And the problems go on and on and on
Trotman
Senior Member
Turning to Frogs for Illegal Aid in Horse Races
By WALT BOGDANICH and REBECCA R. RUIZ
Racing regulators kept hearing the reports: trainers were giving their horses a powerful performance-enhancing potion drawn from the backs of a type of South American frog.
But for months postrace testing could not find the substance, a painkiller far more powerful than morphine. Then a lab in the Denver area tweaked its testing procedure, and in recent weeks more than 30 horses from four states have tested positive for the substance, dermorphin, which is suspected of helping horses run faster.
No trainer has yet been formally charged, although racing regulators expect that to happen soon. Because of its potency and ability to affect the outcome of a race, the use of dermorphin is considered to be one of the industrys most serious drug violations.
We hear about some pretty exotic stuff, said Dr. Steven Barker, who directs the testing laboratory at Louisiana State University. Frog juice this is exotic.
The discovery comes as the racing industry is struggling to counter perceptions of a pervasive drug culture. Indeed, dermorphin is the latest in a long list of illegal performance-enhancing drugs that have found their way onto racetracks. Cobra venom has also been used by trainers to deaden pain so that injured horses can race. It functions as a local nerve block, unlike dermorphin, a broader pain suppressant that is 40 times more powerful than morphine, Dr. Barker said.
If horses cannot feel their injuries, veterinarians say, they are more likely to run harder than they otherwise would.
Craig W. Stevens, a professor of pharmacology at Oklahoma State University who has studied dermorphin, said the substance makes animals hyper.
For a racehorse, it would be beneficial, he said. The animal wouldnt feel pain, and it would have feelings of excitation and euphoria.
Mr. Stevens said dermorphin is found on the skin of a frog called Phyllomedusa sauvagei, commonly known as the waxy monkey tree frog, which is native to South America.
Dr. Barker said he suspected that most of the dermorphin had been artificially synthesized. Theres a lot out there, and that would be an awful lot of frogs that would have to be squeezed, he said, adding, There are a lot of unemployed chemists out there.
Other performance-enhancing drugs found in racehorses include those used to artificially bulk up cattle and pigs before slaughter.
This is a tough issue, said Edward J. Martin, president of Racing Commissioners International, a trade association for racing regulators. Its a cat-and-mouse game. As soon as you call out dermorphin, they will try something else. That is the daily battle that goes on.
How often dermorphin is used in racing is not known many states do not have the capability to test for it but so far laboratories have found it in Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Its use is also suspected in Texas. Some of the results were first reported on nola.com, the Web site of The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.
This whole thing has really taken us by surprise, said Charles A. Gardiner III, executive director of the Louisiana Racing Commission. It couldnt have come at a worse time. Were fighting back federal intervention. Were under attack and losing our fan base. Fans believe that the sport is dirty, that there is cheating. And here we have an obvious attempt to cheat.
In Louisiana, Mr. Gardiner said, 11 horses, both quarter horses and thoroughbreds, tested positive for dermorphin, though none of them broke down. He said two quarter horses in particular earned big purses. A lot of moneys got to be given back, he said.
Four thoroughbreds tested positive, with three finishing first and one second, all in races in May. Im sure that there are more positives across the country, Mr. Gardiner said. Its not unusual that something isnt being detected.
Dr. Barker of the Louisiana State lab said 15 horses in Oklahoma had tested positive for dermorphin. Oklahoma officials declined to comment, as did racing regulators in Texas.
Vince Mares, executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission, said Tuesday that a California lab had found dermorphin in six postrace tests in New Mexico.
Industrial Laboratories in suburban Denver was the first lab to successfully identify dermorphin in postrace testing. It was not easy.
Petra Hartmann, director of direct testing services for the company, said clients relayed tips from racetrack workers that the frog secretion was being used, and later some seized materials turned out to be dermorphin.
We identified dermorphin, Ms. Hartmann said. We knew it was out there. But, she said, the labs test could not identify the drug in horses after they raced.
After racing regulators kept insisting that the substance was in use, We went back to the drawing board, Ms. Hartmann said. Industrials chief scientist subsequently developed a more sensitive test, specifically for this compound, she said.
There is no resting in this business, she said. You are always chasing something, trying to determine whats rumor, whats real.
Ms. Hartmann said she did not believe the use of dermorphin was widespread. The vast majority of horsemen would never subject their horse to this kind of chemical experimentation, she said.
By WALT BOGDANICH and REBECCA R. RUIZ
Racing regulators kept hearing the reports: trainers were giving their horses a powerful performance-enhancing potion drawn from the backs of a type of South American frog.
But for months postrace testing could not find the substance, a painkiller far more powerful than morphine. Then a lab in the Denver area tweaked its testing procedure, and in recent weeks more than 30 horses from four states have tested positive for the substance, dermorphin, which is suspected of helping horses run faster.
No trainer has yet been formally charged, although racing regulators expect that to happen soon. Because of its potency and ability to affect the outcome of a race, the use of dermorphin is considered to be one of the industrys most serious drug violations.
We hear about some pretty exotic stuff, said Dr. Steven Barker, who directs the testing laboratory at Louisiana State University. Frog juice this is exotic.
The discovery comes as the racing industry is struggling to counter perceptions of a pervasive drug culture. Indeed, dermorphin is the latest in a long list of illegal performance-enhancing drugs that have found their way onto racetracks. Cobra venom has also been used by trainers to deaden pain so that injured horses can race. It functions as a local nerve block, unlike dermorphin, a broader pain suppressant that is 40 times more powerful than morphine, Dr. Barker said.
If horses cannot feel their injuries, veterinarians say, they are more likely to run harder than they otherwise would.
Craig W. Stevens, a professor of pharmacology at Oklahoma State University who has studied dermorphin, said the substance makes animals hyper.
For a racehorse, it would be beneficial, he said. The animal wouldnt feel pain, and it would have feelings of excitation and euphoria.
Mr. Stevens said dermorphin is found on the skin of a frog called Phyllomedusa sauvagei, commonly known as the waxy monkey tree frog, which is native to South America.
Dr. Barker said he suspected that most of the dermorphin had been artificially synthesized. Theres a lot out there, and that would be an awful lot of frogs that would have to be squeezed, he said, adding, There are a lot of unemployed chemists out there.
Other performance-enhancing drugs found in racehorses include those used to artificially bulk up cattle and pigs before slaughter.
This is a tough issue, said Edward J. Martin, president of Racing Commissioners International, a trade association for racing regulators. Its a cat-and-mouse game. As soon as you call out dermorphin, they will try something else. That is the daily battle that goes on.
How often dermorphin is used in racing is not known many states do not have the capability to test for it but so far laboratories have found it in Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Its use is also suspected in Texas. Some of the results were first reported on nola.com, the Web site of The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.
This whole thing has really taken us by surprise, said Charles A. Gardiner III, executive director of the Louisiana Racing Commission. It couldnt have come at a worse time. Were fighting back federal intervention. Were under attack and losing our fan base. Fans believe that the sport is dirty, that there is cheating. And here we have an obvious attempt to cheat.
In Louisiana, Mr. Gardiner said, 11 horses, both quarter horses and thoroughbreds, tested positive for dermorphin, though none of them broke down. He said two quarter horses in particular earned big purses. A lot of moneys got to be given back, he said.
Four thoroughbreds tested positive, with three finishing first and one second, all in races in May. Im sure that there are more positives across the country, Mr. Gardiner said. Its not unusual that something isnt being detected.
Dr. Barker of the Louisiana State lab said 15 horses in Oklahoma had tested positive for dermorphin. Oklahoma officials declined to comment, as did racing regulators in Texas.
Vince Mares, executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission, said Tuesday that a California lab had found dermorphin in six postrace tests in New Mexico.
Industrial Laboratories in suburban Denver was the first lab to successfully identify dermorphin in postrace testing. It was not easy.
Petra Hartmann, director of direct testing services for the company, said clients relayed tips from racetrack workers that the frog secretion was being used, and later some seized materials turned out to be dermorphin.
We identified dermorphin, Ms. Hartmann said. We knew it was out there. But, she said, the labs test could not identify the drug in horses after they raced.
After racing regulators kept insisting that the substance was in use, We went back to the drawing board, Ms. Hartmann said. Industrials chief scientist subsequently developed a more sensitive test, specifically for this compound, she said.
There is no resting in this business, she said. You are always chasing something, trying to determine whats rumor, whats real.
Ms. Hartmann said she did not believe the use of dermorphin was widespread. The vast majority of horsemen would never subject their horse to this kind of chemical experimentation, she said.
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New Mexico Commission Limits Drug Use in Horse Racing
By WALT BOGDANICH
The New Mexico Racing Commission voted unanimously Thursday to limit the use of drugs in the states horse racing industry and to impose tougher penalties on those who run afoul of its drug rules.
The vote followed a public hearing last month at which every segment of the racing industry, including jockeys, horsemen, breeders and track managers, spoke in favor of the new rules.
I cant recall one person saying this is not a good idea for New Mexico, said Robert M. Doughty III, chairman of the racing commission.
The states decision to adopt the new rules, among the toughest in the nation, was spurred largely by an investigative report in The New York Times in March, said Vince Mares, the commissions executive director. The Times, using racing data and regulatory records, found New Mexicos horse racing industry had the worst safety record in the nation and that frequent drug violators escaped punishment.
Im just glad that the commission chose to go in the direction that we are, Mares said. The state also recently joined a national association that monitors drug violators.
With the adoption of the new rules, New Mexico joined a small number of racing jurisdictions with the lowest allowable levels of two widely used pain suppressants. Many regulatory veterinarians say that pain medicine is overused and can mask injuries, threatening the safety of horses and jockeys.
Jack McGrail, executive director of the New Mexico Horsemens Association, said the new rules would mean some violators could be suspended for three years. Those suspensions have a lot of teeth, McGrail said. We fully support it.
Also Thursday, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, which represents associations at 41 racetracks, endorsed limits on the use of therapeutic drugs and stronger penalties for violators.
The actions by New Mexico and the racing association are part of a broader movement that has picked up speed in recent months, attacking what industry leaders say is the excessive use of drugs in racing. The Jockey Club, the most powerful racing industry group, earlier this year endorsed a ban on the use of drugs for horses on race day.
The racing industrys most recent embarrassment involved the disclosure this month that more than 30 horses in four states had tested positive for a powerful performance-enhancing substance drawn from the backs of a type of South American frog.
Edward J. Martin, president of Racing Commissioners International, a trade association for racing regulators, praised New Mexicos embracing of so-called model rules of enforcement. But, Martin said, even these model rules are being rethought, with an eye toward establishing more and clearer limits on the use of other drugs by trainers and veterinarians.
Senator Tom Udall, Democrat of New Mexico, issued a statement Thursday saying any improvements on the state-level are welcome, but he said much more needed to be done nationally.
The model rules, he said, still allow for race day injections and for cheating trainers to get off with repeated slaps on the wrist.
Udall has sponsored a bill that he said would keep doped horses from racing and would set strict penalties, including a ban for the worst offenders.