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Quarter Horse Connections Hit With Lengthy Suspensions For Clenbuterol And Albuterol

The New Mexico Racing Commission has doled out several lengthy suspension sentences related to post-race findings of clenbuterol and albuterol in the state this year.

Earlier this month, trainer Humberto Tena was given a 1 1/2-year suspension and a $15,000 fine after runner True Romance tested positive for clenbuterol after finishing third in the Zia Quarter Horse Futurity Trials on July 10. The suspension is retroactive from July 24 and will continue through Jan. 24, 2022. Tena was assigned six points on his license under the multiple medication violation point system and has also been fined $15,000. True Romance is raced under the stable name 21 Partnership, identified as Anwar Elias in the Nov. 12 ruling.

In October, trainer Robert Duane Sanderson was also suspended 18 months for a finding of albuterol in trainee Mr. Desert Wrangler after the fourth race at The Downs at Albuquerque on Aug. 23. Sanderson's suspension is retroactive from his summary suspension Sept. 3, 2020 and is set to continue through March 3, 2022. Sanderson was also fined $15,000 and given six MMV points on his license. Mr. Desert Wrangler is owned by Ramon Trejo, who failed to appear before the commission on the matter.

New Mexico stewards said last week they had not received notices of appeal from either Sanderson or Tena.

Earlier this year, a clenbuterol finding in Gabbis Mountain triggered a year-long suspension and a $10,000 fine for trainer Janell Sanderson. This is the first year of training for Sanderson, who saddled 25 horses and six winners in 2020. Gabbis Mountain had formerly been one of them for owner Jorge L Fernandez, having won the fifth race on June 5 at Ruidoso by disqualification. Janell Sanderson was also summarily suspended June 12 after the commission alleged she failed to comply with an order for out-of-competition testing for ten horses in her care.

All horses have been disqualified from the affected races and declared unplaced, and purses redistributed.

New Mexico has zero tolerance for clenbuterol and albuterol in both Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds.

Clenbuterol can be prescribed legitimately as a therapeutic medication to treat respiratory illness in horses, but can also be abused for its anabolic-like side effects if given repeatedly over time. Albuterol, well known for its therapeutic use for human breathing conditions, was rumored to have become the choice of trainers looking for the same impacts of clenbuterol after that drug was banned in the state.

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Breeders’ Cup Officials Say 100 Percent Of Starters Have Gotten At Least One Out-Of-Competition Test

For the second time in series history, 100 percent of the Breeders' Cup runners loading into the gate this weekend will have undergone at least one out-of-competition test (OOCT). Last year was the first time Breeders' Cup officials expanded the OOCT program broadly enough to catch every entrant. This year, Breeders' Cup Out-of-Competition Program Director Dr. William Farmer said 10% of starters got more than one OOCT, 20% of entries were subjected to paired hair and blood testing, and 25% of samples were submitted to random bisphosphonate testing.

A total of 300 individual samples across 20 different facilities were tested. As reported earlier this week, one OOCT came up positive for stanozolol, resulting in the scratch of Princess Secret from the Juvenile Fillies.

OOCT began in June in the United States. Breeders' Cup was able to send testers to collect samples from internationally-based runners during the year, with the exception of those in Ireland. Those horses were sampled upon their arrival into the United States with the cooperation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials.

Breeders' Cup took over its own OOCT in 2017, in the wake of the 2016 scandal over Masochistic's positive OOCT for stanozolol. Before that time, OOCT went through the local commission and results were not always released to Breeders' Cup officials before the races. After the Breeders' Cup took over testing, the authority expanded its ability to test more horses, taking the percentage of horses covered from 40 percent of runners to 100 percent in 2019.

This year's figures were revealed at the annual health and safety media briefing Wednesday morning. Also at that briefing, Dr. Deborah Lamparter, co-leader of the Breeders' Cup veterinary team, highlighted a few key changes to pre-race veterinary monitoring. After last year's high profile breakdown of Mongolian Groom, a review of veterinary procedures conducted by Dr. Larry Bramlage resulted in six suggestions for improvement. According to Lamparter's report, several of those have been implemented this year.

Breeders' Cup veterinarians are teaming up with Kentucky Horse Racing Commission veterinarians to keep two sets of eyes on each horse for examinations that will take place throughout the week in addition to the exam on the morning of the horse's race. Those veterinary teams have studied each horse's pre-race exam history as it has been entered into InCompass software, which shares veterinary notes across jurisdictions. This week's exams will include palpation of legs as well as jogging in the barn area.

Horses entering the track for morning training at both Churchill Downs and Keeneland are required to jog in a line for veterinarians, with vets standing in front, behind, and off to the side of the horse for its jog. If the horse successfully passes the jog, it can go on with its regularly-scheduled exercise. The jogs are videoed and available for review later. A veterinarian will be watching video streams of morning workouts in addition to the veterinarians on the ground observing morning work, and vets will have access to videos of works taken by the track and various media outlets to review later.

If veterinarians find anything of concern, they will request the trainer have diagnostics done on the horse.

“After all of those reviews, if the horse is deemed unfit to start, a official KHRC veterinarian will recommend the horse be scratched,” said Lamparter.

Surface experts report Keeneland's surfaces seem to be in good shape as the weekend approaches. Jim Pendergast, Keeneland track superintendent, reported that testing of the dirt and turf indicate the depth of cushion and track composition are all good. The track maintenance crew will take 45 moisture measurements and 45 going stick measurements each morning to check the surface and determine ratings for the surfaces. Currently, Pendergast anticipates the turf track, which is holding onto moisture from rain several days ago, will be listed as good by the start of the weekend.

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Princess Secret Out Of Juvenile Fillies After Failing Out-Of-Competition Drug Test

Princess Secret, a 2-year-old filly owned and trained by Daniel Pita, will not be permitted to enter the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies after an Oct. 26 blood test administered by the Breeders' Cup Out-of-Competition Program revealed the presence of Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid that is specifically prohibited by Breeders' Cup under its condition of entry.

Confirmation analysis was done following the positive screening result.

Any horse testing positive for anabolic steroids or other ARCI prohibited substances in a Breeders' Cup out-of-competition test sample during the six months prior to the Breeders' Cup World Championships is ineligible to participate in the Championships.

All out-of-competition samples are sent to the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California-Davis for testing. The lab is certified by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) and the executive council of the IFHA has also specifically endorsed the testing protocols of the Breeders' Cup.

“Breeders' Cup out-of-competition testing is done to the highest world standards and is vital to ensuring the integrity of the World Championships. All horses pre-entered for the Breeders' Cup are subject to our stringent medication and testing protocols and must meet these requirements in order to compete,” said Breeders' Cup President & CEO Drew Fleming. “Breeders' Cup will continue its work to ensure the safety and the integrity of our sport, including our strong support of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act and other progressive reforms for Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. through our involvement in the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition.”

Learn more about the Breeders' Cup's out-of-competition testing program from this 2019 Paulick Report feature.

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O’Brien Horses In Australia Subjected To Out-Of-Competition Tests After Feed Contamination Concerns

After top international trainers Aidan and Joseph O'Brien were forced to scratch horses from Sunday's races due to concerns about possible feed contamination, news broke Monday that Australian authorities are testing O'Brien horses based there.

Racing Post reported that top Caulfield Cup hopeful Anthony Van Dyck and Melbourne Cup contender Tiger Moth just arrived in Australia to prepare for those races.

The O'Brien horses are fed products made by Gain Equine Nutrition, which warned customers that some batches of some of its products may have been contaminated with zilpaterol. Zilpaterol is not permitted in Europe but is commonly used in the States by cattle farmers to add weight to cows. It is a beta agonist and therefore could have anabolic-like side effects.

A French lab detected zilpaterol in urine samples taken from O'Brien horses after the company's warning.

“Racing Victoria (RV) can advise that its integrity services team are liaising with Irish trainers Aidan and Joseph O'Brien regarding the circumstances that led to the stable scratching runners in France and Ireland across the weekend due to concerns regarding the alleged contamination of horse feed that it utilizes.

“Reports from both trainers and international racing authorities are that feed used by both stables has been found in Europe to be contaminated with the prohibited substance Zilpaterol.

“Following discussions with the O'Brien stables, RV stewards have today conducted out of competition testing on their horses at Werribee to determine whether Zilpaterol is currently in any of the horse's systems. The results of these tests may take up to one week.

“Furthermore, both stables have confirmed to RV stewards today that they have ceased using feed from the provider in question.”

Learn more about feed contamination in this 2015 Paulick Report feature.

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