clenbuterol | Horse Racing Free Tips

Race-Day Clenbuterol Could be Barred in Maryland

Clenbuterol that is detectable in any amount on race day could be on its way out in 2021 for Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds in Maryland.

Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) voted unanimously Oct. 22 to propose a new rule that would eliminate the allowable race-day threshold for clenbuterol, citing concerns that the bronchodilator medication has the potential for abuse as a substance that delivers similar results as anabolic steroids, like promoting an increase in lean muscle mass.

Currently, Maryland horses are allowed to trigger up to 140 picograms/milliliter in blood serum on race day without incurring a violation.

“The proposal is to eliminate the threshold altogether and make clenbuterol not permissive at all on race day in horses competing in Maryland,” said J. Michael Hopkins, the MRC’s executive director.

Citing a veterinary study, Hopkins added that “if it’s used long enough in small doses, it does have the ability to have a steroidal effect for the horses that receive it on a regular basis.”

Under Maryland’s proposed new plan, clenbuterol would still be allowed as a therapeutic medication to treat obstructive airways disease. But a horse’s veterinarian would have to submit a specific diagnosis and prescription plan to the MRC’s equine medical director prior to treatment. Trainers would have the responsibility of submitting this notification, Hopkins said, and any horse on clenbuterol will remain on the veterinary no-race list until a negative urine or blood test is provided to document clearance of the drug from the horse’s system.

Hopkins said the MRC would have the right to perform out-of-competition (OOC) testing on horses to check for unauthorized clenbuterol use. But he explained that the commission does not currently have the right to test horses stabled on private property without consent. In cases where the property owner or the horse’s owner or trainer refused to grant access, Hopkins said the commission would have to arrange with the owner or trainer to bring the horse elsewhere to conduct the testing.

Commissioner R. Thomas Bowman took umbrage with that aspect of the OOC protocol. He said that, “I don’t really follow the logic in that, because by the time that you were to arrange for a meeting, I assume that the drug would probably have cleared from the animal’s system…. So I think it’s a little bit of a tiger without teeth.”

But because the rule is just at its proposal stage, there is time for the MRC to re-examine how it handles OOC testing. Hopkins said that following Thursday’s approval of the proposal, it will take about three months for the rule to pass through the regulatory process and public commentary period before the MRC takes a final vote on the matter.

Hopkins said other racing jurisdictions in the region could soon follow Maryland’s lead on barring clenbuterol on race day.

“This regulation has also been discussed in the mid-Atlantic area as recently as last week,” Hopkins said.

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Clenbuterol Concerns Raised At Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council Meeting

The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council (EDRC) is considering additional restrictions on clenbuterol use in the state after hair testing reveals widespread use in horses placed on the veterinarian's list after this year's federal indictments.

Dr. Bruce Howard, equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, revealed at an EDRC meeting Sept. 11 that “a near 100 percent rate” of horses based in Kentucky had shown signs of clenbuterol administration on hair testing. Further, treatment sheets submitted to the KHRC as part of veterinary reporting regulations have shown instances of veterinarians prescribing the drug to entire stables.

“The KHRC office has received concerns from numerous trainers and owners who feel that clenbuterol is being misused,” said Howard, who pointed out California, Maryland, Canada, and Florida all have or are validating rules for a longer withdrawal time than Kentucky's.

Clenbuterol is a beta-2 agonist drug most commonly prescribed as a bronchodilator for horses dealing with breathing issues. As a beta-2 agonist however, it also has the side effect of repartitioning — converting slow-twitch muscle fibers to fast-twitch muscle fibers, which has a similar result to an anabolic steroid.

Currently, Kentucky regulations state clenbuterol may not be given closer than 14 days pre-race. Howard suggested pushing the timeframe back to 21 days pre-race and requiring blood and urine tests after a reported administration before the horse could return to the entry box.

But Standardbred representatives at the meeting, which was held by video conference, raised objections. Because harness horses race so frequently, they claim the 14-day timeline already makes it difficult for veterinarians to prescribe the drug to Standardbreds. Widening the gap further will exacerbate the problem.

“People will refuse appropriate treatment of their horses because of the long withdrawal period,” said council member Dr. Andy Roberts, referring to Standardbred horsemen. “It is not abused in the Standardbred sport to speak of. We have a four-day withdrawal period in the state of Ohio and you don't see horses shipping in from Ohio and just knocking people's heads in. It's really not an issue.

“I think the discussion on this drug has long been a case of people feeling like they're getting beat by somebody else when they're using this drug and I don't think there's any scientific fact that details that. As a matter of fact, the repartitioning effect, when you take the drug away, is very quickly reversed.”

Howard pointed out his intention by suggesting a longer withdrawal time was not to remove veterinarians' ability to treat horses, only to encourage responsible use.

Dr. Naveed Chowhan, chair of the EDRC, questioned whether the committee could recommend separate regulation for the breeds to the commission. Council member Dr. Jim Morehead indicated he thought this was a dangerous precedent to set.

The matter has been tabled for now.

Also at Friday's meeting, the council heard a presentation from ReCellerate, the makers of Equiflow aerosol mist. Equiflow is a non-drug biologic which is supposed to help repair damage from severe incidents of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) and reduce incidents of bleeding without the use of Lasix. The substance, which is administered as an inhalant, is concentrated protein serum harvested from stem cell collection from donor horses.

ReCellerate representatives sought to get permission from the EDRC and KHRC to allow veterinarians to prescribe the substance to active racehorses in controlled conditions to get a better sense of its efficacy. The product is in the process of getting approval as a drug by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); use of any non-FDA approved substance in a competing horse is required by rule to be approved by the commission.

Council members were interested in Equiflow's initally-promising results, but some voiced concerns about the challenges of getting a biologic product approved by the FDA as a drug, since it's derived from different donor horses at different times in different collections. ReCellerate representatives assured the council that along with safety and efficacy, uniformity was part of the FDA's rubric for approval.

The council also heard an update on plans for Kentucky to participate in a multi-state study on Lasix use as the state has begun its first year of a partial raceday Lasix phaseout. Initial study plans are in the works to collect video scopes on horses running with raceday and non-raceday Lasix, as well as blood samples to look for inflammatory biomarkers that could be related to EIPH incidents. Drs. Will Farmer, equine medical director for Churchill Downs Inc. and Stuart Brown, equine safety director for Keeneland, indicated the study plans are not yet ready for submission to the EDRC as part of a funding request, as organizers are still working out what the cost would be to each participating entity. The current study design would compare scopes and samples from Maryland, Kentucky, California, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

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Sadler Fined, Suspended for Medication Violations

In a settlement agreement and mutual release with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), leading California trainer John Sadler has been fined $15,000 and handed a 60-day suspension–45 days of which are stayed–for three medication violations dating from 2019. The suspension runs June 29 through June 13.

As part of the agreement, Sadler has been placed on probation for one year, ending June 28, 2021. If he incurs any medication violations during that period, the 45 days of stayed suspension will be imposed following a noticed hearing.

As first reported in the Paulick Report, the CHRB stewards delivered their ruling Sunday, June 28.

The three violations occurred in April and May of last year. Jasikan (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}), who finished third in the Singletary S. at Santa Anita Apr. 28, and Field Bet (Sidney’s Candy), fifth in a maiden claiming at Santa Anita Apr. 14, both tested positive for gabapentin. Sneem (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), who won a maiden special weight at Golden Gate Fields May 10, tested positive for clenbuterol.

The Association of Racing Commissioners International lists both gabapentin and clenbuterol as Class 3/Penalty B medications.

Sadler finished the recently concluded six-month Santa Anita meet in sixth place on the trainers’ standings, with 18 wins and over $1.7 million in earnings, including the $360,000 that Combatant earned for winning the GI Santa Anita H.

Sadler provided the following statement on the CHRB stewards ruling:

“Trainers are liable for the condition of their horses regardless of the acts of third parties. The imposition of the trainer insurer rule requires only the detection of a prohibited substance in an official sample and identification of the trainer of the horse. The trainer insurer rule is not based on actual administration of a drug or negligent care. Fault is not an element of liability under the trainer insurer rule.

“The incidents covered by the settlement agreement and the penalties imposed under the agreement reflect the fact that these incidents resulted from circumstances beyond my control but which nonetheless are my responsibility. Two of these cases involved the passive transmission by a groom of a medication prescribed for his own medical condition. The other involved detection of a prohibited substance in a horse over which I did not have actual custody or control.

“I want to thank the CHRB for their consideration of the mitigating circumstances underlying these complaints in reaching this agreement. My decision to enter into the settlement agreement was based upon the costs involved in defending against these allegations and recognition of the impact of the trainer insurer rule. Over my 40 years as a trainer, I can unequivocally state that I neither administered nor had knowledge of the administration of any prohibited substance to any of my horses.”

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Sadler Fined $15,000, To Serve 15-Day Suspension For Three 2019 Medication Violations

California Horse Racing Board stewards have fined trainer John Sadler $15,000 and suspended him for 60 days, with 45 days of the ban stayed, for three medication violations in April and May 2019.

The ruling, dated Sunday, was the result of a settlement agreement and mutual release between Sadler and the CHRB that stayed 45 days of the suspension provided he has no additional Class 1, 2 or 3 violations during a probationary year that ends June 28, 2021.

Cited were violations of CHRB Rule 1887 (trainer or owner to insure condition of horse) and 1843 (prohibited drug substances: gabapentin and clenbuterol.

The horses that tested positive were Field Bet, fifth as the favorite in a $50,000 maiden claiming race at Santa Anita on April 14, 2019; Jasikan, third in the $100,000 Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita on April 28, 2019; and Sneem, first in a maiden special weight race at Golden Gate Fields on May 10, 2019.

The ruling does not address whether the horses will be disqualified and any purse money won will be redistributed. All three horses were owned by Hronis Racing LLC.

Gabapentin is commonly used to treat shingles or neurologic conditions in humans, but also as an analgesic for pain management for aging horses or those with laminitis. It is classified as Class 3/Penalty B under Association of Racing Commissioners International guidelines. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator classified by RCI as Class 3/Penalty B. Since the dates of the violations, the CHRB has further tightened use of clenbuterol in horses.

Sadler issued the following statement about the sanctions:

According to ThoroughbredRulings.com, hese are the first medication violations for Sadler since he was fined $500 for a positive test for the Class 4 muscle relaxant dantrolene on Dec. 1, 2017. Prior to that he was fined in 2013 for a flunixin overage and twice in 2011 for methocarbamol violations.

Sadler's 15-day suspension begins Monday, June 29 and runs through July 13.

A licensed trainer since 1978, Sadler has won 2,551 races from 15,419 starts. His biggest career victory came in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Classic with Accelerate, who was voted an Eclipse Award as that year's champion older male racing on dirt.

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