StrideSAFE Team Concludes Churchill’s Musculoskeletal Fatality Data Showed Pre-Existing Conditions

A research team associated with StrideSAFE, the biometric sensor mechanism capable of detecting minute changes in a horse's gait at high speed, concluded that the majority of the recent musculoskeletal fatalities at Churchill Downs were due to pre-existing conditions. A total of 12 horses suffered fatal injuries over a recent five-week period at Churchill, leading track officials to unveil new safety initiatives and then move the remainder of the current meet to Ellis Park.

A grant was awarded to StrideSAFE by the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council (KEDRC), prompting a research team to hold a two-day meeting at the company's headquarters in Midway, Kentucky. In attendance were lead investigators Dr. Warwick Bayly and Dr. Denise McSweeney; co-investigator and StrideSAFE CEO Dr. David Lambert; and team consultants Dr. Mikael Holmstrom, Dr. Kevin Donohue, Dr. Sue Stover, and Dr. Laura Kennedy; as well as Greg Pachman, who represented StrideSAFE management.

The team reviewed Churchill's recent fatalities, of which eight of the 12 were race-day musculoskeletal events. All eight of the horses were carrying StrideSAFE technology. Seven of the eight musculoskeletal cases showed abnormal sensor readings as soon as they left the starting gate.

“Had the sensors been on the horses in prior races, they could have pointed to an issue the horse was having weeks or even months earlier,” said Lambert. “These results give us great optimism that with consistent use, we should be able to identify issues long before they are discernible to the human eye. StrideSAFE technology will empower trainers and veterinarians with vital information which they can use in their daily efforts to safeguard the welfare of their horses.”

TDN has published a number of stories on StrideSAFE's technology in the past year, including The Missing Link to End Fatal Musculoskeletal Injuries?; Data, Data, Data: The “New Frontier” for Horse Racing; and NYRA, StrideSAFE Sensor Technology Study Begins New Stage.

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EDRC Approves Lab Switch For Kentucky Post-Race Testing

The Equine Drug Research Council, a committee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, unanimously voted to approve a switch from Industrial Laboratories to a new facility at the University of Kentucky for the state's pre- and post-race drug testing. The UK Equine Analytical Chemistry Lab is overseen by Dr. Scott Stanley, formerly the director of the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Lab at University of California-Davis.

At a regularly scheduled meeting of the committee last week, Stanley reported that the lab has invested $2.5 million in new equipment in the last year or so, and is involved in construction on a new facility. Currently, the lab manages testing for the United States Equestrian Federation. Stanley said the lab has spent the past year and a half validating testing methods.

The UK lab has interim accreditation from the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC). Stanley said it was not yet fully RMTC accredited only because of delays in the accreditation process last year due to COVID-19. The group was “severely delayed” in its ability to send the UK lab proficiency samples for testing.

“We are one of the best equipped laboratories in the country and our target is to be one of the best equipped labs in the world,” said Stanley. “That'll take a little time to make sure we build up an an appropriate rate, but I know we have the best technology of any laboratory out there right now.”

The KHRC staff supported the move and the committee approved the switch unanimously. Stanley anticipated that once the main commission approves, the lab could take over testing as soon as the beginning of the Ellis Park meet on June 27.

Also at the meeting last week, the committee voted to approve financing of a new position to help the KHRC with new veterinary examination requirements. Horses now must have an authorization from their regular veterinarian before each race and workout stating they are fit to compete. When horses are entered in races, horsemen or veterinarians now must also submit the previous 14 days of medical records.

While compiling these records has previously fallen to KHRC staff, equine medical director Dr. Bruce Howard said staff members are already overloaded with their existing jobs and it's time to shift these tasks into a new position. One committee member questioned why the EDRC should fund the position and was assured that there was an unwillingness to go through state government to try to get approval for additional personnel costs right now.

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Kentucky, New York Move Toward Tougher Restrictions On Clenbuterol

Trainers in several states could soon contend with tougher restrictions on the administration of clenbuterol, a bronchodilator prescribed for respiratory issues which veterinarians say can be misused. At a Dec. 1 meeting of the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council (EDRC), committee members passed a proposed rule change for the drug which would move administration time from 14 days pre-race to 21 days pre-race, with a requirement the horse be tested for the substance before being cleared to run.

Clenbuterol is a beta-2 agonist which is known as an effective solution for horses battling respiratory ailments — a particularly common problem in racetrack barns which often have poor ventilation. Like other beta-2 agonists, however, it can also decrease body fat and increase muscle mass, particularly by converting slow twitch muscle to fast twitch muscle when used repeatedly.

At a September meeting of the EDRC, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission equine medical director Dr. Bruce Howard revealed that nearly 100 percent of Kentucky-based horses from trainers currently under federal indictment showed signs of clenbuterol administration when they were hair tested. Howard has also seen instances of veterinarians prescribing the drug to every horse in the barn.

The measure to move back the drug's administration time was not without debate. Dr. Andy Roberts, member of the EDRC and longtime Standardbred veterinarian, raised concerns about the harness population's ability to treat horses for illness under a 21-day withdrawal.

“I don't want to diminish the concerns about clenbuterol, because I think it's not illegitimate to want to control its administration to legitimate therapeutic purposes, however I think the Standardbreds are taking it quite strongly in the shorts in this because our horses race every week,” said Roberts. “There's almost no opportunity to put horses on clenbuterol already. Several other states already recognize this and have shorter withdrawals on clenbuterol.”

Roberts asked Howard whether out-of-competition testing at Red Mile had detected any clenbuterol use thus far, and Howard said it had not.

“That's because you've taken the drug out of my hands on a therapeutic basis,” said Roberts, who also maintained that the repartitioning effect of clenbuterol on muscle lasts for 11 days. “Passing rules based on speculation that somebody else is doing something — and I say this specifically from a Standardbred point of view because these horses are in to go often enough that you have already severely limited my ability to use this drug properly. People would rather leave horses sick and end up with pleural pneumonia than treat them with clenbuterol. That means we are over-regulating it.”

The 21-day window is based on the limit of detection by drug testing laboratories tasked with finding clenbuterol in a horse's urine sample. Blood and urine tests would be used to clear a horse to race after clenbuterol administration. Hair samples would show clenbuterol administration for up to six to twelve months after administration, but are highly variable depending on hair growth rates.

All EDRC committee members except Roberts voted for the increased restriction.

The vote comes a day after commissioners in New York expressed an interest in restricting clenbuterol use there, too. The Daily Racing Form reported the New York State Gaming Commission voted to require veterinarians to seek permission from the equine medical director before administering the drug, and that horses receiving clenbuterol must pass drug tests showing it has cleared the system before being permitted to run. That is similar to rule language being considered in other Mid-Atlantic states. In Canada, clenbuterol administration was pushed out to 28 days pre-race earlier this year. The American Quarter Horse Association announced a zero tolerance policy on clenbuterol in 2014, which has subsequently been picked up by several states where Quarter Horse racing is a central part of the calendar.

Experts have raised concerns about the potential for clenbuterol abuse for years, but the drug has made more headlines this year, as influential trainers like Mark Casse have called it one of the “most abused drug in our industry.”

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21-Day Vet’s List Stint Recommended for Clenbuterol in KY

The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council (EDRC), which serves as an advisory board to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC), advanced a Dec. 1 recommendation to that full board that would require any horse who receives clenbuterol to be restricted via the veterinarian’s list for 21 days and then test clear of that substance prior to being removed from the list and allowed to compete.

Kentucky’s current clenbuterol regulation requires a prescription that must be filed with the KHRC within 24 hours of dispensing the drug and a withdrawal time of 14 days, according to Bruce Howard, DVM, who serves as the equine medical director for the KHRC.

Howard explained prior to the vote that the switch would align Kentucky with a clenbuterol model rule enacted by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium on Aug. 24.

Within the past year, a number of racing jurisdictions have tightened clenbuterol restrictions based on evidence showing the medication has been widely abused for its repartitioning effect that promotes lean muscle mass. Originally, clenbuterol was developed and is still prescribed as a potent bronchodilator that effectively treats respiratory issues.

On Jan. 1, the California Horse Racing Board enacted a clenbuterol rule that requires a prescription for appropriate usage plus a stint on the vet’s list until the drug clears. On May 1, the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency started banning clenbuterol 28 days out from race day at tracks country-wide. On Oct. 22, the Maryland Racing Commission advanced a rule proposal similar to California’s, and the New York State Gaming Commission did the same Nov. 30.

In addition, more restrictive “house rules” will be in effect at Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn Park during their race meets, and racing commissions in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Virginia are also expected to clamp down on clenbuterol abuse by changing or writing new regulations.

“The KHRC office has received concerns and comments from numerous trainers and owners who feel that clenbuterol is being misused,” Howard said. “They’re concerned that clenbuterol is being used for the anabolic-type [steroid] effect rather than the therapeutic effect prescribed. There have been instances where veterinary records show clenbuterol is being dispensed to numerous horses in a barn, and in some cases the entire stable.

“The KHRC staff would propose that horses being prescribed clenbuterol for medically therapeutic purposes be placed on the veterinarian’s list for 21 days, with blood and urine testing negative for clenbuterol required for being removed from the veterinarian’s list,” Howard continued.

The clenbuterol proposal was the only item on Tuesday’s EDRC agenda, and it drew little discussion among board members, who had already broached the subject during a September meeting.

However, Andy Roberts, DVM, who represents Standardbred interests on the EDRC, again voiced concerns he raised in September about the need to treat harness horses differently than Thoroughbreds when it comes to clenbuterol because of how frequently Standardbreds race.

“I don’t want to diminish the concerns about clenbuterol because I think that it’s not illegitimate to want to control its administration to legitimate therapeutic purposes,” Roberts said. “However, I think the Standardbreds are taking it really quite strongly in the shorts on this one, because our horses race almost every week. There’s almost no opportunity to put the horses on clenbuterol already.”

Roberts noted that several states have shorter withdrawal times for Standardbreds on clenbuterol, and he said that Kentucky’s current 14-day standard backed by out-of-competition (OOC) testing protocols should be enough to catch abusers. He added that recent OOC testing at The Red Mile did not result in any clenbuterol positives

“That’s because you’ve taken the drug out of my hands on a therapeutic basis,” Roberts added.

Howard disagreed that tightening clenbuterol further would be harmful to Standardbreds.

“If a horse is severely ill enough that you feel you need to prescribe this drug, we’re trying not to take this out of your hands for therapeutic purposes,” Howard said. “I think this is a compromise to try and get away from the anabolic effect but still leave it in the hands of the private veterinarians…. I think it’s the perception of this anabolic-type effect or repartitioning effect that is what’s got everyone up in arms. When trainers are looking for that type of effect, that’s where the misuse or abuse of this drug takes place.”

Roberts countered: “First of all, it’s not an anabolic effect. It’s a repartitioning effect. And I know that’s splitting hairs, but it is not the same. Second, that repartitioning effect [has been shown in published studies] to last 11 days. So [the repartitioning effect] is gone before the drug is gone.”

Roberts warned fellow EDRC members about the danger of recommending rules based largely upon speculation that wrongdoing is occurring, adding that he already believes Standardbred trainers are withholding legitimate clenbuterol administration out of fears of triggering a positive.

“People would rather leave horses sick and end up with pleuropneumonia than treat them with clenbuterol. That means we are over-regulating,” Roberts said.

The board briefly debated a suggestion to have different rules for each breed, but KHRC executive director Marc Guilfoil said that was not how the KHRC operates on issues like this one.

“No, this is an all-encompassing rule in Kentucky. One racing commission, [all] breeds. It would encompass the Standardbred horses the same as it would Thoroughbreds,” Guilfoil said.

The EDRC passed the measure by voice vote, with Roberts the lone dissenter.

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