I'll Have Another treatments prior to Belmont

[TGJB]

I had it starting when I was in my teens. That aside, a) different vets will tell you different things, b) unlikely doesn\'t mean unique, and c) so what. They should have what, retired a horse that was capable of winning two thirds of the TC? He had a problem that could be dealt with, like a lot of human athletes. When he had a problem that was serious they retired him. What\'s the news story?

[HP]

I agree with a lot of what you say.  The news story is simple.  Drape is taking a high profile horse and trying to use what went on there to make some of his other points.  It ties to the overall point of the series.  There\'s a problem with horses breaking down and it may be exacerbated by the way horses are treated with various medications, and perhaps running when they shouldn\'t be running.  At a high level I think that\'s it.  Plus this is what goes on with a horse in the Belmont Stakes.  If you look at the whole series you would be contrasting this with what may go on with a $10K claimer.  

You are correct that the devil is in the details.  Conflating things.  Agreed.  I was initially responding to the knee jerk attack on Drape that goes on every time one of these articles comes out.  There are good things in those articles too and let\'s not lose sight of that.  

A guy spends his money and time on a horse and wants it to RUN.  This whole debate is about setting boundaries and I hope real experts like you can use your influence to get all these details on testing, etc. in place to help these nags.  Attacking Drape is shortsighted and I feel compelled to point that out.  

HP

[TGJB]

If you want to see real conflation and confusion watch the Senate hearings on this stuff tomorrow. There are some serrious, informed people speaking (Gagliano and Irwin, maybe others), and at least one putz who shall be nameless. I fed them a question to ask that guy, we\'ll see if they do.

[Rich Curtis]

Joe Drape should do the following:

  He should stop writing the type of stuff he has been writing. Instead, he should start writing articles quoting the things people on racing message boards write about racing: conspiracy theories, drugs, buzzers, the whole thing. His title should be: \"What People Who Know the Game Best and Love the Game Most Think About the Game.\"

  That way, people will not be able to shoot Drape without hitting themselves, too. Murder-suicide.

[richiebee]

From Ed Fountaine in today\'s NY Post:

\"Unlike other trainers in the Belmont, O\'Neill was required to provide I\'ll Have
Another\'s vet records to the SRWB before he could be licensed in New York because he
recently had been suspended by the California Horse Racing Board...\"

Tricky was suspended in Maryland last December. As I recall, his horses were forced
to run in other trainers names in Maryland (if you want to call the Maryland
suspension an \"administrative\" matter, because Team Dutrow was caught \"administering\"
Lasix in an unauthorized manner, well OK then) and other states during the term of
this suspension, yet he did not miss a beat here in NY.

Where really, we are really serious about about cleaning up the racing game. Really.
Seriously. As Tricky goes into year two of the lifetime stay of his 10 year ban.

25th Anniversary of the Rolling Stones great \"Some Girls\" Album. From that album, the
song \"Respectable\". From that song, the following lyrics:

Now that were respected in society
We dont care about the things we used to be
We\'re talking heroin with the President
Its such a problem sir but it cant be bent...

Thats what NY Racing is. Respectable.

Right.

[HP]

Great post Rich.  With friends like these...

HP

[miff]

Joe Dope,Duh!

Bloodhorse:

I\'ll Have Another\'s Treatment \'Routine Care\'


Three veterinarians who reviewed the treatment regimen of I\'ll Have Another between the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) and the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) found nothing out of the ordinary and took exception to characterizations in a July 11 New York Times article that indicated the colt had been given powerful drugs to cover up unsoundness.

The winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and the Preakness was scratched from the June 9 Belmont due to tendonitis that was discovered the day before the race. He was subsequently retired and sold to a Japanese farm for stud duty.

A review of I\'ll Have Another\'s veterinary records, which trainer Doug O\'Neill was required to turn over to the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, showed treatments that are consistent and standard with most racehorses, according to three licensed veterinarians.

Download the I\'ll Have Another Vet Records.
\"There is nothing here that was done that wasn't on the up-and-up,\" said John Kimmel, a New York-based trainer and licensed veterinarian, after reviewing the records obtained from the New York State Racing and Wagering Board.

\"All of these treatments are perfectly normal routine care,\" said Kentucky-based racetrack veterinarian Dr. Foster Northrop. \"All of these medications are used frequently and all are peer-approved treatments.\"

\"What was done with him is actually less than is done with some horses,\" said Dr. Mark Cheney, a longtime racetrack veterinarian based in Lexington.

The same records reviewed by Kimmel, Northrop, and Cheney were the subject of a front page article in the Times headlined \"Records Show Triple Crown Contender Had History of Ailments.\"

The article noted that two days before the Belmont Stakes \"the colt was injected with two powerful painkillers as well as a synthetic joint fluid.\"

\"The use of pain medication and anti-inflammatory drugs is neither illegal nor uncommon in racing. But the fact that drugs were being used on I'll Have Another in the days before a race of immense national interest, and were being ordered by a trainer with a controversial past underscores the uneasiness the issue of drugs is creating in American racing,\" the article said.

According to the treatment records maintained by attending veterinarian Dr. James Hunt, on May 23 the colt was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and four days later was treated with the medication Polyglycan for the condition.

From May 23 until after the Belmont, I'll Have Another was regularly given electrolytes and vitamins, as well as medications that are commonly used on a regular basis in race horses. They included albuterol, which is given to open constricted bronchial airways; acepromazine, for sedation (given after the horse had been diagnosed with tendonitis to keep him quiet in his stall); xylazine, for sedation prior to a radiographic exam; and omeprazole, given to prevent gastric ulcers.

Two days before the Belmont, the deadline for when pre-race medications can be given, I'll Have Another was administered the painkiller phenylbutazone, the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethazone, and Polyglycan, an intravenous medication routinely administered to lubricate joint cartilage and prevent arthritis.

Kimmel said referring to phenylbutazone as a \"powerful painkiller\" is a misnomer and that the other medications were appropriate treatments for the diagnoses. Cheney said dexamethasone does reduce inflammation but is not a painkiller. Regarding the Polyglycan, Kimmel said the medication is comparable to people taking glucosamine for aching knees.

\"Polyglycan is probably the kindest kind of medication you could give and could actually help prevent arthritis,\" Kimmel said. \"The Bute was given two days before the race. It is most effective in the first 24 hours and would have had a negligible effect on race day.

\"After a hard race, a horse could have had some joint changes and some inflammation, and with a valuable horse heading into a valuable race, these treatments were appropriate. Nothing is out of line here for a horse of his caliber,\" Kimmel concluded.

Regarding osteoarthritis, Kimmel said most horses have some varying degree of inflammation and wear and tear on their joints even as yearlings.

\"It has nothing to do with the soundness or suitability of the joints,\" Kimmel said. \"And yet, (the New York Times) is creating the illusion that this horse was so bad he wasn't in a condition to race, but that doesn't appear to be the case. I watched this horse train at Belmont, and he put in some strong gallops. The Times is just taking pot-shots.\"

In being granted a license in New York, O\'Neill agreed to a stiff set of conditions because of pending disciplinary action in California stemming from an excessive level of carbon dioxide in one of his horses in a post-race test in 2010. Next month, he will begin to serve a 45-day suspension stemming from that case.

Included in the conditions of O\'Neill's New York license was the following stipulation: \"Access will be provided to any and all veterinary records of treatment and veterinary records; further, I will obtain records of treatment on an ongoing basis from the treating veterinarian and file these records no later than 9:30 a.m. the day following treatment with the board steward or his designee.\"

Because the same requirements did not apply to the other Belmont entrants, the same kind of veterinary treatment records obtained for I'll Have Another are not available for the 11 horses that ran in the classic, so it is unknown what treatments they underwent leading up to the race.

As per a directive from the NYSRWB, all Belmont entrants were required to be housed in one barn together, with no other horses, beginning at noon June 6, through the end of the Belmont. The Belmont Stakes barn had stiff security measures in place and every individual and item taken into the barn was documented.

Noting the differences between his assessment of the I'll Have Another's treatment record and those of two veterinarians quoted in the Times, Northrop concluded, \"The New York Times went out on a big limb as far as I'm concerned.\"

Efforts to reach Hunt for comment were unsuccessful

[HP]

Hey this is what it\'s all about.  Equal time for the other side.  Nothing wrong here.  There is one line in here that had me laughing out loud though.  

\"It has nothing to do with the soundness or suitability of the joints,\" Kimmel said. \"And yet, (the New York Times) is creating the illusion that this horse was so bad he wasn't in a condition to race, but that doesn't appear to be the case. I watched this horse train at Belmont, and he put in some strong gallops. The Times is just taking pot-shots.\"

What am I missing here?  The horse was NOT in a condition to race.  If he WAS in a condition to race he would have run, right?  What \"illusion\" is Kimmel talking about?  The horse did not run and was retired.  Potshots from the Times notwithstanding.  

HP

[Rick B.]

HP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What am I missing here?  The horse was NOT in a
> condition to race.  If he WAS in a condition to
> race he would have run, right?
>
> HP

I remember the connections saying IHA \"could have\"
run, but they didn\'t want to risk it because of his
value at stud.

Maybe this is what Kimmel meant.

[HP]

I have a better one.  I love the Internet.  If you read the article it makes it sound like \"Kentucky-based racetrack veterinarian Dr. Foster Northrop\" and \"Dr. Mark Cheney, a longtime racetrack veterinarian based in Lexington,\" are two independent vets who just happen to share the same opinion.  

Northrop and Cheney are PARTNERS in ONE vet practice.  It\'s one S. Ashland Ave. in Lexington.  Practice is called Cheney & Northrop.  Look it up.  

So the BloodHorse must\'ve done a TON of investigating here.  Must have been hard ringing ONE doorbell.  At least they saved on gas.  You can still take these comments as \"expert testimony,\" but if there\'s nothing wrong with this picture why doesn\'t the article mention they are partners?  That\'s just a little misleading isn\'t it?  

HP

[P-Dub]

richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> 25th Anniversary of the Rolling Stones great \"Some
> Girls\" Album. From that album, the
> song \"Respectable\". From that song, the following
> lyrics:
>
> Now that were respected in society
> We dont care about the things we used to be
> We\'re talking heroin with the President
> Its such a problem sir but it cant be bent...
>
> Thats what NY Racing is. Respectable.
>
> Right.

Agree Richie.

Don\'t understand why \"When The Whip Comes Down\" doesn\'t happen to those that need it.

[phil23]

Out of curiosity Jerry, did anyone think to ask you to testify?

[RICH]

Hey I was a jr in college when that came out 1978, 35 years ago!

[TGJB]

No, they did not.

One point that keeps getting lost in the IHA thing is that whether the things done done to IHA is standard practice is not the issue. It\'s whether standard practice is acceptable.

Stuck in the middle of that list is Albuterol, a relative of Clenbuterol. It\'s a broncho-dilator, and a steroid.

[PapaChach]

Every time I think the whip might come down, I realize it\'s Just My Imagination Running Away With Me...sorry...couldn\'t help myself

Was lamenting lack of a working turntable after reading the above comments as I have Some Girls on vinyl but five seconds of searching on you-tube led to discovery of the entire deluxe anniversary edition, which made for a pleasant afternoon in my office...