Racing should follow cycling's cue (Andy Beyer)

[ceejay]

Very good column
http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do...8&subs=0&arc=0

If the winner of one of America's important horse races came back with a positive drug test, I would say with confidence that the offense would never be made public. Racing fans have long suspected that many offenses are dealt with quietly, behind the scenes, to avoid a public scandal. Some of those suspicions were confirmed by a 2004 report by The Blood-Horse Magazine on the California Horse Racing Board. When horses of prominent trainers tested positive for illegal drugs, the board handled the cases privately, administering fines that often amounted to a slap on the wrist and never suspended an offender. Racing's regulators seem more concerned about avoiding bad publicity than exposing cheaters.
...

But in horse racing, the use of illegal drugs brings no opprobrium, no shame. Steve Asmussen, the nation's top race-winning trainer in 2004 and 2005, was recently suspended for six months by Louisiana authorities after one of his horses tested positive for mepivacaine, a local anesthetic that could be used to block pain in an animal's leg. Asmussen faces another six-month suspension for a violation in New Mexico. Reports in the press described the offense as if it was a technicality or an accident and not a case of cheating. This same was true with Dutrow's violations last year.

Asmussen's powerful stable continues to operate under the name of his assistant, Scott Blasi, at major tacks across the country, including Saratoga. Yet no track executives question the presence of stand-ins for rule-breakers such as Asmussen and Dutrow. (In racing, we don't use the word "cheater.") Most owners have continued to support these trainers, feeling no stigma of being associated with them. There is only one way that horse racing can prove that it is serious about stopping the use of illegal drugs. When the sport catches a high-profile trainer engaging in a blatantly illegal practice, it should throw the book at him, run him out of the sport, and castigate him as a cheater and a disgrace. What horse racing needs, in short, is its own Floyd Landis.

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by ceejay

Very good column
http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do...8&subs=0&arc=0

Well, as bad as racing might be, I doubt it's as bad as cycling and other such sports (track and field), so the steps taken in cycling can hardly be set as a positive example! I agree that once a cheater has been identified and the accusations PROVEN, he/she should be banned from the sport forever. What we need is a nationwide policy with clearly defined rules, double blind testing which is monitored in such a way as to avoid "false positives" and fair procedures to give the accused his/her "day in court"...once that is in place, then I would support aggressive action and the elimination of all cheaters from the sport!

Originally Posted by somerfrost

Well, as bad as racing might be, I doubt it's as bad as cycling and other such sports (track and field), so the steps taken in cycling can hardly be set as a positive example! I agree that once a cheater has been identified and the accusations PROVEN, he/she should be banned from the sport forever. What we need is a nationwide policy with clearly defined rules, double blind testing which is monitored in such a way as to avoid "false positives" and fair procedures to give the accused his/her "day in court"...once that is in place, then I would support aggressive action and the elimination of all cheaters from the sport!

I disagree with one thing Somer--I think drug problem in racing is on the same level as cycling, if not worse. I agree 100% on national, well defined, clear rules and punishments. What I think should happen is this:

If a horse tests positive for an illegal drug
1) Ban the trainer for 3 years.
2) Ban the vet who administered the drug for 3 years

If a trainers horse tests positive a 2nd time
1) Ban the trainer for ife
2) Ban the vet for life
3) Ban the owner for 1 year.

I say you ban the owner because the owner is where the buck falls. They pay the bills, and all parties should be held accountable.

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by eurobounce

I disagree with one thing Somer--I think drug problem in racing is on the same level as cycling, if not worse. I agree 100% on national, well defined, clear rules and punishments. What I think should happen is this:

If a horse tests positive for an illegal drug
1) Ban the trainer for 3 years.
2) Ban the vet who administered the drug for 3 years

If a trainers horse tests positive a 2nd time
1) Ban the trainer for ife
2) Ban the vet for life
3) Ban the owner for 1 year.

I say you ban the owner because the owner is where the buck falls. They pay the bills, and all parties should be held accountable.

Well...I would focus more on stopping the administration of drugs than on punishment (no problem banning the guilty as I said before). I think we should first severely limit the number of drugs allowed to be administered to any horse in training...bute, pain meds for aches and pains, lasix for bleeders are necessary evils but many others could be eliminated imo. Then, accurate records must be maintained listing every drug utilized on every horse. These would be presented to racing authorities prior to every race...in a perfect world, we'd have the technology to test at that point to insure that the drugs in question don't exceed specified limits...if they do, the horse would be scratched. This would eliminate the advantage of cheating using said drugs. I would consider slight overages to be mistakes rather than attempts to cheat unless a pattern of same is detected. After the race, testing would be for all drugs and any positive for any drug not on the trainer's list of meds being used would mean big trouble! Still, investigation would be needed to insure a stable hand didn't adminster the wrong med by mistake or a rival didn't spike a horse's food or water etc...with that in place, aggressive penalties would be fair!

Originally Posted by somerfrost

Well...I would focus more on stopping the administration of drugs than on punishment (no problem banning the guilty as I said before). I think we should first severely limit the number of drugs allowed to be administered to any horse in training...bute, pain meds for aches and pains, lasix for bleeders are necessary evils but many others could be eliminated imo. Then, accurate records must be maintained listing every drug utilized on every horse. These would be presented to racing authorities prior to every race...in a perfect world, we'd have the technology to test at that point to insure that the drugs in question don't exceed specified limits...if they do, the horse would be scratched. This would eliminate the advantage of cheating using said drugs. I would consider slight overages to be mistakes rather than attempts to cheat unless a pattern of same is detected. After the race, testing would be for all drugs and any positive for any drug not on the trainer's list of meds being used would mean big trouble! Still, investigation would be needed to insure a stable hand didn't adminster the wrong med by mistake or a rival didn't spike a horse's food or water etc...with that in place, aggressive penalties would be fair!

I couldnt agree more. I definatley like the idea of pre-race screening.

[Danzig]

hmmmm...thinking out loud here.

what if horses could only receive treatment, injections and so forth, from a track vet(s), answerable only to the track, or ntra. all injections, etc would have to come only from an approved source. so often you read about certain trainers and vets staying ahead of the testing curve by using items that aren't yet test-able(er, is that a word?? -it is now...) so what if there was a locked medicine cabinet, one key held by one person, and all meds could only come from that cabinet?? is that doable? if not, why not?

i hate to come back to nascar, but look at what they do...all parts have to meet the criteria set forth by the governing body. everything put on the car, the car itself inspected for the slightest discrepancy, and HUGE fines ()esp compared to horse racing!!) for those who get caught out. no appeals that drag on incessantly.