Month: July 2023

HISA Updates Banned Substance Policy: Trainers Now Have Option To Postpone Suspension Until After B Sample Test

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority released the following policy update on Friday, July 28:

Background: Current ADMC rules include a rule adopted from the World Anti-Doping Code requiring that any Responsible Person (i.e., trainer) whose Covered Horse tests positive for a Banned (doping) Substance be Provisionally Suspended while his/her case is being processed. A Provisional Suspension does not in any way change the presumption of innocence and is not an early determination of guilt. Instead, it is intended as a precaution to safeguard the integrity of the sport, horse welfare, and the rights of rule-abiding trainers. Provisional Suspensions have been instrumental in protecting the integrity of other sports and were introduced into horseracing for that reason.

Discussion: Last Friday, HIWU was informed that a split (B) sample did not confirm the original Laboratory finding, and, accordingly, pursuant to the ADMC regulations, HIWU dismissed the violation against a trainer who had been Provisionally Suspended 20 days earlier. This raised concerns regarding the imposition of Provisional Suspensions at this early stage of the ADMC Program's rollout. Consequently, HISA's ADMC Committee, which has oversight of the HISA ADMC rules, held a meeting and decided to make various policy decisions regarding the imposition of Provisional Suspensions under the ADMC Program. Various proposals received from horsemen's groups were considered during the course of these discussions.

Policy Change: The following policy changes will be effective immediately and shall apply to any Responsible Person Provisionally Suspended following a positive test for a Banned Substance:

  1. Any Responsible Person who requests that the B Sample be analyzed following a positive test for a Banned Substance shall be eligible for postponement of the effective date of the Provisional Suspension until such time as the B Sample result is returned. If the B Sample confirms the A Sample, the Responsible Person shall be Provisionally Suspended upon Notification of the B Sample confirmation, except that the Responsible Person shall not be required to scratch any Covered Horses entered to race prior to Notification of the B Sample confirmation. However, the Responsible Person shall not be entitled to enter any Covered Horses to race subsequent to Notification;
  2. Any Responsible Person who does not request the B Sample analysis shall be Provisionally Suspended upon such election, except he/she shall not be required to scratch any Covered Horses entered to race prior to Notification of the A Sample positive finding. However, the Responsible Person shall not be entitled to enter any Covered Horses to race subsequent to Notification;
  3. Any Responsible Person with more than one horse that tests positive for the same Banned Substance within a six (6) month-period or who has received notice of another potential violation relating to a Banned Substance (e.g., possession, use) shall not be eligible for delayed imposition of a Provisional Suspension as set forth in paragraph 1 above;
  4. Covered/Responsible Persons will continue to be Provisionally Suspended upon the notice of the A Sample result if the result involves the detection of the following Banned Substances:
    • 3,4- methylenedioxypyprovalerone Methylphenidate;
    • (MDPV, Bath Salts);
    • Mitragynine;
    • Alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone Myo-inositol trispyrophosphate (ITPP);
    • (Alpha PVP);
    • Nikethamide;
    • Amphetamines (e.g., Methamphetamine, Opioids (natural and synthetic) and Cathinone, Mephentermine, Methcathinone);
    • opioid agonists (e.g., apomorphine, Benzylpiperazine (BZP); hydrocodone, hydromorphone, Chlorpromazine; oxycodone);
    • Erythropoietin (EPO) and EPO mimetics;
    • Pentylenetetrazol;
    • Ethylphenidate;
    • Phencyclidine (PCP);
    • Etorphine;
    • Phendimetrazine;
    • Fentanyl and Fentanyl analogs;
    • Phenmetrazine;
    • Mazindol;
    • Strychnine;
    • Meldonium;
    • Synthetic cannabinoids;
    • Metaraminol;
    • Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC);
    • Methaqualone;
    • Venoms and toxins (e.g., alpha Methylhexanamine; cobratoxin, ziconotide, botulinum toxin)
  5. During a Provisional Suspension, which is not a Final Suspension, Covered/Responsible Persons may engage in caring for and exercising their Covered Horses, except they cannot breeze or race Covered Horses registered to them. Should they want any Covered Horses to breeze or race, they must transfer those horses to another Responsible Person (i.e., trainer) in a bona fide transfer approved by the stewards. If the Responsible/Covered Person is an Owner, ownership of the Covered Horse must be transferred in order for it to be eligible to breeze or race. In addition, Covered/Responsible Persons: (i) must take down or cover any personal signage bearing their name or related to their operations where the Covered Horses are located at the racetrack; (ii) cannot claim Covered Horses or bring new Covered Horses into their barn; and (iii) cannot be employed in any capacity involving Covered Horses (including, but not limited to, acting as an agent for an Owner of Covered Horses or working as an exercise rider for Covered Horses.)

Additional Notes:

  • The Policy Change shall also be applied to any currently suspended Responsible Persons. HIWU will be in contact with all those currently Provisionally Suspended to explain next steps.
  • The Responsible/Covered Person must pay for the B Sample analysis within seven (7) calendar days of requesting it. In cases of financial hardship, and upon the demonstration of such hardship, the Covered Person may be entitled to a payment plan to cover the cost of B Sample analysis.
  • This new Policy will remain in effect for so long as the ADMC Committee deems appropriate. Should the ADMC Committee decide at some future date to abandon or modify it, the industry will receive at least thirty (30) days' advance notice.
  • Public Reporting under the ADMC rules will continue to occur at the time of the EAD Notice of the A Sample positive test.

A Summary Sheet for trainers is available here: Summary Sheet for Covered Persons

The post HISA Updates Banned Substance Policy: Trainers Now Have Option To Postpone Suspension Until After B Sample Test appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Letter to the Editor: On The Triple Crown

Since the advent of professional sports, change has been a necessary part of the game. Adjustments have been made to make sports more safe, more practical, and more entertaining for the audiences. While change is never easy, sometimes it's necessary. From adding the three-point line in basketball, to implementing more stringent concussion protocols in football, to adding the pitch clock in baseball, making changes in sports doesn't mean taking away from the sport. Instead, change helps the sport evolve with the times, and make the experience as positive as possible for the athletes, teams, enthusiasts, and owners. The time has come in Thoroughbred racing for our own change, to modernize the timeline of the Triple Crown.

The current timeline was created in a different era in racing, back in 1932, 13 years after Sir Barton was the first to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes in 1919. In fact, the term Triple Crown wasn't even used until Gallant Fox won the three races in 1930. In the 91 years since the five-week timeline was created, a lot has changed in racing and there are many benefits worth considering to potentially change the structure we have today. Instead of these condensed five weeks, what if the Kentucky Derby stayed the first Saturday in May, the Preakness was the first Saturday in June, and the Belmont was the first Saturday in July. Leaving multiple weeks in between three of the industry's most high-profile races, racing the top three-year-olds, would lend to a smoother transition between events and a more competitive, robust field to compete for the coveted Triple Crown. Incidentally, this new plan leaves about a month before the start of Del Mar and Saratoga which should satisfy the same cadence.

Trainers today have different philosophies than those in the past, and normally allow several weeks between races for top horses. For example, the 128 horses that competed in the Triple Crown races from 1979 to1983 made 3,769 starts in their career; 1,585 of those starts came within 14 days or fewer of their last start. By contrast, the 96 horses that competed in the Triple Crown races from 2007 to 2011 made 1,870 starts in their career and just 98 of those starts came within 14 days or fewer of their last start. Because of this change in training philosophy, many of the top horses from the Kentucky Derby that do not win skip the Preakness, solely because of the quick turnaround between races. What's more, as the industry continues to focus on improving safety and welfare standards for the horses and jockeys, you would be hard-pressed to find a trainer or owner who would choose to race at any level after two weeks. So why take that risk on the biggest stage? Tradition? As stated, other sports have evolved and adapted to the times. The tradition argument presumes all tradition is good, which is not necessarily true.

This year's Kentucky Derby was the second-most watched sporting event in this country, second only to the Super Bowl. Millions of viewers tuned in, picked their horses, and wished for the best. A lot of people spend a great deal of time getting to know the Derby contenders to place their bets. Imagine the increased interest there would be if more Derby contenders ran in the Preakness and the Belmont. I believe this would lead to even more excitement and rivalries throughout the Triple Crown season to see who really is the top 3-year-old in the country. Even a horse that ends up being scratched in the Derby like 2-year-old champion Forte gets a lot of coverage. Under a better separation of races, it's very conceivable that Forte could have run in the Preakness. But because of the existing rules and timing of his scratch, a quick turnaround to the Preakness was impossible. Under a more pragmatic Triple Crown schedule that might not be the case.

Of course, the three races are the property of Churchill Downs, the Maryland Jockey Club and the New York Racing Association. Ultimately, any change to an individual leg would be made solely by the respective organization. But this is a decades-old debate that is worth bringing to the forefront of public mind.

We all know winning a Triple Crown is an elusive goal. Twenty-five years separated the victories of Citation (1948) and Secretariat (1973), and nearly 40 years separated the victories of Affirmed (1978) and American Pharoah (2015). There's no saying if a change to the racing schedule would make any difference in this. But it is possible that by adjusting the schedule, Thoroughbred racing could see increased competition among the best horses and an expanded window of heightened mainstream interest. For those reasons alone, it's worth the discussion.

Tom Rooney is the president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. He is a former member of the US House of Representatives, serving Florida's 17th Congressional District. He and his family own and operate Shamrock Farm, a Thoroughbred breeding farm in Carroll County, Maryland.

The post Letter to the Editor: On The Triple Crown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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A Jim Dandy Of A Graded Stakes Weekend

Equine or human, history is always about the six degrees of someone in racing's world. For instance, at 100-1 Jim Dandy beat Triple Crown champion Gallant Fox in the 1930 edition of the Travers S., which only featured four entries total.

The horse who set up the longshot by engaging in a speed duel with the favorite over the mud was Whichone, a colt owned by Harry Payne Whitney (yes, that important family). And what other Thoroughbred did Whitney own? Well, that would be Upset, who did just that, when he handed the great Man o' War his only career loss. And that is a minor example of a nexus.

As part of the Saratoga weekend card, it seems fitting that Saturday's GII Jim Dandy S. is the main prep for next month's GI Travers S. Horse racing, like life, always reflects irony of some type.

In this year's edition, Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) isn't going to be 100-1. However, compared to the experience of GIII Matt Winn S. victor and 'TDN Rising Star' Disarm (Gun Runner), Eclipse champion 2-year-old and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence), who will be wearing first-time blinkers, Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}), winner of the GIII Withers S. and second in the GII Wood Memorial S., and GI Arkansas Derby star and GI Kentucky Derby third Angel of Empire (Classic Empire), the 3-year-old colt has something to prove after running second last time out in the GIII Dwyer S. July 1 at Belmont Park. The Brad Cox trainee passed the eye test in his debut at Keeneland in April and against allowance company May 21 at Churchill Downs.

Not to be missed on the Saratoga Saturday card is another race with historical connections in spades. This year's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. will feature a rematch from February's G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia in which the reigning Eclipse champion dirt sprinter and GISW Elite Power (Curlin) stepped away as GISW Gunite (Gun Runner) gave chase for second. The $900,000 Keeneland September buy built on that win with another impressive display in the GII True North S.

Elite Power | Sarah Andrew

Elite Power worked a half mile alone in :51.22 Sunday over the Oklahoma training track in a breeze that Mott indicated was similar to the chestnut's half-mile work in :51.11 on Oct. 28 over the same surface ahead of his Breeders' Cup victory. “That's him by himself,” Mott said. “He's run well off of those kind of works right before his races. He did that in Saudi. He was working :51 before he won the Breeders' Cup. He wouldn't wow anyone when he's working by himself.”

Looking elsewhere on Saturday in North America, Monmouth Park will card its own Oaks. The Grade III includes Promiseher America (American Pharoah) from Ray Handal's stable and Occult (Into Mischief), who was last seen running third to MGISW Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) in the GI Acorn S. on the Belmont S. undercard.

In the wake of cancellations due to heat the past couple of days, Woodbine Racetrack will hope to run the GII Seagram Cup for 3-year-olds and up. Tyson (Tapit) will garner much attention since the 4-year-old gray colt won the GIII Dominion Day S. last time out for trainer Josie Carroll.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will have plenty of action to contribute as their program includes the GII San Diego H. and the GI Bing Crosby S., which offers a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' voucher for the GI BC Qatar Racing Sprint.

Both Del Mar races sport field sizes of 10-plus. The San Diego includes MGISW Defunded (Dialed In), who won Santa Anita's GI Gold Cup May 29 and will carry the most weight here at 125. With 12 hopefuls entered for the Bing Crosby, Anarchist (Distorted Humor) returns to California after running second to Elite Power in the GII True North S. The 4-year-old colt will face some veteran runners in G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen hero Sibelius (Not This Time) and MGISW and '21 winner Dr. Schivel (Violence).

Rebel's Romance works at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew

Shifting to Sunday, not to be missed on the stakes slate are a pair of Grade IIs for 3-year-olds and up over the turf. Saratoga's Bowling Green S. has enticed GI Breeders' Cup Turf conqueror Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) for trainer Charlie Appleby. Last seen running a well-beaten seventh in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March, the 5-year-old gelding will look to get his second half of his season off on the right foot.

“He's a well-traveled horse; Germany, Keeneland, England and Dubai,” said Appleby's traveling assistant Chris Connett. “He's traveled this trip pretty well and he's settled in good shape. He's a typical Dubawi, he's got better with age. He's a big horse that's really grown into his frame. Hopefully, we'll get to see him at his best on Sunday.”

Count Again | Horsephotos

Meanwhile the Eddie Read S. at Del Mar includes four entries from Phil D'Amato's shedrow, including MGISW Count Again (Awesome Again), winner last time out of the GI Shoemaker Mile S. May 30 at Santa Anita Park, and MGSW Balnikov (Ire) (Adaay {Ire}), who is looking to bounce back after finishing eighth in that same race. The competitive Leo Powell trainee and MGSW Dicey Mo Chara (GB) (Adaay {Ire}) goes out for a barn that won last weekend's GII San Clemente S. The 5-year-old gelding's last start yielded a finished third-place finish at Santa Anita May 13 in the GIII San Luis Rey S.

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