There needs to be a commissioner with “Judge Landis” powers and standardized drug testing for all North American racing jurisdictions……and the commissioner is the final arbitrator in all such cases and in any other “legal” situation that falls on the desk.

I am sure there are nefarious individuals who are now scheming to “blame it on the grass” for popping positives in their barns. Cobras crawl around in that green stuff, right?

the cobra stuff has been used long ago & and still people bring it up but i never hear of anyone talking about THE SNAIL VENOM from the pacific ocean that is way way stronger
than morphine but is non addictive…& safe.

WOW, the PA Commission said two weeks ago it wasn’t able to duplicate the lab lobeline positive with the natural ingestion of the substance applied to test horses. the Commission and testing labs position has dramatically changed since then?? Something fishy in Denmark? Further investigation required Ray.

If a trainer gives a horse, or several horses, a banned drug, then he has fixed a sporting event. Don’t just fine him, throw him in jail. Or just give him a $2,000 fine and everyone goes about their business while more players swear off horseracing.

We should wait to hear from Kiaran. There doesn’t seem to be any real answers on how many days out medications can be. I recently asked 3 vets how many days a horse has to be off acepromezine before they can run. I got 3 different answers: 4,5,and 7 days. Kiaran might have been given bad information. No way he would take a risk to ruin his successful career. Sounds like the levels were low which makes me think he thought he had given the required days out from the time he may have used this medication to the time he ran the horses. My heart goes out to him. He is a good guy. Maybe and unfortunate mistake.

Another drug with vegetal origins like scopolamine and lobeline so who knows what plant may have been in McLaughlin’s hay at Keeneland.

From Wikipedia:

“Ipratropium is a derivative of atropine.”

“Atropine is a tropane alkaloid extracted from deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), jimsonweed (Datura stramonium), mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) and other plants of the family Solanaceae. It is a secondary metabolite of these plants and serves as a drug with a wide variety of effects.”

NO AL, you got it wrong. The rumor was the state vet of PA made that comment from the beginning. For about 3-4 weeks I was told Dr. Soma was able to duplicate the findings with the dried Loelia Inflata. Its a shame it took that long for it to become public but problably reasons for that. Nothing fishy in Denmark. You seem to thrive on other peoples misfortunes. Sad.

Furthermore, if you were to actually scratch the surface, you would learn that ipratropium bromide is SYNTHETIC. In other words, it is distinct from the “vegetal origins” that the apologists (and trainers) would like to use as excuses.

I love how Richard Dutrow takes a 30-60 day vacaction(suspension) about every December. Then throws it back in everyone’s face with his stupid comments. Why doesn’t he just say, I can cheat. I can steal money from other owners, trainers, grooms, hotwalkers, jockeys, valets and most importantly, HORSEPLAYERS. Then after the major races and breeders cup, I’ll take some time off and go to Vegas. I would love to bet horseracing until the day I die. But, I can’t. This game is truely sickening.

Has Dr. Soma gone on record over the isssue of whether or not the lab was able to duplicate the positive tests by using naturally occuring lobeline? Just concerned about the many folks that try and gain illegal advantage Lewis.

I’m sick of the phrase “theraputic drugs.”
Why would any person take a horse to the track in the morning to jog, breeze, or work if the horse cannot do so pain free?
This theraputic drug crap needs to go. If the horse isn’t healthy enough to train, don’t train. Then, there won’t be any question of the “theraputic drug” clearing its system before it races “drug free.”

Well, Tiznowbaby…. there is part of the problem… you associate “pain free” with the term theraputic…. how about the horse who has had a little upper respiratory infection and been on anti-biotics (drugs !) who with nano-testing will have to wait an additional 14-28 days to be sure that all the medication has been eliminated from its system ? Why do we even have college educated veterinarians at the track if they are not to be allowed to heal sick horses ? With the day money and the vet bills most owners have to think about the bottom line, and I for one believe that it is a disservice to racing to lump theraputic medications with all the “hop” and “drug” cases….

Another side effect of these nasal spray is winning a Grade III race.

Jeremy Jet,
You’ve hit the nail on the head. 1) If it was the hay, why were there no other positives. Was the testing selective or was the hay from a bagged source that is not utilized by the other trainers? If it was hay from the racetrack dealers, there should have been a large quantity of positives. 2) Ipratronium Bromide is synthetic and therefore more concentrated than it would be in a natural form. As to the side effects of short acting bronchodilators, tachycardia is a side effect. As a person with respiratory problems, I can tell you that it can make the difference from lying on the couch to being able to run up the stairs.

Therapy = cure. The proper use of a “therapeutic” drug is with the sole intention to heal.

Most therapeutic drugs have a narrow therapeutic range.

When therapeutic drugs are used not to heal but to exploit animals, these chemicals become toxic, dangerous and lethal… everything but “therapeutic”. These drugs are administered to depressed, spent and infirm horses to enable and boost performance and profits.

Ban all “therapeutic” drugs one month prior and on race day and the majority of the “inventory” would have to be scratched, rested or retired.

“Therapeutic” drugs are used to cut corners. They artificially compensate for mediocre equine management, mask growing pain and injuries. They allow horses to be pushed forward and too often downward. They dilate lungs, increase oxygen intake, reduce fat and water retention. They numb pain, hide depression and boost appetite. Cortisone is injected too often, up to 24 hours before post, sometimes in multiple joints, sometimes until there is no cartilage left. A six-pack is when both knees, ankles and feet injected at once, including with two year olds, repeatedly, no question asked… How “therapeutic” is that?

When “therapeutic” drugs are used and abused to over-ride exhaustion, illness, mask injury in order to maximize performance and profits, all their therapeutic qualities are tossed while horses display crucial warning signs that they need rest or retirement.

“Therapeutic” drugs allow horses to train and race with “pre-existing conditions”. Unable to protect themselves adequately, they tend to aggravate their injuries sometimes catastrophically. The goal is to continue racing horses that shouldn’t, pass the examing-vet, fool the jockey with fake soundness, fill an excess of races and make infirm horses run as fast as they can under the whip and of course to dump them in claiming races and fool others into claiming their rejects.

Those who pimp “therapeutic” drugs as beneficial chemicals only, are either myopic apologists who contribute to the moral and physical decay of the industry, they still believe that they can fool the public, they have a dirty conscience but are unwilling to create waves, or they are making a killing selling drugs all day long then repair the damage they caused to healthy and unhealthy horses.

Is there a difference between helping a horse and cheating? Do you think ANY professional athlete competes and/or trains pain free? Is the presence of nano grams of ANY substance influencing the outcome of a sporting event? Don’t we need a practical system whereby certain medications ARE permissible at therapeudic levels and others are considered at zero tolerance?

+100

Bravo #39 Joe. You are right on. I am an equine vet and a racehorse owner and it is sickening what my colleagues do to horses on the track…and it ain’t “healing sick horses.”
Significant fines/licenses revoked will work miracles

#32 Marc the pharm. You are right except that you are most likely referring to an herbal remedy. A true homeopathic remedy has not a trace of the originaly substance.

#31 TTL Three day event horses are not allowed a trace of any medication during events. They are superior athletes.

Mr. McLaughlin’s statement is excellent. If only Dick Dutrow and Jeff Mullins had half his class. I hope that his suspension is reduced to a symbolic one day.

I am sad that race horses, especially those stabled at racetracks, are not offered a healthier environment and better quality of life in order to prevent stress, depression, illness and to some extent injury and avoid “needing” so many treatments and drugs to continue training and racing them, aside of the “chemical warfare” some are engaged into.

Dr. JES, thank you! I am very interested by equine injury and death prevention, soundness issues and the destruction caused by the abuse of “therapeutic” drugs.

Let’s get it over with.

Since sub-nanograms are inevitable, let’s put ALL of the trainers in jail on January 1st, 2010.

If you’re on the planet, you’re an automatic offender.