2005 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICAExecutive NewsletterA daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyondStanley F. Bergstein, Editor March 23, 2005KENTUCKY TAKES THE LEAD During the term of a suspension, access to theIt’s a headline you may never have expected to grounds of any Kentucky racetrack would beread, but the proposals made yesterday by the denied both trainer and horse, and there wouldKentucky Equine Drug Research Council, if be no “split sample” requirement for milkshakeadopted, would put the commonwealth at the testing.forefront of meaningful penalties for racing infractions,particularly the use of illegal substances.Largely the work of premier harnessbreeder Alan Leavitt and co-authored by Councilchairwoman Connie Whitfield, the penaltieswould include loss of purses and suspensions fortheir horses testing positive, putting the ownersin the orbit of responsibility. Here are highlightsof the proposals:For first offenses on milkshakes with a readingof 37 millimoles of carbon dioxide per liter ofblood or higher, with no allowances for Salix, lossof the purse, $1,000 fine and 75-day suspensionfor the trainer, and a 30-day suspension of thehorse.A second offense would bring loss of purse, $2,000fine and a 150-day suspension for the trainer, anda 45-day suspension of the horse.A third offense would result in loss of purse, a$3,000 fine and 300-day suspension for thetrainer, and a 60-day suspension of the horse.And a fourth offense would bring loss of purse,lifetime suspension for the trainer, and a 180-daysuspension of the horse.In addition, every winner would have to be testedpost-race for milkshakes, along with one otherhorse to be selected by the judges; any claim ona horse with a high milkshake reading would beautomatically voided; during the entire time anypenalty -- not just milkshakes -- was being appealed,all horses raced by the offending trainerwould be required to race out of a 24-hour detention barn, with the trainerbearing the cost.In a major innovation, possession or use of bloodgas machines, also known as black boxes, wouldbe limited to authorized state regulatory representatives,and the possession or use of shockwave therapy machines would be restricted tolicensed veterinarians, and no horse could beshock waved within six days of a race. The veterinarianusing shock wave therapy would haveto file a report listing the horse’s name, tattoonumber, and trainer, and file that report with thejudges within eight hours of administering thetreatment. Currently, in New Jersey, Florida andelsewhere, trainers are reported using these machineson their farms and/or training centers. Inthe case of black boxes, they obviously could permitexperimenting with milkshakes right up tothe maximum limit, and shock wave therapy isnot something at this stage of development fornon-veterinarians to use.The Kentucky proposals, based on work beingdone by the national Racing Medication and TestingConsortium, would divide drug offenses intothree classes, with penalties highest for Class Adrugs that have no therapeutic value in a horse.The penalties for first violations of administrationof Class A drugs would carry loss of purse, a$15,000 fine and 1,095-day suspension of thetrainer, and a 90-day suspension of the horse, andrange upwards to loss of purse, a $50,000 fineand life suspension for the trainer, and a 360-day suspension of the horse for third offenses.Third offenses for private use of a blood gas machinewould result in a $20,000 fine and 360-daysuspension, and for unauthorized shock waveuse in a $10,000 fine and 120-day suspension.