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The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council will call on state regulators to ban exogenous anabolic androgenic steroids in horses on race day and will ask that any therapeutic use of them be documented.

During a Thursday meeting at the Kentucky Horse Park, the council unanimously approved rules that will ban the use of these steroids. The council makes recommendations to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which is expected to review the drug regulation amendment at its August 25 meeting.

“These recommendations make it clear to the people of Kentucky just how serious we are in ensuring the safety and welfare of our racing horses,” Chairman Jerry Yon said. “This action would also go a long way in leveling the field for our bettors through this most up-to-date and scientifically based rule for banning anabolic steroid use in horses who are racing in the country.”

The council recommends that steroid penalties be strengthened. If a synthetically produced steroid is detected, the violation will be treated as a Class A penalty, which carries a license suspension of up to three years. A positive test for a naturally occurring steroid will be treated as a Class B violation, which carries a suspension of up to 60 days.

In line with the Association of Racing Commissioners International model rule on steroids, the recommendation would allow the use of boldenone, nandrolone, and testosterone for therapeutic use. In terms of the rule, these three steroids are considered naturally occurring. Kentucky added a new wrinkle to the model rule by requiring that therapeutic use of these steroids be reported to the state’s equine medical director, Mary Scollay, D.V.M.

If approved for therapeutic use, the horse would then be ineligible to race for a minimum of 60 days and would have to be tested for steroids before a return to racing would be allowed.

Council member John Ward, a trainer who also serves on the racing commission, raised concerns that this section of the recommendation could go beyond the parameters of a racing commission. He said that while the ideas are perhaps good recommendations for trainers, that they should not necessarily be part of the rule.

“We don’t have the authority until that horse is entered,” Ward said. “This should be advice to avoid penalty, not the actual law.”

Ward still approved the recommendation but added that he will further consider the reporting part of the rule before giving his approval racing commission member.

The rule differs slightly from the model rule in that it does not include stanozolol as a steroid approved for therapeutic use. Yon said this is because when the model rule was crafted, Winstrol (stanozolol) was an FDA-approved steroid. Because Winstrol is no longer made, stanozolol is actually a compound that Yon said is not regulated.

National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association Chief Executive Officer Remi Bellocq said he thought the Kentucky rule is in line with the model rule.

“I still have to read through it but my initial feeling is that it is in the spirit of the model rule,” Bellocq said.

courtesy: www.thoroughbredtimes.com 

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