Emirates Racing Authority | Horse Racing Free Tips

Hair-Raising Drug Positive Disclosed In United Arab Emirates

Among a handful of stewards rulings distributed this week by the Emirates Racing Authority in the United Arab Emirates was one that could make the hair on the back of a trainer's neck stand up.

Trainer Ahmed bin Harmash was fined 25,000 UAE dirhams (about US$6,800) and the horse Sa'ada was disqualified from a Nov. 27, 2020, win at Jebel Ali Racecourse after the prohibited substance minoxidil was detected in a post-race sample by the Dubai Equine Forensic Unit. The drug was subsequently confirmed in a split sample.

According to the ruling, bin Harmash was “unable to offer an explanation for the findings” until he was advised of the nature of the substance. Minoxidil is a “human product used to treat hypertension and baldness,” according to the ruling, which went on to say that the drug “would act upon the cardiovascular system, have the potential to decrease exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), altering the horse's performance and there is considered a prohibited substance under the ERA Rules of Racing.”

Minoxidil is an ingredient in numerous over-the-counter hair-growth products, including Rogaine.

It was after being notified of what the drug is used for that bin Harmash produced a bottle of “New Hair Lotion” he obtained from the exercise rider of Sa'ada. The same individual was the regular exercise rider for two other horses in bin Harmash's barn and the trainer requested that they be withdrawn from upcoming races out of caution and also be tested for the drug. One of the two horses tested positive for minoxidil.

Despite evidence that the positive test likely resulted from contamination, stewards nevertheless disqualified the horse and levied the fine against the trainer.

This was not the first time a hair-growth product led to the disqualification of a performance horse for minoxidil. In 2017, a horse tested positive for the drug following a showjumping event in South Africa. An investigation by the governing body of the sport, the FEI, discovered that the horse's owner was a longtime user of a hair-growth product containing minoxidil and likely transferred enough of the drug to the horse while hand-feeding grass to him.

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UAE Trainer Fined For Arsenic Positives

Trainer Khalifa Al Neyadi has been fined AED40,000 (€9,278/£7,894) after two runners in his care returned levels of arsenic above the permitted threshold in post-race tests in March. Both horses-White Sky (Ire), a Thoroughbred, and Jayide Al Boraq (MA), a Purebred Arabian-were disqualified from their placings in the races in question. While Al Neyadi denied that either horse had had any recent medication or treatment, he pled guilty to presenting the horses to race with elevated levels of arsenic in their systems.

Al Neyadi exercised his right to have the reserve portion of each horse's urine tested, with both reserve samples also returning a positive. Five hay samples from Al Neyadi's stable were tested-one provided by Al Neyadi and four obtained by the Emirates Racing Authority. The sample provided by Al Neyadi was found to contain abnormal levels of arsenic, while the others did not; however, the abnormal levels were not deemed high enough to explain the positives.

Arsenic is a trace mineral found in nature and always present in the body, but elevated levels must enter the body through treatment or ingestion. Arsenic at very high levels can be toxic to the horse.

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Long-Time Delaware Steward Fritz Burkhardt Passes Away At 85

Long-time Delaware Park steward Fritz Burkhardt passed away in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday, Sept. 22. He was 85.

With exception of a brief stint serving as a racing official for the Emirates Racing Authority in Abu Dhabi in the mid-1990s, the native of Baltimore, Maryland had served has a steward at Delaware Park for the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission from 1987 until 2019.

Burkhardt also worked in varied and numerous positions within in the industry including managing Abacus Ranch in Snowmass, Colorado for Broadway producer Mary K. Frank, he was an assistant to trainer Roger Cornell, steward at Rillito Downs, a trainer, an agent and as a young man worked as a houndsman at the Howard County Hunt Club.

“He really was an amazing man and he lived a fascinating life,” said John Mooney, the Executive Director of Racing at Delaware Park. “He was very devoted to animals, particularly horses. He had a very thorough understanding of the race horse and appreciated all the individuals who worked with race horses. He was a great friend, companion and mentor to so many people in the sport. The Delaware Park family and the racing industry has lost one of our champions. He will be missed.”

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Dubai Trainer Fined For Shockwave Violations

Trainer Ismail Mohammed, who has stables in both Dubai and the UK, has been fined AED80,000 (€19,035/£17,138) after horses in his care in Dubai in eight incidences were found to be treated with shockwave therapy inside the seven clear day threshold. A veterinarian involved has been banned for six months.

While Mohammed claimed to be unaware that the horses were receiving treatments at inappropriate times, he pled guilty and had a previously clear record in regards to shockwave therapy.

Veterinarian Dr. Fred Van Der Linde testified that the medical records presented to the ERA Stewards for the horses receiving shockwave therapy was incorrect. He said the dates entered were for billing purposes and that he had not kept record of the dates of actual treatment. In the absence of any additional records, Emirates Racing Authority stewards relied upon the records provided as treatment dates. Dr. Van Der Linde was disqualified for six months, commencing immediately and expiring on Dec. 28.

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