The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved modified race dates for Turfway Park, a request from Churchill Downs to convert their noncontiguous track extension facility into a simulcast facility, and new withdrawal requirements for administration of clenbuterol in their bi-monthly meeting on Dec. 8, 2020.
Turfway Park was originally granted 39 days for their 2021 Winter Spring meet. They did not request to change the number of days already allowed for their meet, just the specific dates and times during which the meet would take place as well as ship in dates.
“Turfway Park has already been awarded 39 days of racing for January, February, and March of 2021,” KHRC deputy general counsel Chad Thompson said.”The shift of dates will fall within the same months as the dates that were recorded. In addition, the shift in dates will not conflict with those of another thoroughbred track.”
The reason for the shift is a delay in the construction schedule at Turfway, which is undergoing a complete renovation by owner Churchill Downs Inc.
There was a series of amendments made to pre-existing regulations on clenbuterol use. The first amendment was made to make a new section within a drug regulation rule to include clenbuterol and specify that it is prohibited unless certain conditions are met. The first condition is that a clenbuterol prescription must be made for a specific horse based upon a specific diagnosis. The second condition is that the vet is required to provide a copy of the horse's treatment sheet to the equine medical director for review within 24 hours of administration. The third condition is that the horse must be placed on the vet's list for 21 days post-administration and must pass a blood and urine test at the end of the 21 days to be removed from the list.
The second amendment on clenbuterol regulations was made to a regulation on the acceptable threshold of clenbuterol. This new amendment states that the acceptable threshold is the level of detection in urine serum and plasma. The last amendment made states that clenbuterol may be administered if the treatment is pursuant to a prescription and reported to the commission.
Although the amendments were ultimately approved, there were some points made in regards to how the amendments are affecting the Standardbred community since those horses race more frequently than Thoroughbreds do.
“This, I think, is a case of punishing harness racing for the sins of the Quarter Horse people and Thoroughbred people,” Said commissioner Alan Leavitt in response to the proposal of the clenbuterol amendments. “There have been, as far as I know, no instances reported of a Standardbred being overly treated with clenbuterol in order to get a steroidal effect.”
The commission unanimously approved the conversion of the Louisville Thoroughbred Society to become a simulcast facility.
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