATIVE FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS 
•     WE URGE YOU NOT TO SUPPORT THE ELIMINATION OF THE CTT 
•      WE URGE YOU NOT TO SIGN ANY PETITION TO DECERTIFY THE CTT

By Ray Paulick
Eclipse Award-winning trainer Steve Asmussen has been suspended six months and fined $1,500 by Lone Star Park stewards representing the Texas Racing Commission for the case involving a maiden winner at the Grand Prairie track in May 2008 that subsequently tested positive for a metabolite of lidocaine, a Class 2 drug under the classifications of the Association of Racing Commissioners International.

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

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By Ray Paulick

Procaine, the local anesthetic detected above threshold levels in the Todd Pletcher-trained filly Wait a While when she finished third in the Oct. 24 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita Park, is used in association with penicillin G to prolong the minimum inhibitory concentration of the drug; in other words to keep penicillin in the bloodstream longer.

The California Horse Racing Board filed a complaint against Pletcher for violation of CHRB Rules 1943.2, 1844 (a) (b) (d), and 1887 after the Maddy Laboratory at the University of California-Davis detected an excessive amount of procaine. The Pennsylvania Equine Research Laboratory, a split-sample lab chosen by Pletcher, confirmed the test.

Procaine, which in its pure form can act as a stimulant, is a Class 3 drug in California. The penalty level for its presence is Class B, which calls for redistribution of the purse (Wait a While won $213,000), a minimum 30-day suspension absent mitigating circumstances, and a minimum fine of $500. Hollywood Park stewards will conduct a hearing Dec. 14 on the disqualification of Wait a While. No hearing date has been set for Pletcher.
Because procaine is extremely sensitive in testing, some veterinarians will use intravenous penicillin on a horse that may be close to a race rather than procaine penicillin. That, however, can cause an increase in the incidence of diarrhea, according to one veterinarian. Withdrawal times for procaine can vary, with some horsemen reporting positive tests for the drug for as long as three weeks after its administration. The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium recommends a 15-day withdrawal time for procaine penicillin G. The CHRB has no specific withdrawal times but offers free pre-race testing to determine whether or not procaine has cleared a horse’s system.

According to sources close to the Pletcher stable, Wait a While may have been treated with procaine penicillin for a respiratory infection roughly 18 days before the Breeders’ Cup. She won the Yellow Ribbon Stakes on Sept. 27. Wait a While has been retired with 12 wins in 24 starts and earnings in excess of $2 million. She raced for Alan and Karen Cohen’s Arindel Farm. Alan Cohen is the owner of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League.

Pletcher, the winner of four consecutive Eclipse Awards as North America’s outstanding trainer from 2004-07, could not be reached for comment. He last served a medication suspension in December 2006 and January 2007 when he lost an appeal regarding a 2004 positive test for mepivacaine and was suspended for 45 days.

Pam Blatz-Murff, senior vice president of racing for the Breeders’ Cup, said that organization currently has no sanctions against trainers whose horses test positive for any substance other than anabolic steroids. The Breeders’ Cup instituted penalties that could lead to a lifetime ban for a trainer with multiple anabolic steroid positives in the World Championships races.

"It is being discussed right now to determine what we might or might not do in the future to maybe tighten up the regulations from our side of the fence," Blatz-Murff told the Paulick Report. "This (charge against Pletcher) was just announced and we certainly support all of the actions of the CHRB. It’s a little early for us to make a statement other than our support of their function. How we progress and the improvements that are made is something that will unfold in the next months going forward.

"Obviously, Todd will have representation and he has due process," she added.

Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report

By Ray Paulick

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced a series of sweeping safety and integrity reforms and the hiring of a former governor and Bush administration official during a press conference in New York this morning.

The reforms, organized under the banner of the newly created NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, touch on a wide range of issues that have been bubbling under the surface for years but came to a head this spring in the wake of the death of the filly Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby, the revelation that Derby winner Big Brown won while racing legally on anabolic steroids, and a damning Congressional hearing that left industry leaders red-faced and fearful of federal action. The reforms and the creation of the Safety and Integrity Alliance evolved over the last several months from a series of closed-door meetings and a confidential discussion document circulated throughout the industry and published in the Paulick Report in July.

The Alliance, to be funded by the financially challenged NTRA, consists of racetracks, owners, breeders, horsemen, jockeys, auction companies, veterinarians, fans, regulators and breed registries. The NTRA has retained the services of former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who also served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for President George W. Bush and made a brief run for the 2008 presidential nomination of the Republican Party. Thompson will be charged with independently monitoring the program and annually providing public reports on the progress the Alliance has made in meeting its goals.

Thompson, incidentally, attended the 2005 Kentucky Derby and later joined a West Point Thoroughbred partnership that owned Flashy Bull, who was unplaced in the 2006 Derby but subsequently won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. According to West Point president Terry Finley, Thompson "loves the racing game" and is in a partnership that currently owns a West Point 2-year-old named Tapit’s Brew.

Click here to read the complete text of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance and Pledge.

For a list of tracks and racing organizations that have agreed to the pledge, click here.

Following is the NTRA’s press release on the formation of the Safety and Integrity Alliance and the hiring of Thompson as an independent monitor.

• uniform medication rules for each racing state
• ban of steroids from racing competition
• out-of-competition testing for blood and gene doping agents and pre-race testing
• uniform penalties for all medication infractions
• mandatory on-track and non-racing injury reporting
• mandatory installation of protective inner safety rail
• mandatory pre- and post-race security
• adoption of a placement program for Thoroughbreds no longer competing

Alan Foreman, CEO of the Thoroughbred Horesemen’s Association, laid it on the line in discussing the industry’s real and perceived problems regarding medication and drug testing at Sunday’s Jockey Club Round Table in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Foreman identifies the problems facing the Thoroughbred industry relative to medication and testing and also provides a roadmap for how to address those issues.

Foreman’s talk was one of many presentations on a day that focused on medication and safety issues of the racehorse in the wake of the death of Eight Belles in this year’s Kentucky Derby and a subsequent Congressional hearing where the threat of federal intervention was raised. I’ll have my own commentary on these issues in the days to come.

Following are the remarks of Alan Foreman, in their entirety. — Ray Paulick

Last year’s Conference focused, in part, on the scandals plaguing other major sports arising from the use of performance enhancing drugs. I was unhappy and a bit perplexed because I thought we had a positive story to tell and that we could distance our sport from the others. I took particular exception, on behalf of the thousands of horsemen who dedicate themselves to the welfare of the horse and the integrity of our sport, to the suggestion that horse racing is consumed by a raging wildfire of illegal drugging.

Unlike the other sports, we do not allow our athletes to medicate themselves for headaches, backaches, joint pains, broken bones and cuts on the day of and during competition to allow them to compete. Our athletes aren’t sent to the sidelines or the locker room for treatment in order to return to competition.

Except for the controlled use of Lasix, we are a sport that does not allow our athletes to compete with drugs in their bodies. We have a supposedly world-class detection system designed to deter anyone who would corrupt our competitions with performance enhancing drugs. 

We spend $30 million annually to support drug testing, more than any other sport. We have dedicated scientists who test thousands of urine and blood samples collected from horses each day and who study the pharmacologic effects of drugs on horses, all in an effort to insure that our sport is clean.

Nonetheless, there was a larger message conveyed here last year. Polling of racing’s core fans, done in the midst of the scandals plaguing other sports, showed that one-third of them believed that racing also had serious integrity problems and that illegal, performance enhancing drugs was the number one problem. 

We were warned that the lack of consumer confidence in the integrity of our product could cause irreparable damage. I dismissed this perception as a reflection of the time.

Not long after last year’s Conference, we moved in a highly publicized and somewhat controversial way, to restrict or prohibit the use of steroids. It was the right thing to do, but it exposed many of our problems. And then there was the EIGHT BELLES tragedy. The ensuing furor unleashed every negative perception and stereotype about our sport. The reaction was visceral. In its wake, recent polling done of casual fans of racing, our core fans and those within our industry has revealed an alarming increase in the negative perceptions reported last year. Of those, the perception of illegal drugging is by far and uniformly their single biggest concern. 

Yes, we are a sport that has and always will be confronted by those few who disregard the well-being and integrity of our sport for short term gain. However, in the court of public opinion, which in today’s world is the only thing that truly matters, the perception is that our sport is not clean. In today’s world, perception is reality no matter how unfair or inaccurate that perception may be.

I wasn’t born yesterday. The negative perceptions of our sport have always been there. But not in the significant numbers that we are now seeing, regardless of how we defend ourselves. The simple fact is, we are living in a different world than we have known. Communication is instantaneous and opinions are formed instantly. Standards and expectations are higher and the margin for error is lower. There are few gray areas anymore. Judgment is no longer reserved. Perceptions are difficult to change. If our brand, our great sport, is to survive this rough patch and restore itself to its previous glory, then we have to substantively address the issues that concern our consumers and our fellow participants. It is expected of us. And, we have to do it now, because we do not have the luxury of time. Anyone who doesn’t believe we are in trouble is in denial. We cannot talk our way out of our problems and we cannot take steps that are perceived as mere window dressing.

Can we reverse the negative perceptions of our sport, particularly as it relates to the perception of rampant and illegal drug use? Can we truly say that our sport is clean? I think we can and I am going to suggest to you how we can do it. But we had better move quickly. 

The first step is to acknowledge the problem.   We spend approximately $30 million annually on drug testing, but that funding is spread among 18 different laboratories servicing 38 racing jurisdictions. The dollars are not spread evenly. 

There is a wide variation among our laboratories in the number and types of tests performed on test samples. Even our best don’t have the resources to do the testing that should be done. 

In 1989, when the industry was far healthier, we spent $27.6 million on drug testing. So we’re basically spending the same amount on drug testing as we did 20 years ago, while much has changed.

This is not new information. Scott Waterman told you this last year. The difference this year, and for the foreseeable future, is that our federal and state governments are in economic free-fall.

Our laboratories operate by virtue of written contracts with state governments, state or land-grant universities or through private companies who bid for our work through a procurement process that rewards the lowest bidder. Budget cuts in the face of enormous deficits mean inevitable cuts for drug testing of race horses. 

What politician would rather allocate money to drug testing of race horses rather than fund health care, education or other taxpayer needs? What laboratory doing drug testing for horse racing right now isn’t facing significant budget cuts?

This, in the face of an industry- imposed steroid policy that requires our laboratories to do a whole new level of mandatory testing without the funds or equipment to do it.   Simply put, our system worked decades ago. It won’t work now if we are intent on restoring consumer confidence without major changes.

We have too many laboratories feeding off the same revenue stream. They are understaffed and lack the necessary equipment that will allow us to do what we need to do.

We have little, if any, research and development underway, nor are we preparing for the “future” generation of drugs, which may, in fact, already be upon us.  For years, we have been consumed with concerns about tranquilizers and therapeutic medications that have been around for decades. 

While we should certainly be chasing all drugs that have the potential to affect performance, there are a new generation of doping agents entering the world of sports unlike anything we have seen before—genetic manipulators—and we are unprepared. We have neither the resources nor the mechanism to address this emerging threat.

This leads me to something that no one has talked about, but which poses a major problem for the future of our sport. The names Maylin, Soma, Tobin, Sams, Stanley, Lomangino, Strug, Hyde, Lorimar, Uboh to name a few, are synonymous with equine drug testing and pharmacology in this industry. They have been our Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. 

They have been our scientists leading the integrity battle.   They are the unsung heroes of our sport. They would be the first to tell you that they could do better with more money, better equipment and more staff.

However, there is going to come a time when they are no longer available to us. There is no bench. There is no farm system. There is no talent pool waiting in the wings to do our critical work. We are unable to compete with private industry nor do others want to work within the constraints of government or university bureaucracy.

Basically, we are not training the next generation of scientists to do drug testing and be our experts in blood doping, gene manipulation and other emerging threats.

Well, I think you get the picture. Can we truly make the case that our sport is clean, which, by the way, I think it is, or succumb to the perception that we are not, when we can’t forcefully answer the question because our system is flawed?

Does anyone in this room dispute the belief that solving these problems is critical to the future of our sport? If we are going to change the perception of our sport and if we are going to restore consumer confidence in our brand, then we need to take substantive steps and I suggest the following:

1.       We need to establish a reference, research and testing laboratory controlled by the racing industry. We can no longer afford to be at the mercy of states and private entities for our testing and research needs. We’ve known of this need. McKinsey told us 20 years ago. The THA called for it 8 years ago. The RMTC has recognized its need. Yet, we’ve done nothing. We must explore the possibility of a public/private partnership or look at the feasibility of joining with our colleagues in the performance horse industry who share our problems, concerns and ideals. Whatever the case, we need to move on this and do it now, with specific and demonstrable timelines for implementation.

2.      We need to establish strict industry laboratory standards for drug testing in this country and implement them in the quickest and most practical means possible. These standards must address current technology, equipment, staffing, proficiency, number of tests, types of tests, minimum concentration levels and compliance. They should be established by our scientists who know of our needs–not horsemen, breeders, track operators, regulators or the federal government. Our scientists must be directed to create the standards for the best and most effective comprehensive state-of-the-art drug testing system for racing and we need to listen to them by implementing their recommendations. I ask the Jockey Club to support this effort and for the RMTC to begin this process immediately, with specific and demonstrable timelines for implementation.

3.      We need to consolidate our drug testing laboratory system and significantly reduce the number of laboratories conducting testing for the racing industry. A regional system makes the most sense. We must pool and reallocate the financial resources we now have within a new streamlined, stronger and more efficient system. We can accomplish this in the first instance by requiring any laboratory that intends to conduct drug testing for racing to meet the strict standards that are established for the industry. Those laboratories that cannot meet the standards should look for work elsewhere. I call on the Graded Stakes Committee to condition the grading and running of any graded race, and the Breeders’ Cup to condition the funding and running of any Breeders’ Cup related race, on drug testing being conducted for those races only by a laboratory that has met the new industry standards. Churchill Downs, Magna and NYRA need to do the same for the Triple Crown races. Eventually, this must cover all of our races at all of our tracks.   When appropriate, we will need to publicly identify those racetracks that do not have their testing performed by a laboratory that meets the new industry standards and demand their compliance. We need to require that all positive tests for which confirmation is requested be performed by one of the industry recognized laboratories. We will need the help of our regulators to make this recommendation a reality and we will look to the ARCI for its help.

4.      We need to invest in research and development now, before it is too late. This presents a perfect opportunity for a new racing research and reference center. We need to begin research into gene doping, gene manipulation and other emerging integrity threats. If laboratory mice can be injected with targeted genes with reported astonishing results, how long will it be before someone attempts to manipulate a race horse? If necessary, we need to contract this work to researchers and universities already studying this emerging problem. We need to look to partner our efforts with other major sports leagues who have begun to devote significant research dollars to doping concerns.

5.      We need to start developing a new generation of scientists — toxicologists and pharmacologists — who will lead our integrity efforts. On this issue in particular, we do not have the luxury of time. Given the importance of this issue to our overall integrity efforts, I am pleased that the THA will continue to lead by example. Eight years ago, the THA called for the creation of a national drug testing and research consortium that ultimately became the RMTC. We committed permanent funding for it when others were on the fence. Recently, the New York THA, working in partnership with the State of New York, allocated $500,000 from its revenues that would otherwise be dedicated to backstretch programs and equine research, to purchase the state-of-the art equipment necessary for the New York Equine Drug Testing Laboratory to conduct steroid testing and testing for the new generation of drugs. Today, the THA is pleased to announce that it will commit additional funds , and we ask every racetrack and industry organization to match our commitment, to recruit and support post graduate students interested in a career in equine drug testing and research. We will ask our experts and those conducting cutting- edge research to allow us to place interested students to work and learn beside them, and we will pay for it. What better way to invest in the future.

6.      The THA is going to ask the RMTC to revisit and recommend uniform withdrawal time guidelines based on existing and historic research. We can no longer get by with just publishing each State’s recommendations, which vary. We must eliminate positive tests. They give us a black eye, no matter that they demonstrate our deterrence system at work. Notwithstanding that most of our positive tests are the result of sloppy or errant administrations of therapeutic medications, to the public, a drug is a drug and there is no difference. All horsemen and veterinarians need to do their part by strictly adhering to these guidelines when published. 

7.      Finally, we need this industry to recognize the importance of, and the significant work performed by, the RMTC. It is the best organization we have ever had in racing on medication issues and policy. It has forged unprecedented and necessary collaboration among our scientific community. It is truly a national voice on medication. And, it is the best response to the threat of federal intervention.

It is always an honor to be invited to speak at this forum. However, I didn’t come here today to give a nice speech that my children and grandchildren can access in the archives of the Jockey Club’s website. I am here because I want to make a difference and encourage change. I thank the Jockey Club Safety Committee for giving me the opportunity over the past few weeks to express my views on this subject. I am encouraged by their strong interest. I am also encouraged by the positive response from horsemen across the country with whom I have shared these recommendations.

Everyone in this room is the steward of a national treasure, a great sport, a great tradition. What began as a sport more than a century ago is now a diverse and dynamic industry that is a part of the history, economy and social fabric of this country. 

But, we’re in the 21st century and the world is a vastly different place. We are clearly struggling to adapt. We have an obligation to preserve and protect this institution for our next generation. We are well known for arguing and disagreeing about everything. If we don’t address this drug testing issue now and let it become a catalyst for what can be a change in the perception of our sport, then we may not have anything left to argue about. I am willing to drop everything I am doing to make these recommendations a reality. I hope you feel the same sense of urgency. – Alan Foreman, CEO, Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association

Have you ever been to one of those business meetings where the boss calls his managers together and “wants feedback” on an idea that, it’s clear to see, he has already decided to put into play? That’s what Thursday’s Congressional hearing, entitled “Breeding, Drugs, and Breakdowns: The State of Thoroughbred Horseracing and the Welfare of the Thoroughbred,” was all about.

The members of the subcommittee on commerce, trade and consumer protection weren’t at all interested in getting feedback from a broad mix of Thoroughbred industry participants. If they were, they would have invited track owners, jockeys and someone representing the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium to testify.

Most glaring, however, was the absence of any racing fans and horseplayers — the people who fuel the entire multi-billionaire-dollar industry with their bets. They would have had plenty to say. Where were all the fans?

Thursday’s hearing was all about reinforcing the predetermined opinion by some - if not all - of the subcommittee members that racing and breeding is in dire need of some form of federal intervention. It was a two-act play, masterfully choreographed by acting chairwoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and ranking Republican Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, who tipped their hand that they will try and amend the Interstate Horseracing Act to employ guidelines that could radically change how the sport is regulated and conducted.

Many of racing’s numerous flaws were exposed during the three-hour hearing, which came to an abrupt end when the members were called to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. The happiest man in the room when that happened was National Thoroughbred Racing Association CEO Alex Waldrop, the last of a dozen speakers providing testimony. House members were interrupted just before a question and answer session got under way in which Waldrop was likely going to be grilled.

In short order, those problems are:

- Drugs have contributed to a decline of the Thoroughbred breed and Thoroughbred racing

- Research, drug testing programs and horse rescue/retraining efforts are severely underfunded

- The lack of a central authority or national regulatory standards, and the existence of state-by-state regulations, have led to dysfunction

- Existing industry organizations and perceived industry leaders have failed miserably to address the problems successfully

Allowing Congress to interfere with any industry is a frightening thought, given some of the pointless and idiotic questions directed at the two panels. For example, if one of the Congressman had his way, inbreeding would be banned. What’s next, nicking? However, doing nothing under the present industry leadership is the greatest risk we can take.

The uninformed comment about inbreeding was far from being the most outrageous aspect of Thursday’s hearing. It was the complete absence, both in body and spirit, of the racing fan and horseplayer. To my knowledge there was only one mention of fans (by Waldrop, in response to a question) throughout the day, as if they didn’t exist. Let’s not forget that the word “consumer” is part of this subcommittee’s name.

Shame on the committee for not including racing’s ultimate consumers who fuel the industry’s revenue engine.

The NTRA is attempting to put together a coalition of horseplayers, but the NTRA’s track record is not exactly inspiring on many levels. But before we bludgeon that 10-year-old organization to death, it should be pointed out that divisiveness, lack of trust and reticence from other alphabet groups (TOBA, TJC, HBPA, THA, TOC, AAEP, RCI, TRA et al) to give up control emasculated the NTRA and prevented it from having the national oversight and major league commission office status it was designed to have.

Jockey Club CEO Alan Marzelli was pressed hardest by House members and ultimately came out looking the worst of all the industry experts during the hearing. When asked what authority the Jockey Club has to ban steroids and enact other recommendations of its safety committee, Marzelli said it has the “power of persuasion.” It was a pitiful and embarrassing moment for the industry, or a bad attempt by Marzelli to imitate Don Corleone of The Godfather.

The Jockey Club’s same power of persuasion has been ineffective on getting a national license for racehorse owners. If that power of persuasion was so strong, a national owner’s license would have happened 20 years ago when the Jockey Club created an ownership registry, which could have been a first step toward that goal. That boat never left the dock. Instead, we have a patchwork system of state licensing that is a poster child for the industry’s complete and total dysfunction when it comes to regulatory oversight. Look at the situation involving Curlin’s minority owners, the Midnight Cry Stable. Their horse, Einstein, couldn’t run in New York on Belmont Stakes Day because of licensing problems, but could run at Churchill Downs a week later because Kentucky has different licensing rules.

If the Jockey Club’s power of persuasion isn’t strong enough to get something as simple as a national owner’s license accomplished, how can we count on the same failed leaders to persuade 38 state agencies to uniformly ban steroids and enact other necessary change to move the sport forward?

By Ray Paulick

Copyright ©2008, The Paulick Report