Quote:
Originally Posted by King Glorious
I would like to believe that if these horses were allowed to do more, they could. Maybe not be faster or better but at least sturdier.
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I've heard such wizards as Dr. Allday and Slewis from Pace Advantage claim Affirmed was on Sublimaze ... maybe they should allow Sublimaze.
My father said he administered both Sublimaze and Ritalin to horses he trained when he was a trainer. He told me that anyone who thinks Sublimaze is as a/effective (word police?) a hop as Ritalin doesn't know what they're talking about.
He said neither one of them work that well on horses who can't run - but basically, for an old beat up class horse off-form, sublimaze can help and Ritalin can help a whole lot.
His training career basically ended when he got a bad test for Ritalin. He said he had an old horse (named Noticable if I recall) who could barely walk - give it Ritalin - and it would go out and fire every week. He said someone found out - and complained that Ritalin was being abused.
He said in those days - and maybe still today - a substance wouldn't come up in a drug test unless they were looking for it.
So, all of a sudden, after someone tipped the powers that be off, he and two other trainers come up with bad tests for Ritalin in the same night. One of them, by the way, is a guy who later trained a 1990's Kentucky Derby winner as a 2yo. They all get ruled off for the season and suspended. He also said he was tipped off by a track employee before they searched his barn and informed him he had a bad test.
I suppose if Affirmed did get Sublimaze like Allday and Slewis claim - he probably didn't get it until his 4yo season after soundly losing the Malibu at 1/5 odds and the San Fernando at 1/2 odds... he responded with a 10 length Gr 1 win at 4/5 in his next start - recaptured his best form - and never was beat again.
I know Cannon Shell has a woody about how great lasix is - but I doubt something that dehydrates the hell out of horses everytime is good for helping horses train and campaign hard.
Crazy talk coming from me - I never had a trainers license and I don't know jack sh!t about any of these meds - but maybe getting rid of lasix and allowing some old-school dopes that will help horses race and train more often is what is needed to make the sports racing product better.