Nutrition & Horse Racing, Sorta OT

[DrugSalvastore]

The people who insist that horses are becoming faster and more explosive each year claim this is occuring because of better nutrition, advancements in sports medicine, and drugs of the legal and illegal kind.

Such trainers as Bobby Frankel belive this--as do such bettors as thoro-graph's Jerry Brown.

While the issue is interesting, I don't think anyone can gain anything from it one way or the other---so it's really not worth going into it all that deeply. But, I bring all this up because of something interesting I've found with body builders. Here is what a competitive body builder, who doesn't use steriods, feeds himself every day...from a nutritional supplement standpoint.

Step #1- 20 grams of Whey Isolate Protein mixed with water immediately after waking up.

Step #2- 5 grams of arginine, 5 grams of glutamine, and 5 grams of BC amino acids 25 minutes after waking up.

Step #3- 1,000 miligrams of Vitamin C, 400 international units of vitamin E, 1,000 miligrams of calcium, and 3 grams of fish oil right before eating breakfest.

Step #4- 1.5 grams of acetyl L Carnitine an hour after breakfest.

Step #5- 40 grams of casein protein two hours after breakfest.

Step #6- 1 gram of acetyl L-Carnintine one hour after lunch.

Step #7- 400 miligrams of caffeine two hours before workout

Step #8- 500 miligrams of Tribulus terrestris one hour before workout

Step #9- 4 grams of arginine, 5 grams of glutamine, and 5 grams of BC amino acid 30 minutes before workout.

Step #10- 20 grams of whey protein isolate, 40 grams of carbs, 5 grams of creatine, and 500 miligrams of Alpha-lipoic acid immediatley before workout.

Step #11- 5 grams of glutamine, and 5 grams of BC Amino acid immediatley after workout.

Step #12- 50 grams of whey protein, 80 grams of simple carbs, 5 grams of creatine, and 500 miligrams of Alpha-lipoic acid 30 minutes after workout.

Step #13- 1,000 miligrams of vitamin C and 3 grams of fish oil right before dinner.

Step #14- 30 miligrams of zinc, 450 miligrams of magnesium, and 11 miligrams of Vitamin B6 thirty minutes before bedtime.

Step #15- 40 grams of casein protein right before bed.

It's mind-boggling all the stuff a man will put in his body each day to make himself stronger. I've been told that many professional athletes have personal trainers that put them through such daily diets of supplaments like this. Babe Ruth is considered one of the great athletes of the first half of the last century, his diet mainly consisted of beer and hotdogs---and there are many who think he would be a productive ball player against the vastly superior athletes of today.

It's hard to compare the old with the new--but make no mistake--the horses of today aren't getting fed the same stuff as the old time horses.

[kev]

Thats what they do for a living I guess, its a job. Now if you do all that just for the hell of it, just to stay big, then thats something else.

[Skanoochies]

Christ, if i have to start putting horses diets into my handicapping I`m doomed. :D

[DrugSalvastore]

Christ, if i have to start putting horses diets into my handicapping I`m doomed. :D

Well, you probably already do---when you talk about the so called "miracle workers" (like Rick Dutrow Jr., Jeff Mullins, Cole Norman etc.) you are talking about guys who probably are vastly superior to other horseman when it comes to things such as nutrition, sports medicine, and drugs of the legal and illegal kind.

It was Jeff Mullins who insisted that when you play the training game on hay, oats, and water...you go broke fast these days.

I find it real interesting that Bobby Frankel is so confident that modern day horses are so much faster and more explosive than they used to be. Bobby Frankel is no Johnny-come-lately trainer...he won a share of the Saratoga training title in 1970! He was a leading trainer at the Spa 35 years ago! I think he knows a thing or two about old horses.

You have to wonder if all of this new junk these trainers are pumping into the horses body---has something to do with the fact that horses are so fragile now.

It is VERY possible that guys like Dutrow Jr., Mullins, Levine, Mitchel, Lake, Norman, Pletcher, and Bobby aren't "cheating" or "juicing" and that they just have a superior nutrition program---or at least a much better one than rival trainers have.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Amino acids, vitamins and minerals!
Trainers now can insure that their charges get supplements so as not to waste any benefits of nutrition put into them.
There are always some trainers who will not put out them money for new good stuff and I suppose old timers who refuse to believe they work.
There are probably very few giving DLPA to their horses either or giving them myectomys.
I'm sure some trainers and bettors alike will trash anyone whose horse beats theirs whether deserved or not.

[Hosshead]

Step #2- 5 grams of arginine, 5 grams of glutamine, and 5 grams of BC amino acids 25 minutes after waking up.

Step #9- 4 grams of arginine, 5 grams of glutamine, and 5 grams of BC amino acid 30 minutes before workout.

Step #11- 5 grams of glutamine, and 5 grams of BC Amino acid immediatley after workout..
The irony of this is; Megadosing with Glutamine (to release GH) can actually (slowly) kill brain cells, and (over time) give "alzheimer like" symptoms. While the purpose of this regiment (to release GH) is to make you feel "younger".

ie: Glutamine creates the excitotoxic metabolite- Glutamate.
Glutamate (a neurotransmitter) acts on the pituatary to produce GH (growth hormone).
Sharp increases in the brain glutamate levels causes glutamate excitotoxicity. This can destroy neurons by overexcitation, creating lesions in the central nervous system associated with Alzheimers, Huntingdon's Chorea, and STROKE.

[DrugSalvastore]

The irony of this is; Megadosing with Glutamine (to release GH) can actually (slowly) kill brain cells, and (over time) give "alzheimer like" symptoms. While the purpose of this regiment (to release GH) is to make you feel "younger".

ie: Glutamine creates the excitotoxic metabolite- Glutamate.
Glutamate (a neurotransmitter) acts on the pituatary to produce GH (growth hormone).
Sharp increases in the brain glutamate levels causes glutamate excitotoxicity. This can destroy neurons by overexcitation, creating lesions in the central nervous system associated with Alzheimers, Huntingdon's Chorea, and STROKE.

A body builder (and I am not one of them!) will tell you that Glutamine improves digestion, enhances immunity and promotes recovery...and that it also provides energy by supplying muscles with important meatbolic intermediates.

As Mr. Hosshead points out---it can also have some very negative effects on your body.

I think some of the newer stuff given to horses can make them faster and more explosive---but at the same time---the stuff can also have negative effects on the horses overall soundness.

Everyone complains about how the breed is so much weaker--and how no "iron horses" exist anymore--it's very possible that the breeding industry is not the culprit--it probably has something to do with the newer stuff horses are given.