by Frank Angst

Racing commissioners plan to get tough on the equine use of anabolic steroids.

After experts advised that anabolic steroids could create controversy in horse racing and their use has become standard practice by some trainers, the committee approved strengthening penalties for their use. Scot Waterman, D.V.M., will add some final wording details to model rules that will be presented to the Association of Racing Commissioners International on Wednesday at the convention in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Waterman, executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, said anabolic steroids once were strictly used on a limited basis, perhaps once a year, to bring out some aggression in a horse.

“It was a case where it was sort of accepted,” Waterman said. “It was one of those things where we didn’t test for it with the understanding that horsemen wouldn’t abuse it.”

Those days have changed.

A Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission study showed 70% of horses tested had some levels of anabolic steroids in their system and 20% had multiple steroids, some as many as five different kinds of anabolic steroids.

Waterman said a Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association study showed some veterinarians are putting horses on scheduled cycles of steroid applications. Those revelations have the consortium board calling for new rules.

“Steroids are now being used as muscle builders and potentially have a performance enhancing effect,” Waterman said.

Also, Waterman said controversies in sports like baseball and track and field have raised awareness about the performance-enhancing aspects of steroids. He said such a controversy in horse racing could only damage the sport.

Under the recommendations, naturally occurring boldenone and testosterone, along with stanozolol, which is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in horses, will retain Class 4 status but will have threshold levels to control use. At Class 4, these steroids could be used in a limited role, to help horses recover from injury or illness for instance, but not in training.

Nandrolone, currently listed as Class 4, will be reclassified to Class 3, meaning it has no accepted use in a horse and typically will carry a higher penalty. All other anabolic steroids will be listed at Class 3.

Rick Sams of the Veterinary Pharmacology Advisory Subcommittee of the Drug Testing Standards and Practices Committee added that anabolic steroids are different than non-anabolic steroids, which are used as anti-inflammatory drugs.

Frank Angst is senior writer for Thoroughbred Times