The Los Angeles Racing Commission is loosening regulations on drugs, including Clenbuterol

The Louisiana Racing Commission has adopted a set of emergency regulations that will go into effect June 8 that will create perhaps the most lenient set of drug regulations in sports. Discontinuation periods for several medications have been shortened, and the controversial bronchodilator Clenbuterol is on the list. It can now be administered to a horse within 72 hours of a race.

Louisiana, a state not regulated by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), currently follows guidelines set by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI). According to ARCI regulations, the withdrawal time for Clenbuterol is 14 days before the race.

HISA regulations for Clenbuterol, a drug that is considered a steroid and a muscle builder, are even more stringent. Your veterinarian may prescribe Clenbuterol for a period not exceeding 30 days in a six-month period. After administering Clenbuterol to a horse, the treated horse will be placed on a veterinarian’s list and will not be allowed to participate in training or racing until blood samples are taken which show that the drug is no longer in the horse’s system. Under HISA, any trainer who violates the Clenbuterol policy will face suspension for up to two years.

It is unclear why the race committee made these changes, which it called “Active Emergency Racing Rules.” The TDN called the commission’s executive director, Stephen Landry, and deputy executive director, Gerald Calogero. As of the deadline for this story, none of the race directors had returned these calls.

By loosening drug regulations, the Louisiana Racing Commission bucked a trend in the sport that has greatly restricted the use of drugs, particularly clenbuterol.

ACRI President Ed Martin made it clear that he did not support the changes.

“Our payout time is 14 days and they set it at 72 hours. It’s a huge change,” Martin said. “I don’t understand the reasons for this and I don’t understand why it was an emergency regulation. There have been concerns about the abuse of Clenbuterol because it has steroid effects on horses. We don’t understand why they would deviate from the principles of the ARCI model. If they had information and felt the model rules needed to be revisited, they should have come to us. We do something like this from time to time. But no one from Louisiana came to us for consideration. This is a unilateral action, we have contacted the Commission and are asking for any supporting documents.

“There were concerns that the use of Clenbuterol required veterinarian approval. We understand benefit as medicine, and the principle of the ACRI model is where it’s at, the result of significant work by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium’s scientific advisory committee. This represents a departure from long-standing and established regulatory practice. We don’t understand what this emergency situation is. You are allowing therapeutic drugs to be administered closer to race day than would otherwise be agreed upon by all the country’s regulators, which have collectively assessed the science and the challenges facing the sport. These principles have proven their worth over many years.”

Another radical regulatory change concerns Depo-Medrol, or methylprednisolone, a steroid injected into joints to treat pain and swelling. The principles of the ARCI model require a dose of 100 mg. injection with a withdrawal time of 21 days. Louisiana’s rule doubles the allowable shot to 200 mg. while reducing the payout time to seven days.

While HISA has no control over what happens in Louisiana, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus expressed disappointment and concern about what impact the Louisiana decision will have on the overall image of horse racing.

“From a HISA perspective, we are obviously really disappointed,” she said. “This is a time when the industry really comes together and makes really significant progress, particularly in the area of ​​horse safety and welfare. This will certainly set the industry back and create a larger gap between the HISA pathways and others we already have. Even though it is not a HISA state, the public does not know that Louisiana is not subject to our rules. They treat horse racing as one industry.

Lazarus said HISA could take some steps.

“From a fairness standpoint, we won’t be able to just allow horses to come back and come back from Louisiana to the HISA track,” she said. “It would be unfair to coaches who compete under the rules on all HISA circuits, given how big the difference is. We haven’t worked out exactly how to adjust this yet. These may include additional clearance studies. It could be some kind of ban on trips back and forth from Louisiana. It would be unfair to the riders on the HISA tracks if we allowed horses that were taking, for example, Clenbuterol, which we know has a long-term stay in the system, to come and race from trainers who were not in Louisiana.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, an outspoken critic of Clenbuterol, expressed similar sentiments. A regular at Fair Grounds, he said he may not return this year.

“It’s a step back,” he said. “The biggest disappointment for me is that when horses leave the fairgrounds and come to compete outside the fairgrounds, they will have an advantage that is not entirely fair. Although Clenbuterol stays in the blood only for about 10 days, its effects can last for a long time. There’s no way that wouldn’t get the horses up.

Not every rider was concerned about the changes. Benard Chatters, president of the Louisiana HBPA, said the new rules will be good for horses. He said that, as far as he knew, no one from the HBPA had lobbied the commission for changes.

“These new rules are good and will help us be effective riders,” Chatters said. “I like them. The regulations for these drugs are well thought out and will allow riders to practice their profession and veterinarians to do their job effectively. I’m happy with these changes; I can tell you that. They’re trying to do what’s right for the animals. I imagine that they have changed the rules to ensure that the horse receives optimal care.”