Jockey Club favors ban on steroids

[lfe2211]

Jerry,

As with all the others who took your advice on SC, I say both thank you and (while bowing) \"We\'re not worthy\".

On another topic recently much discussed on the board, here\'s an article from today\'s DRF on anabolic steroids.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/87764.html

Here\'s the opening paragraph:

The Jockey Club has endorsed a prohibition on the unregulated use of anabolic steroids and is willing to support penalties for owners whose horses test positive for illegal medications, the Jockey Club chairman, Ogden Mills \"Dinny\" Phipps, said Sunday.

[miff]

Dinny Phipps has been the champion of the anti drug thing in NY forever,seems to go nowhere.

[lfe2211]

Barry,

As a very successful horse owner, why don\'t you weigh in on banning anabolic steroids in horse racing? I am appalled that AS are allowed to be used in racing thoroughbreds given their demonstrated performance enhancing properties and direct negative effect on fertility which in turn can have deleterious effects on the breeding potential of horses receiving such drugs.

Thanks.

[Barry Irwin]

I do believe that I\'ve \"weighed in\" on steroids a few times on this forum.

First of all, studies done on female horses that were administered steroids showed conclusively that while they may have exhibited male behavior after initially being retired to the breeding paddocks, their fertility was no different than distaffers that raced without them.

I don\'t think horses should be raced on steroids.

We try not to run fillies on steroids, but every once in a while be buy one that we find out has been on them, and we keep her going on them until they require a break from racing. When we bring them back, we don\'t give them steroids anymore.

I think a good case can be made for allowing geldings to race on steroids, but if they become banned and all horses are off of them, I think this would be fair.

My problem with a battling steroids is that I think it will shift the focus from the real danger in racing, which is designer or newly developed drugs.

This is where the real cheating that can ruin the sport occurs.

To me steroids is a side show.

If you notice that Team Valor horses run all over the globe and steroids are banned everywhere but here, so our stock doesn\'t rely on them.

[lfe2211]

Barry Irwin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

 First of all, studies done on female horses that
 were administered steroids showed conclusively
 that while they may have exhibited male behavior
 after initially being retired to the breeding
 paddocks, their fertility was no different than
 distaffers that raced without them.
 
 
What about male horses? There are definitive studies in human males that show that prolonged use of anabolic steroids greatly reduce sterility and/or produce infertility. Why would any horse owner with valuable male breeding stock administer AS, risking loss of millions of dollars at stud?

---------------------------------------------------

My problem with  battling steroids is that I think it will shift the focus from the real danger in racing, which is designer or newly developed drugs.


I think this is a mis-perception.

Designing new and more potent AS is trivial once you understand the chemistry (my field) and a burgeoning industry in human athletics (see weight lifters,cyclists and Olympic athletes for example). IMO, you can\'t separate new designer drugs for other classes of performance enhancing drugs from the drug class called \"anabolic steroids\". If I wanted to cheat in today\'s environment (not caring about future breeding issues), AS drugs would be the easiest and most potent way to go, given their intrinsic performance enhancing abilities and that they are not now banned. Designing a \"new\" one would be trivial when and if they do become banned.

[fkach]

The use of steriods is consistent with the training pattern of a couple of move up trainers that tend to get those hugely improved performances after the horse had a few months on the sidelines.

[girly]

lfe2211 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jerry,
>
> As with all the others who took your advice on SC,
> I say both thank you and (while bowing) \"We\'re not
> worthy\".
>
> On another topic recently much discussed on the
> board, here\'s an article from today\'s DRF on
> anabolic steroids.
>
> http://www.drf.com/news/article/87764.html
>
> Here\'s the opening paragraph:
>
> The Jockey Club has endorsed a prohibition on the
> unregulated use of anabolic steroids and is
> willing to support penalties for owners whose
> horses test positive for illegal medications, the
> Jockey Club chairman, Ogden Mills \"Dinny\" Phipps,
> said Sunday.


I read that article, and I\'m glad that you posted it- this is exactly the type of opportunity to speak out I was talking about in a previous post. I know some of you all are in a position to let you opinions be heard.

[sighthound]

> Designing new and more potent AS is trivial once
> you understand the chemistry (my field) and a
> burgeoning industry in human athletics (see weight
> lifters,cyclists and Olympic athletes for
> example). IMO, you can\'t separate new designer
> drugs for other classes of performance enhancing
> drugs from the drug class called \"anabolic
> steroids\". If I wanted to cheat in today\'s
> environment (not caring about future breeding
> issues), AS drugs would be the easiest and most
> potent way to go, given their intrinsic
> performance enhancing abilities and that they are
> not now banned. Designing a \"new\" one would be
> trivial when and if they do become banned.

The FDA-approved anabolic steroids have therapeutic, valid and necessary uses in the racehorse.  Their use can not and should not be completely banned from the track environment.    

Certainly their use within a certain time period compared to a race can and should be regulated, as should allowable detectable levels of the drug.

However, one should note that the FDA-approved anabolic steroids are deemed a  Class 4 drug by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, Inc. Model Rules, Equine Veterinary Practices, Health and Medication, Chapter 11 - \"This category is comprised primarily of therapeutic medications routinely used in racehorses.  These may influence performance, but generally have a more limited ability to do so.\"

(I would urge anybody seriously interested in the problem of drugs in racing read the documents available on the RMTC web site, www.rmtcnet.com)

As comparison, snake venom (used as a nerve blocking agent) is deemed Class 2, \" ...a high potential for affecting the outcome of the race.  Most are not generally accepted as therapeutic agents in the racehorse.\"    

Class 1 drugs, are drugs, \" ... which have no generally accepted medical use in the racehorse and their pharmacological potential for altering the performance of a race is very high.\"   An example of a Class 1 drug would be opiates, amphetamines.

\"Designer steroids\", or \"super-steroids\", being non-FDA approved, or being of a nature (more potent) to do far more metabolically than the FDA-approved anabolics, absolutely should be banned.

[Edit: any non-FDA approved drug currently IS banned - if we can find it]

I agree with Barry, however, in the sense that the extent to which the FDA-approved steroids are commonly used in the US, is not the biggest problem facing racing.

[Barry Irwin]

You obviously do not realize that there is a great difference between horses and humans.

Horses are bred to be athletes, humans are not. Human sprinters up to 400 meters can propsper from steroid use, but not beyond a quarter mile. Horses like quarter horses and some sprinters can prosper from steroids, but not ones that run beyond those distances.

[fkach]

>Horses are bred to be athletes, humans are not. Human sprinters up to 400 meters can propsper from steroid use, but not beyond a quarter mile. Horses like quarter horses and some sprinters can prosper from steroids, but not ones that run beyond those distances.<

Serious question.

There is no upside to increased muscle mass, being able to recover from hard racing and training quicker etc.... for routers?

[Barry Irwin]

I think the benefits for recovery are the major ones. I don\'t think increased muscle mass helps routers as much as people think.

[marcus]

Glad to see both those points being made . The increase muscle mass might not be supported by bone structure , tendons , ligaments etc and increased muscle mass would be all the more you have to teach how to race ... Good Luck w/ King Of The Roxy in the \'Bishop - it\'s an intersting race . IMO , Outsiders KOTR and Longley both have decent chances .