Tackle racing’s drug cheats, urges Jockey Club president

Racing needs to larn tough on drugs cheats,  US Jockey Club president James Gagliano says. Offenders are walking away with fines that a piffling when compared with the purses at stake, he says.

Gagliano says reformed racing medication rules would elevate the integrity of racing together with bargain with the unscrupulous few trying to remain ahead of the industry’s drug-testing program.

Gagliano was responding inwards the wake of the growing argument to a greater extent than or less the role of dermorphin, likewise known equally “frog juice“.

It is a performance-enhancing drug which government began detecting afterward adjustments to drug-testing processes.

“We cannot address sustainability issues for our sport until image, integrity, together with animate beingness welfare issues, triggered virtually of all yesteryear lax together with inconsistent drug policies, are managed together with contained,” Gagliano said.

“Otherwise, nosotros volition endure croak yesteryear a K cuts.”

Gagliano pointed to tidings that 10 horses that had raced at Louisiana tracks has tested positive for the powerful, pain-killing drug.

“Only a few trainers inwards Louisiana have got been named at this time, but nosotros empathize that in that place are dozens of dermorphin positives from multiple states on the horizon. The trainers inwards Louisiana whose horses have got tested positive for dermorphin were issued six-month suspensions,” Gagliano said.

He said The Jockey Club published an updated version of its Reformed Racing Medication Rules iii months ago.

“Penalties for repeat offenders have got been especially together with excruciatingly deficient.”
US Jockey Club president James Gagliano

“Those novel rules characteristic a cumulative punishment scheme featuring stronger penalties for repeat violations. Fines, disqualifications together with fifty-fifty lifetime suspensions would move possible for those persistently operating exterior regulatory limits.

“If those rules were inwards outcome inwards Louisiana, or whatever of the other states inwards which the same drug has been institute recently, whatever trainer institute to have got treated a Equus caballus with dermorphin would have got received, at a minimum, 150 points on his record, a 10-year respite together with a $US37,000 fine.

“It is abundantly clear that the electrical flow enforcement scheme is non working properly. The regulatory punishment construction has failed,” he said.

“We meet evidence of this with these blatant attempts yesteryear a few unscrupulous parties to rhythm out our drug-testing system. We meet to a greater extent than evidence of this inwards the high proportion of drug violations that alone termination inwards fines — fines that are piffling inwards total when compared to the purses at stake.

“Penalties for repeat offenders have got been especially together with excruciatingly deficient.

“In fact, in that place is no amend instance of the failure of our punishment scheme than dermorphin.

“According to published reports, 1 of the recent ‘positives’ for dermorphin inwards Louisiana is associated with a Equus caballus whose trainer is alleged to have got ii prior Class 1 violations on his record. Drugs inwards this class, according to Racing Commissioners International guidelines, have got no mostly accepted medical role inwards the racing Equus caballus together with their pharmacologic potential for altering the functioning of a racing Equus caballus is really high.

“Sadly, inconsequential penalties have got move but some other damage of doing business. Fines for medication violations are oftentimes no to a greater extent than than a small-scale per centum of monthly drug together with veterinarian expenses inwards a stable.

“The damage these incidents produce to our sport is immeasurable together with irreparable. The dermorphin (‘frog juice’) stories ended upwardly on the front end page of The New York Times together with on the TIME magazine website, alongside many other mainstream outlets.

“We are non the alone sport that plays constant catch-up on novel performance-enhancing drugs. Look no farther than the role of anabolic steroids inwards baseball game or EPO inwards cycling.

“But the full general world does not, together with should non move expected to, differentiate betwixt therapeutic together with performance-enhancing drugs inwards racing. That is why all race-day medications should move prohibited.

“The Jockey Club has committed substantial resources to reinvigorate the sport of thoroughbred racing with a host of fan together with possessor evolution initiatives, ranging from boob tube programming together with social games together with to the creation together with launch of a novel build (America’s Best Racing).

“But nosotros cannot address sustainability issues for our sport until image, integrity, together with animate beingness welfare issues, triggered virtually of all yesteryear lax together with inconsistent drug policies, are managed together with contained.

“Otherwise, nosotros volition endure croak yesteryear a K cuts.”

Gagliano priased Petra Hartmann, of Industrial Laboratories Co Inc inwards the Denver area, for conducting question that led to the evolution of a post-race essay that institute together with identified dermorphin.

“Clearly, nosotros bespeak to improve the standards of all of our drug-testing labs, accredit them together with and thus ensure that they portion their mutual procedures together with findings inwards a unified have to improve the integrity of the sport.

“Back inwards January, the Racing Medication together with Testing Consortium (RMTC) board of directors voted to shift the group’s primary question focus from therapeutic medications to drugs that pose an immediate threat to the integrity of racing.

“That was a skillful decision.

“Regulators know nosotros have got to reform our rules, together with thus produce virtually horsemen.”

Gagliano said it was encouraging to meet manufacture organizations such equally Breeders’ Cup Limited together with the Thoroughbred Owners together with Breeders Association taking steps to reform drug policies, together with it was comforting to meet racing commissions moving inwards the same direction.

The determination yesteryear the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on June thirteen to laid about a stage out of furosemide inwards graded or listed stakes races was 1 example, he said.

New rules inwards New United Mexican States convey outcome on July 31 together with include lowering the legal aeroplane of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that horses tin have earlier racing, which was recommended yesteryear the RMTC together with The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee.

“We bespeak to build reforms together with nosotros bespeak to produce thus now. The racing commissions of this province should redesign their rules. And the adoption of Reformed Racing Medication Rules is a skillful house to start.”

 

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