Bet Turfway tonight to fight drugs in racing

[andicap]

Re, the story PA posted in the news section about CD trainers boycotting tonight's Turfway card because of the stricter new drug rules.

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=57283&subsec=2

We should show OUR support for the drug rules and those trainers who did enter their horses by giving the handle a nice bump tonight. I know the field sizes will be puny and people are hesitant to bet over a new racing surface, but I think the fans have to start voting with their wallets if they want to eradicate drugs from the sport once and for all. The state is even giving the horseman a 60-day grace period for any violations for chrissake.

The new drug laws are almost certainly limited and trainers will get around them but that horsemen are so upset about them that they will not even run is a sure sign the states are doing something right.

The arrogance of these horsemen never fail to surprise me.

Let's send them a message the only way fans can -- with our wallets.

:mad: :mad:

(Or are trainers using drugs as an excuse to wait a few days to see how the new surface shakes out?)

[Perilous]

Do you even know what the trainers are against?? Obviously not, by the ignorance in your post.

[Suff]

Do you even know what the trainers are against?? Obviously not, by the ignorance in your post.

The article says..


A new medication policy begins Wednesday at Turfway and many Louisville-based horsemen have chosen to stay home.


Spidey sense says its about BUTE?
On Tuesday, however, the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority voted unanimously to issue warnings for the next 60 days instead of fines and suspensions to trainers whose horses test positive for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents

What is it about?

[Perilous]

Its because the drugs you can and cannot use aren't known yet(or they won't tell the horsemen/vets). For example, vinegar that is commonly used in foot mud *might* cause a bad test. Bute isn't the issue, though they try to make it look like the issue, because that way it looks like people won't run because they can't use bute on race day. Which many people run at Arlington, and you can't use bute on raceday there either, so thats not the issue. The issue is there is no clear cut list of what drugs you can/can't use(not even drugs, just ingrediants that are commonly found in leg brace, poultice, etc), no with draw times(ex:48 hours out for ___ drug). We ran a horse, but we haven't used anything on him that could have came out bad(even poultice, leg brace or anything like that), but most trainers are fearful that sometime as minor as foot mud is going to come up with a bad test. Since the penalities are outragious, who would risk their career because some non-horse group of people can't make up on their minds on what is legal and what's not?
As far as the grace period goes, they are just prolong the issue. I find it highly unlikely that they will go to the trouble of get a emergency sign on a bill then "delay" actually using the new policy? Whats the point then? Or are they going to wait for the trouble just to carry on to the next track?
Either way, the grace period, isn't stated in writing and signed by anyone of importance, so we will continue to run with just lasix and no other treatments for legs. Alot of churchill trainers are looking into running at Hoosier, anyways. Not only because of medication but because of the new surface.

[Observer]

I'm all for tighter drug restrictions in racing .. but something just doesn't seem right about how the process has been handled there in Kentucky.

[Macdiarmadillo]

Kentucky Horse Racing Authority:
"A horse may not race with any medication, drug or substance which is a narcotic, or serve as a local anesthetic, or tranquilizer. Additionally any medication, drug or substance that could stimulate or depress the circulatory, respiratory, or central nervous system of a horse is prohibited."

Sounds pretty clear to me. When has a poultice, brace or something commonly used ever showed up as a positive anywhere? Trainers fearful of foot mud showing as positives?: exactly what planet are they from? Vinegar is not going to show up as a steroid positive on a gel electrophoresis test.

As for clearance times, it's in the medication literature. A vet can look it up. You can look it up. It's only when somebody tries something "new" like steroids not normally used on horses is this a problem.

Kentucky fired the state vet and one other for ignoring positives from the test lab for years. Kentucky racing has been suspect by bettors for the longest time and handle decreases reflect that lack of confidence. Go ahead and run at Hoosier, just make sure the owners are willing to follow you there and the Indiana legislature doesn't suddenly decide they need all the slots money.

[skate]

this sort of position happens allt he time forever and forever.

gees, you gotta know what the protest is really about.
god, what do we think, the "trainers are all criminal".?

now watch, somebody will think i said "trainers are criminal".

well ok , you should have some regulation, but you should find out specifics.

same thing happens on the TV every nite:bang:

[Tom]

Mac's post sounded specified to me....

[skate]

your post sounded just as specific to you also.

here's the problem, as i see it.

first off, i don't know anything about this situation.
so , maybe i'd be good for the jury, at least in my opinion.

Mac n yourself state;
"""A horse may not race with any medication, drug or substance which is a narcotic, or serve as a local anesthetic, or tranquilizer. Additionally any medication, drug or substance that could stimulate or depress the circulatory, respiratory, or central nervous system of a horse is prohibited."""

now for me(being a trainer/ i'm not) i'm thinking "i might need a degree in medication along with a unit of measurement". you know, just so that the people without such a degree, could be held in check.

so lets go back to your statements;
your first sentence, includes, "any med witch iincludes any drug or any substance witch is a narcotic, anesthetic or tranquilizer". keeping in mind todays court system ($), and the availability of new drugs entering the market everyday. and nite.
even , as a trainer, with a degree i'd be very confused.

hey, back in the 80s, i got a $250 fine because an officer from Ar., could not tell from his book (2 inch thick) whether or not the vitamins (40,000 lbs) i was carrying were food or drugs. so i paid the judge...

is petroleum jelly a drug? i don't know.

where do these drugs come from?. nature?

can you give me All of the derivatives? maybe not.

but bet yourself... i would want something just a little ... more than "ANY".

also , does anything you may take, stimulate or depress your system?
like wheaties, coffee, raisins, bananas?
you may lose your job.

[Perilous]

With draw times are not clear-they never specified them to a vet, a horse could be on a medication for a lung infection and you would need to know how many days out they can run after the medication ends-this is not known. It is clear for every other state, though states differ on their policy.
"A horse may not race with any medication, drug or substance which is a narcotic, or serve as a local anesthetic, or tranquilizer. Additionally any medication, drug or substance that could stimulate or depress the circulatory, respiratory, or central nervous system of a horse is prohibited."

That is clear to you? Do you know how many substances effect a horse's system? If they are going to test for _____ substances, you can get ruled off and lose a career over ______ substances, wouldn't you want to know what the _____ substances are? Or atleast when is the period where you need to with draw the horse from the _____ substances. Bute/Banamine aren't the issue, its all the other substances that are in supplements(natural/herbal etc), poultices, leg paints etc that can show up.

I'm all for the new drug policy, I think it will help the horses and the playing field. I just wish that they knew what the new drug policy was, because by the meetings(we've have had several) they can't answer the horsemen's questions. They have met with the horsemen, which is great, now they are taking some time to figure out the answers. I don't understand how they get a emergency order for a new medication policy signed, and then decide not to use it for three weeks, and in those three weeks they haven't even set up the policy?? Now they have it on hold again for another sixty days? They should have had some sort of "board" with trainers, owners, vets, racing officials etc to discuss the best route on changing the policy. Not just deciding oh yeah you get ruled off if you get a bad test and you can't have any raceday meds except lasix and one other bleeder medication, but we don't know what else will show up on the test, legal limits or withdraw times. Go ahead and run, we will give you 1 warning(it takes 12 days to get a test back, do you know how many horses you can run in 12 days?). Plus the 1 warning, was just what some officials have said, its not in writing.