Maline Comments in DRF

[BitPlayer]

Sighthound -

I\'m not sure I fully comprehend your position, but I\'ll make the following points in response (assuming that you\'ll correct me if I misunderstand).

I can only think of two methods of regulating steroid use.  One would require catching catching the cheater in the act.  It would be naive to think such an approach would be effective.  The other is race-day testing, with thresholds, which is the approach I believe the RMTC has recommended.

Assuming that the trend toward adoption of the RMTC model rule on steroids continues, horsemen and vets in many jurisdictions will have learned to live with the RMTC thresholds.  Further, Kentucky horsemen who ship into those jurisdictions will have learned to abide by those thresholds.  Why would Kentucky horsemen racing in Kentucky need a separate set of thresholds?

I think you may be overstating the level of veterinary ignorance regarding withdrawal times.  In any event, the RMTC is currently conducting a study to determine recommended withdrawal times, to be completed in August, which should go a long way toward alleviating that concern.  There are also other ways of dealing with the withdrawal-time issue.  One is to have a period of testing with minimal penalties (e.g., small fines, purse redistribution), before full-scale penalties (i.e., suspension) become effective, so that horsemen and vets can have some experience with the thresholds   Another is pre-entry testing.

The bottom line for me is that a lot of people seem to think that the RMTC approach is workable.  In that context, and in the context of Kentucky\'s less-than-stellar reputation in this area, I think that agendas other than scientific concerns are behind the go-slow approach being pushed in Kentucky.

[Dudley]

Jerry- I HOPE things actually ARE happening. Came across this interesting piece.
Read it first- then look at the date of this Blood-Horse article, which I intentionally moved to the bottom of this post. That\'s been the problem to date, imo; lots of talk, little effective action.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drug Testing Report: It\'s Just the Beginning
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association\'s Racing Integrity and Drug Testing Task Force report, to be released Sunday, may be the tip of the iceberg, officials said Saturday during a teleconference that originated in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Jim Gallagher, executive director of the task force, said the report, the main topic of discussion during Sunday\'s Jockey Club Round Table, could lead to greater research in the area of equine drug testing. Of the 1,272 blind samples tested under Association of Racing Commissioners International guidelines, 98.3% contained no Class 1, 2, or 3 drugs.
The \"positives\" called through the Supertest program were for buspirone (Class 2, one positive), caffeine (Class 2, one positive), clenbuterol (Class 3, nine positives), clonidine (Class 3, three positives), cocaine (Class 1, one positive), dextromoramide (Class 1, one positive), guanabenz (Class 3, four positives), and triplelenamine (Class 3, two positives). Dextromoramide, a narcotic, isn\'t approved by the Federal Drug Administration.
Officials said the presence of a drug not approved by the FDA indicates a need for vigilance. Gallagher said one of the primary things the report showed is the lack of uniformity when it comes to threshold levels in various jurisdictions. For instance, there could have been more clenbuterol positives had the same threshold levels been used for each test..
Paul Oreffice, a member of the task force, said the number of positives called through the test was positive, but that much work remains to be done in light of rapidly changing technology. One of the recommendations of the report is that a national organization be formed to implement improvements in drug testing.
Here are the task force recommendations:
1. Jurisdictions should use more rigorous screening processes.
Key Actions:
Transition away from TLC while relying more on ELISA and instrumental testing methods;
Rotate and develop more ELISA tests; and
Pursue strategies, including cooperative alliances for the purchase of drug testing kits, to reduce overall testing costs.
2. Jurisdictions should re-assess medication rules and enforcement policies in light of new and more sophisticated testing technologies.
Key Actions:
Reassess medication rules and enforcement policies-largely formulated on the basis of outmoded TLC methodologies-in light of ELISA and instrumental testing methods, which can detect substances in very low concentrations;
Evaluate a medication\'s pharmacology (i.e., its ability to affect a horse\'s performance) in light of new and more sophisticated testing methods to determine whether, and to what extent, administrative action is appropriate; and
Research the role that permitted medications may play in interfering with the detection of prohibited substances.
3. The racing industry should support the development of withdrawal guidelines for commonly administered therapeutic medications.
Key Actions:
Develop an alliance of industry stakeholders to determine if, when and how withdrawal times (or, alternatively, decision levels) can be made the standard for specific therapeutic medications;
Continue and expand research on the pharmacology of therapeutic medications; and
Develop a program for communicating proper systems for medication withdrawal and for reporting violations in a manner consistent with protecting the integrity of horse racing.
4. A national, external quality assurance program for drug-testing laboratories should be established.
Key Actions:
Monitor the performance of laboratories through oversight by a consortium of industry stakeholders, including racing commissions, laboratory analysts and national racing organizations;
Establish a list of substances to be tested for, and develop programs to document and verify the accuracy and reliability of testing methods; and
Disseminate findings to industry stakeholders and to participating laboratories to ensure full compliance with accepted testing procedures.
5. Create a national organization to implement improvements in drug testing and provide leadership in jurisprudence and public communication practices relating to drug testing issues.
Key Actions:
Form a national organization, representing regulators, owners, trainers. racetracks, veterinarians and drug testing researchers to implement recommendations outlined in the task force report;
Coordinate judicial and drug testing research efforts between states and racing jurisdictions; and
Reduce litigation relating to medication violations and increase horse racing\'s credibility in the area of drug testing by promoting judicially sound, \"best practices\" relating to public disclosure of suspected medication violations.
Executive Summary of Racing Integrity and Drug Testing Task Force Report


by Tom LaMarra
Date Posted: 8/19/2001 1:35:32 AM  (That\'s right - over SEVEN yrs ago)
Last Updated: 8/20/2001 9:19:03 AM


http://www.bloodhorse.com/article/5469/drug-testing-report-its-just-the-beginning.htm

[sighthound]

[Sight-- so again, if I read you right, you\'re saying the small number of positives for performance enhancers means we don\'t have a problem.
/quote]

?? Not at all.  It\'s the first time I\'ve ever seen someone try and present something as a quantitation of this nationally, and I too am surprised it\'s so small.

So I\'m going back to what I said to you before-- if we follow your line of reasoning, we shouldn\'t test anyone, that way we would never have a positive.

Excuse me - I have already said that the your statement above doesn\'t reflect what I believe, nor is anywhere near what I\'ve ever said here - so you can stop repeating it as if it were true.

I\'d test every single horse.   Will never happen, but that would be what I would shoot for.

[/I\'m going to strongly suggest you back off this. As I have told you, there is a lot going on right now, and you are going to end up with egg on your face. You have kept pushing this \"what-me-worry\" non-position, and the only reason I\'m not coming at you a lot harder is that I\'m not allowed to talk about what is taking place.
quote]

First, I have never pushed a \"what-me-worry\" position - in fact I\'ve stated the opposite right here  -  so you can drop your repeating of that false accusation.

And your threats to me to \"back off\" are laughable.

[sighthound]

<>> The bottom line for me is that a lot of people seem to think that the RMTC approach is workable.

I think it\'s very workable and I support it.  

I think that some jurisdictions putting the RMTC proposals into practice prior to having documented withdrawal times (as we should have in August as you mentioned - although I think that\'s delayed a month now) was silly.  

But once in place, that will effectively prevent the use of any of the legal steroids anywhere near race day at levels that can be considered pharmacologically active; but still allow legal FDA-approved use in the horse on the backstretch.

But I doubt that the above will change much except for the few trainers that are currently abusing the legal steroids (and less Winstrol, as it\'s fairly weak, more the others) - we need to keep RMTC funded to find illegal steroids and other illegal drugs.

[quoteIn that context, and in the context of Kentucky\'s less-than-stellar reputation in this area, I think that agendas other than scientific concerns are behind the go-slow approach being pushed in Kentucky.][/quote]

They had their chance to keep their own house clean and chose not to do so.  Now they can suffer the nightmare of public and government interference due to their lack of action.

[TGJB]

So your point in posting the stat was that it was meaningless. Yeah, anybody would have gotten that.

There was no threat, I was saying that events would embarass the holder of the nebulous quasi-position you either do or do not hold. You are free to continue being as amgiguous as you want. However, since I\'m the only one with a delete and block function on this board, if I were making a threat it would be credible. Ask Chuckles, if you can find him.

[sighthound]

No, my point in posting it was, as I said, it was the first I\'ve ever seen presented \"nationally\"

I\'m sure if you wanted me gone it would be a done deal before I knew of it.

[miff]

JB,

Would think that a practicing vet\'s take on the drug/steroid/breakdown issue would be welcome here to shed some light on matters that are technically way over our heads.There are a few posters here who have deep knowledge of the game besides yourself.

Just because someone perhaps disagrees with your stance on an issue, that is no reason to pull the plug. Ban everyone who disagrees about anything you post and you are left with the Kool Aid drinkers.Your board to do with as you wish though.


Mike

[TGJB]

Miff-- I said I was NOT going to pull the plug. Whatsamattayou?

\"Perhaps disagrees\" is about right.

[sighthound]

I admire TGJB for his obvious singleminded dedication to protecting the interests of his clients, the people that fund this sport and literally allow it to exist, the gamblers.  

My life\'s work is to protect the horses.  I\'m proud I have never put earning money for an owner, trainer, or myself before the best welfare of any horse.

Different paths, perceptions, experiences, same end goal:  the cheaters must be gone.

[Barry Irwin]

Here is something even scarier...Moddy Malign has just graduated from law school and plans to practice.

He, along with Kent Stirling of the Florida HBPA, are setting the sport back a generation.

They disgust me.

[alm]

On the face of it, yes, you would want a practicing vets take on these issues, but keep in mind it\'s practicing vets who are on the dark side of the force too.  I\'m not saying Sight is one of them, but his misquoting significantly the Eight Belles autopsy in smacking me suggests he\'s not so objective himself.  And that\'s the stance Jerry is taking in response to his other posts.

[sighthound]

Excuse me, Alm, but I did not misstate or missquote one thing from that necropsy report.

That you have no training in pathology, orthopaedics or veterinary medicine, thus are unable to understand that the listing of the filly\'s injuries indeed reveals the logical and likely pathogenesis isn\'t my fault.  

That you can not understand that my saying, \"zero sign of pre-existing condylar deficiency\" is entirely justified and true, and based upon the necropsy report saying the same via saying, \"no observation of pre-existing bone pathology.\" is not my fault either.

So when you say, speaking of me, \"but his misquoting significantly the Eight Belles autopsy in smacking me suggests he\'s not so objective himself\", you are in fact describing your own gross ignorance and obvious inability to understand the subject matter at hand.

[alm]

OK...I don\'t agree with you or your analysis.  I\'ve had vets misdiagnose and screw up horses on me so I don\'t think you, as a vet, sit at the Right Hand.  Sorry I feel this way, but let\'s let it go at that.  

My original point was this filly was on some sort of anti-inflamatory ACCORDING TO THE TRAINER and that this was masking a problem that she had. It could have been a condylar condition or something else.  Her vet didn\'t administer it for fun.

Was her breakdown related to that condition?  Most likely.  Does that make her trainer an evil guy?  No, he was just another guy with a good horse with ONE shot at a 3 YO Classic and he took it.

And, yes, you completely embellished the autopsy.