Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Breeders’ Cup News: Steroids Banned In All Breeders’ Cup Races
Posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky.–Trainers of race horses that test positive for anabolic steroids in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park (Oct. 24-25) will face a one-year suspension from the event; and trainers who violate steroid regulations three times will face a lifetime ban from participating in Thoroughbred racing’s season-ending championships according to the new policy announced today by the Breeders’ Cup.
In addition, beginning in 2009, the Breeders’ Cup will neither fund Stakes purses nor award Breeders’ Cup Challenge events to racetracks in the U.S. and Canada unless those tracks are in states or provinces that adopt Racing Commissioners International (RCI) model rules on anabolic steroids via either state regulation or house rules.
The Breeders’ Cup currently funds $6 million in purses via the Stakes program and schedules 53 horse races in the U.S. and Canada designated as Breeders’ Cup Challenge races, official qualifiers for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Anabolic steroids are already banned in all racing jurisdictions in Europe and Asia (there are Breeders’ Cup Challenge races in Hong Kong and Great Britain this year).
“The Breeders’ Cup Board believes it’s crucial that we take a leadership role in eliminating anabolic steroids from our sport,” said William S. Farish, Jr., Breeders’ Cup Chairman. “We encourage each race track and racing jurisdiction to move swiftly in enacting these much needed regulations. It is important that the industry takes a coordinated approach to address medication and safety issues. We pledge to continue to work with the NTRA, The Jockey Club Safety Committee, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders’ Association, and other industry leaders in this regard.”
“We must provide an even playing field for all our equine athletes if we are to continue to offer the best Thoroughbred racing in the world,” said Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Greg Avioli. “Our number one priority remains preserving the integrity of our competition and protecting the welfare of our athletes.”
In May, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) adopted rules to begin anabolic steroid testing following all of its races. The 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be the first time in the event’s history that post-race steroid testing will be conducted. The first four finishers in all 14 Breeders’ Cup races, and at least one horse selected at random, will be tested. Violations will result in purse forfeiture and suspensions.
In addition to anabolic steroid testing, there will also be out of competition testing for EPO (blood doping) 10 days prior to this year’s Breeders’ Cup and TCO2 (milk shaking) testing prior to all 14 Breeders’ Cup races in the Santa Anita detention barn. A failed EPO test would make the horse ineligible for competition and the trainer subject to suspension. Failed TCO2 tests will result in purse forfeiture and suspensions. The EPO and TCO2 testing policies were first instituted by Breeders’ Cup at the 2007 Championships at Monmouth Park.
Horse racing news edited from www.breederscup.com.
"Breeders’ Cup News: Steroids Banned In All Breeders’ Cup Races" was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 5:50 pm and is filed under Breeders' Cup, Horse Racing Industry, Stakes Races, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 5:22 pm By Pamela Harp-Gentry
This is a great step in the right direction for horseracing. Personally, I would like to see all racing banned. The welfare of these incredible animals should be paramount at all times and the racing industry needs to be overhauled and regulated across the boards. “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can judged by the way its animals are treated.” Mahatma Gandhi