Scott Lake suspended

[GaryG]

As Gomer used to say...surprise surprise!

http://drf.com/news/article/72148.html

[andicap]

What's funny about that story is his horse lost...

[Valuist]

I bet him that day. Pretty sad when you get clear on the inner dirt, are drugged, and STILL get caught by another horse.

[PaceAdvantage]

You guys realize that most if not all of Lake's horses train on Clenbuterol, right? You do realize that it is 100% legal for horses to train on Clenbuterol, right?

You do realize that when caught (and if you try and run your horse on Clenbuterol, you WILL be caught) a trainer will not only be suspended, but will forfeit any and all purse money won, right?

So I then ask you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if there is any sane, rational reason WHY a trainer would INTENTIONALLY run his horse on Clenbuterol on RACE DAY? What's that? There is none? Right!

It's 100% obvious that in this day and age, you will not be able to get away with running your horse on Clenbuterol. You will get caught.

So, the only possible reason remaining to knowingly run your horse on Clenbuterol (knowing you WILL get caught and suspended), is if somehow, you plan on making a lot more $$ in some sort of betting coup. Is that what you guys theorize is going on here? Because that's the only possible reason left to KNOWINGLY run your horse on Clenbuterol in the hopes of improving performance on race day.

So it's either that, or someone screwed up in the barn....and with an operation of Lake's size, my money is on someone screwing up. Barns ain't exactly filled with Einstein-types you know....

[Valuist]

Lets say you are right. And with an operation the size of Lake's that is possible. So what? An infraction is an infraction, whether its fraudulent or just a stupid mistake by somebody in the barn. If his barn has so many horses that they can't keep track who has clenbuterol in them, then maybe he better reduce the number of horses he has. He gets no sympathy from me on this.

[PaceAdvantage]

I'm not asking for sympathy.....hell, if you screw up, you deserve to be punished!

But trying to imply he did it on purpose (see GaryG's comment "Surprise Surprise!") doesn't make much sense.

[Tom]

What gets me is that everyone who bet the horse that finished second that day got screwed.

And why would a trainer run a horse on the drug on raceday - for the bet?
did he bet enough to cover the lost purse? Or his 10% of it?
Was there a big payoff on an exotic that day? I dunno, but there is a reason - when you cheat and bet, you get to keep the money.
Now, if, as I advocate, you get caught cheating you have to repay the entire betting pools, then you have a real deterent to this crap - I have no doubt every trainer out there would start being responsible and making damn sure his horses were clean before the race. One fine would probably wipe out a stable.

[falconridge]

Now, if, as I advocate, you get caught cheating you have to repay the entire betting pools, then you have a real deterent to this crap - I have no doubt every trainer out there would start being responsible and making damn sure his horses were clean before the race. One fine would probably wipe out a stable.Though the case of the senior Ted West (who, to the best of my knowledge, never had his trainer's license renewed, though he's likely intervened in the conditioning of a number of horses in his son's charge) falls within a different jurisdiction, the penalties described in the CHRB press release (link: http://www.chrb.ca.gov/press_releases/PRApril091999.htm) might give us some idea of what awaits Scott Lake. As in California and all other states and provinces with legal pari-mutuel wagering, the "absolute insurer" rule applies, as it has for decades.

My recollection is that West did himself no favors when pressed for an explanation of why his horses tested positive for the banned substance: "I think clenbuterol is good for horses." That's one peculiar plea: innocent by reason of disagreement with the law.

By the way, I'm positive I bet against Budroyale when that horse finished first in the seventh race at Hollywood Park on June 13, 1998 (I had the third-place horse to win, but also an exacta with the runnerup over the show horse). Where do I go to get my money back?

Note also, in the CHRB press release, mention of current SoCal trainers Paco Gonzalez, Darrell Vienna (a practicing attorney), and Bruce Headley. Anyone know what came of their cases?

[westny]

You guys realize that most if not all of Lake's horses train on Clenbuterol, right? You do realize that it is 100% legal for horses to train on Clenbuterol, right?

You do realize that when caught (and if you try and run your horse on Clenbuterol, you WILL be caught) a trainer will not only be suspended, but will forfeit any and all purse money won, right?

So I then ask you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if there is any sane, rational reason WHY a trainer would INTENTIONALLY run his horse on Clenbuterol on RACE DAY? What's that? There is none? Right!

It's 100% obvious that in this day and age, you will not be able to get away with running your horse on Clenbuterol. You will get caught.

So, the only possible reason remaining to knowingly run your horse on Clenbuterol (knowing you WILL get caught and suspended), is if somehow, you plan on making a lot more $$ in some sort of betting coup. Is that what you guys theorize is going on here? Because that's the only possible reason left to KNOWINGLY run your horse on Clenbuterol in the hopes of improving performance on race day.

So it's either that, or someone screwed up in the barn....and with an operation of Lake's size, my money is on someone screwing up. Barns ain't exactly filled with Einstein-types you know....

Ditto. Ditto. Ditto.

The testing done by NYRA and CA tracks do detect nanograms of drugs in a horse's bloodstream. Obviously, Lake's horse still had the drug in his system, got tested and "caught". A nanogram is equivalent to "a drop of water in a swimming pool".

Isn't this issue of drug threshold and elapsed time for various drugs to clear a horse's system holding up Kentucky from formalizing drug guidelines? Kentucky has been "studying" this race day drug plan for SEVEN years, and are still "studying".

Why do I always read about "trainers racing in NY caught with drugged horses" and the suspicion of "race fixing" while NY is the ONLY track that tests for numerous, banned race day drugs, and has a detention barn.

Kentucky allows app 7-10 drugs on raceday, and has NO testing for other performace enhancing race day drugs. Is that a level playing field? What is the drug policy at Gulfstream, aside from "cutting off the offending part"

I rarely read about trainers at other track caught using drugs. So, these other trainers are not like Lake, i.e."fixing races" via drugs? I don't think so.

Why bettors have a problem with a Lake horse in NY "caught" with a Clenbuterol overage because of very strict testing, but "merrily" bet tracks with no drug policy and never post a negative thought about those tracks is confounding.

[Whitehos]

I had a horse that had to have Clembuterol in order to train. It suposedly metabolizes in 7 to 10 days. However all horses, like people , do not metabolize at the same rate at all times. Every time my horse went to the spit box I had to sweat it out. I was lucky, but I never raced him less than 10 days after using it.

[Figman]

Clenbuterol (ventipulmin syrup) is a most popular med the past few decades on the backstretches of American racetracks. It produces some great short term effects on horses enabling them to run to the best of their ability. Unfortunately its side effects may very well outweigh its short term advantage. This is likely a drug that is ruining the breed and causing horses to need more time between races. It is now also believed that this drug never completely metabolizes and continued use causes a buildup in a consistently treated racehorse. Equine research is resulting in a parallel to the results found in the initial rodent research.
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0176.htm

[kenwoodallpromos]

Thank you for the link! It says "anabolic-type effects".
Did you catch this part of the article?
" Some of the rats followed a completely sedentary lifestyle, while others sprinted on treadmills or engaged in ***endurance swim training***.
I assume NY rats would win any Rat Olympics swim event!
__________
Lake is in good company- Warren Stute was just HOF nominated!

"Trainer WARREN STUTE, who started THATSWHATIMEAN in the eighth race at the Oak
Tree Racing Meet on 16 October 2005, is fined FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS ($400.00)*
pursuant to California Horse Racing Board rule #1887 (Trainer to Insure Condition of Horse)
for violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1844 (c ) (Authorized Medication – more
than one approved non-steroidal anti-inflammatory – Phenylbutazone and Flunixin).
LIC: 099146/09-08
CASE: 05SA250
*Rule #1532. Fine shall be paid to the Paymaster within
seven calendar days from the date of this ruling, or the
license of the person upon whom the fine has been imposed
shall be suspended.
BY ORDER OF THE
BOARD OF STEWARDS"

[Tom]

This is just a cost of doing business. When GE advertises light bulbs that will last 200 hours, for example, they have to sell you alightbul that will most likely last 1,000 hours. They have to include 99+% of thier lightbulbs past the 3-sigma limits for lifetime in order to make that claim.

If we know the drug stays in the system 5 days, then, when you figure the average and standard deviation of how long it stays in the population of all horses, it might be that you have to stop administering the drug 15 days before the race. the trainer, like GE, is making a claim of a drug free horse and should be held responsible for making good on that promise.

As far a a drop in the ocean, then change the rule to reflect that. Until then a drop in the ocean violates a rule that allows for no trace.

There is no excuse for horsement palying fast and loose with public money wagered on races.

[Valuist]

Westny-

In theory, you're wrong. Kentucky tests for milkshakes and other race day medications.......IN THEORY. In reality the whole thing has become a joke. I don't think the testing procedures are any better now than they were two years ago. What's worse than having no drug rules? Having them but never enforcing them.

[delayjf]

Just read an article by Mark Cramer stating that Lake also treats his horses with steroids, which is legal to "train on". I'm sure that has something to do with the decline of the breed as well.

[PaceAdvantage]

Steroids, lake ain't the only one that's for sure. You ever get a good look at some of these horses coming out of some of these barns?

Cigar comes to mind immediately, but perhaps he just hit the weight room more often than the other horses.....

[Figman]

All NY rules can be found at www.racing.state.ny.us

This is the rule in NY regarding steroids (See #9 below in the 48-hr. section)
4043.2(e) The following substances are permitted to be administered by any means until 48 hours before the scheduled post time of the race in which the horse is to compete:

(1) aminophylline or theophylline;

(2) arsenic solution (e.g., Fowlers Solution);

(3) aspirin or sodium thiosalicylate;

(4) chymotrypsin (e.g., Kymar);

(5) diuretics (e.g., furosemide, except as otherwise provided pursuant to subdivision of this section, thiazide derivatives;

(6) epinephrine (adrenaline);

(7) selenium/vitamin E (e.g., E-Se);

(8) griseofulvin (e.g., Fulvicin);

(9) hormones and [B]steroids (e.g., testosterone, progesterone, estrogens, chorionic gonadatropin, glucocorticoids), except in conjunction with joint aspiration as restricted in subdivision (i) of this section;

(10) Hyaluronic Acid derivatives

(11) Immuno stimulants

(12) iodine injection (e.g., Hypodermin, Harvey's Injectible Blister);

(13) methenamine (e.g., Urotropin);

(14) the following nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's): Phenylbutazone (e.g., Butazolidin), Flunixin (e.g., Banamine), meclofenamic acid (Arquel), naproxen (e.g., Naprosyn, Equiproxen ;), Ketoprofen (e.g., Orudis);

(15) orgotein (e.g., Palosein);

(16) hydroxychloroquine sulfate (e.g., Rheaform);

(17) sarapin;

(18) sulfonamide drugs (e.g., Sulfa); and

(19) biologics (e.g., bacterins, antitoxins except tetanus antitoxin).

They may not be administered within 48 hours of the scheduled post time of the race in which the horse is to compete, except that phenylbutazone or flunixin may be used in accordance with the specific authorization set forth in paragraph d of this rule.