bisphosphonate | Horse Racing Free Tips

The John Sadler-trained Flagstaff (Speightstown) has been disqualified from a second-place finish in last September's GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. after testing positive for clodronic acid, a bisphosphonate otherwise known as Osphos, according to a steward's ruling from Saturday.

According to the ruling, the $40,000 in prize money earnings awarded to owners Lane's End Racing and Hronis Racing, jockey Victor Espinoza and Sadler will be redistributed.

Currently unclassified, clodronic acid is by default deemed a class 1, penalty A drug, and it's currently in the process of being classified a class 3, category A penalty.

Sadler is currently on a year's probation in accordance with a settlement agreement and mutual release with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), as part of which Sadler was fined $15,000 and handed a 60-day suspension–45 days of which were stayed-for three medication violations dating from 2019.

The suspension ran June 29 through June 13 last year. The year-long probation period ends June 28, 2021.

As stated in the agreement, “If John Sadler violates the terms of his probation, the 45 days of stayed suspension shall be imposed following a noticed hearing.”

Sadler's attorney, Darrell Vienna, told the TDN that Flagstaff was given clodronic acid in late 2019 when such administration was legal, and that the positive finding came about as a result of the drug's extended presence–months and sometimes years–in the horse's system “based on current information.”

According to Vienna, a proposed settlement agreement was presented to the CHRB. Vienna said the board rejected that proposal.

No official hearing has been scheduled for this case, according to CHRB spokesperson, Mike Marten.

Flagstaff, winner of this year's GI Churchill Downs S., was second in the GII True North S. at Belmont Park June 4.

The post Sadler-Trained Flagstaff Disqualified, Purse Monies Redistributed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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A new study may give regulators the key to better regulate bisphosphonate use in racing. Controversy has surrounded bisphosphonate use since the drug became approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in horses. Bisphosphonates are labeled for adult horses battling navicular syndrome and similar chronic conditions that don't respond to other types of treatment.

The FDA has licensed two bisphosphonates, which are sold under the trade names Tildren and Osphos. The Horse reports that there are other, non-licensed versions of bisphosphonates marketed for horses which are not FDA-approved. Those non-approved products are advertised as being more powerful than the two approved versions.

The FDA prohibits the use of bisphosphonates in horses younger than four years old, but some owners and trainers continue to use the product off-label on young horses. Bisphosphonates impact the build-up/breakdown cycle in bone, which veterinarians say could have negative effects on growing animals.

Dr. Christopher Riggs, chief advisor in veterinary science at The Hong Kong Jockey Club, studied 24 Thoroughbreds who had received a single therapeutic dose of tiludronate disodium between one month to three years earlier. The research team then tested blood plasma and urine samples using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography high‐resolution mass spectrometry, a new testing technology. The tests found traces of tiludronate disodium in every sample.

Previously, testing was only able to detect bisphosphonates in equine blood or urine if it had been administered in the last 40 days. Hair testing could detect an administration from months prior, but is limited in its ability to pinpoint the time of administration.

Researchers believe the drug lingers on the surface of bone, occasionally releasing back into the horse's body for months or years, but little is known about how long that effect could go on. The drug may be more detectable in horses that are going through training and rest periods that affect bone remodeling.

Tag: bisphosphonate

Sadler-Trained Flagstaff Disqualified, Purse Monies Redistributed

New Test Can Detect Bisphosphonate Three Years After Administration