Racing at Mth

[marcus]

I don\'t necessarily agree with that - not that your asking me too , but as a handicapper , I believe that excessive humidity and heat conditions do put additional stress on cardiovascular systems and subsequently the horses are under duress .

[richiebee]

Marcus:

Racing in general and the administration of Lasix in specific have changed
quite radically since I held a trainer\'s license in the mid 80s.

Back then, your animal had to show visible signs of bleeding before they were
eligible for the Lasix program; now it seems that almost all runners are
treated with Lasix as a matter of course.

I have seen some quirky anti- bleeding remedies in my travels; one Louisiana
trainer used to twist thick rubber bands tightly around the base of his runners\'
tails to prevent bleeding; another threw pennies at the bottom of his runners\'
drinking water, believing that the copper content would prevent bleeding.

In terms of humidity, Ellis Park, Churchill in late Spring and Saratoga all are
at least as uncomfortable as the Jersey shore.

Personally, I found that the Meadowlands was one of the worst venues for
bleeding and bleeders;I have always believed that this was a matter of the poor
air quality in the region (and of course poor air quality is always exacerbated
by humid conditions).

I know that some have profited from the First Time Lasix play in the past. With
almost all runners beginning their careers on Lasix this angle has all but
disappeared.

[alm]

Right on.  

He \'did just fine\' and they don\'t want that business in their jurisdiction anymore.

Not the case at Monmouth.

And for what it\'s worth, Allday is overseeing his Monmouth stock.  Surprise, surprise.

[alm]

Intelligent post.

For those who don\'t know what lasix does, except for its ability to mask some other drugs, it makes a horse pee.  That\'s it.

The reason it is a \'bleeder\' medication is due to the fact a horse\'s bladder sits over its lungs, causing pressure on them.  If the bladder is full of liquid it compromises the animal\'s breathing.  If it is empty, there is less pressure, hence more efficient oxygen exchange in the organ.

As for bute it is only one of many,many analgesics.  Some jurisdictions permit the unlimited use of them; others limit a trainer to a handful.  Some can be used for training; others for racing.

This mixed bag makes ordinary handicapping quite difficult as the bettor has little or no information to go by, other than the bute designation.

It\'s easier to try to find out which vets are servicing which barns...bet the vet!

The drug use that got TAP set down last year was a forbidden pain killer...it\'s a drug for human consumption; not to be used for racing.  I think he is claiming he trained on it, but that he raced his horses after it should have cleared their bodies.

Skating on the edge.

[BitPlayer]

Alm -

I can\'t speak to the effectiveness of Lasix in controlling bleeding, but I think the theory is that a diuretic, by causing water to be drained from your body into your bladder (making you pee), reduces blood pressure (diuretics are used to treat hypertension in humans) and hence the tendency to bleed.

[Bull]

Just thought I would chime in and add to the discussion on lasix and how it works in horses. Alm pointed out that the bladder is so close to the horse\'s lungs that the extra pressure of a full bladder causes problems on the lungs. I am not sure this is the EXACT reason why a horse bleeds.

For a horse to get administered Lasix by a vet, it has to be diagnosed with EIPH, which stands for Excercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage. During strenuous activity, internal fluids inside the horse place extreme pressure on the lungs, forcing the capillaries to burst, and therefore bleed. The blood is obviously visible as it comes up through the lungs and is often exhaled out of the nose. The point of Lasix is to curb the capillary bleeding in a horse\'s lungs. This is done by reducing the amount of water/fluid found mostly in the veins and arteries. creating less stress on the capillaries and making them less likely to break.

Furosemide (the clinical name for Lasix) is considered a \"Loop Diuretic\". It works by forcing the kidneys to remove water from the blood and put it into the urine. This basically increases the amount of urine, hence the extra \"peeing\" of the horse.

Hope this helps.



-Bull

[trackjohn]

Bull:

  Excellent description.  Even though vet\'s STILL DO NOT completely understand the exact mechanisms of how furosimide reduces equine pulmonary bleeding the current \'working model\' is the following:  It is suspected that pulmonary \'bleeding\' is caused by the increase in pulmonary capillary \'wedge\' pressures.  It is thought that lasix reduces this pressure by decreasing the total fluid volume in the blood that is being pumped through the animal\'s lungs during exertion (by eliminating excess water through the kidneys), thereby \'potentially reducing\' the pressures in the capillaries (small vessals) in the lungs.

Trackjohn

[marcus]

Thanks richiebee for connecting the dots - you\'re practically giving away the store ... So that \"everyone\" is running on lasix and the 1st Lasix play might be similar in some respects to the 02X or DD in terms of it overuse , one does has to watch it a bit from going overboard . I definitely agree with what you saying , Lasix doesn\'t necessarily have to mean anything these days . Once in a great while  I\'ll see a very Pattern Specific / Lasix Angle or the \"right kind\" of 02X play  , but then finding a big-time \"sheets \" edge or \"value\" is something else too . Pretty funny Stuff -  Tying the Tail , Pennies are idea\'s - I probably would have tried Reggie or Kit Kat Bars ...