Bisphosphonates

The attorney for veterinarians Scott Shell and Barbara Hippie, who have been provisionally suspended by the Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) for possession of bisphosphonates and two other medications told the TDN Saturday morning that the veterinarians were operating under the rule as published. "Drs. Shell and Hippie vehemently deny any violation of the veterinary rules as posted pursuant to HISA," said Drew Mollica by phone Saturday. "We look forward an immediate hearing so that all of the facts may be explored and their good names and reputations...

Two veterinarians have been provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) for possession of bisphosphonates, the controversial drug for treatment of bone degeneration issues that has long bedeviled horse racing regulators due to its ability to stay in the system for years, and it's propensity to potentially weaken bones if misused. It is understood these are the first such actions HIWU has taken for possession of bisphosphonates. No post-race or out-of-competition samples have as yet returned positive for bisphosphonates, according to the HIWU rulings web-page. HIWU is...

With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Integrity Act's (HISA) anti-doping and medication control program set for launch Monday--pending approval by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)--the inevitable focus will be on the spider web of post-race and out-of-competition testing set to blanket most of the nation. But with it has come this other question: What do buyers now need to be aware of when purchasing a horse at the sales or privately? The question has gained added currency since a recent presentation before the Southern California horsemen by representatives from the...

Edited Press Release In advance of the anticipated effective date of HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program March 27, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) calls the Thoroughbred industry's attention to regulations regarding the presence and use of bisphosphonates in covered horses. Bisphosphonates are a class of medication prescribed for managing clinical signs associated with navicular syndrome in horses 4-years-old or above. They also have a history of extra-label use in younger horses. Bisphosphonates may be detected in samples from treated horses for months to years after administration....

Trainer John Sadler has been fined $5,000 by the Del Mar stewards, and has entered into a settlement agreement and mutual release with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), for "knowingly" bringing a horse into a CHRB enclosure "that had been administered bisphosphonates within previous six months," according to a ruling Friday. The horse in question--as first reported by the BloodHorse--was GISW sprinter Flagstaff (Speightstown), who was recently retired at the age of seven. Flagstaff tested positive for the bisphosphonate "clodronate" after finishing second in the 2020 GII Santa Anita...

A complaint against trainer Jeff Metz regarding a positive bisphosphonate test from last year was dismissed during a closed session vote of the California Horse Racing Board commissioners Sept. 15. According to a release from the CHRB, the board believed it would be unfair to punish Metz for the positive test of his trainee, Camino de Estrella, because testing and a subsequent investigation revealed that the substance had been administered in 2018--well before the horse was in Metz's care. The Maddy Laboratory at UC Davis detected the presence of Tiludronic...

A complaint involving a banned bisphosphonate has been lodged by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) against trainer Jeffrey Metz, summoning him to a stewards' hearing. According to a CHRB complaint dated Apr. 29, a positive for tiludronic acid was confirmed via split-sample testing from Camino de Estrella (Mineshaft), who finished sixth in the third race Sept. 27, 2020, at Santa Anita. The now-7-year-old gelding was claimed that day for $20,000, and has finished no better than sixth in four subsequent starts for a four-way partnership that includes trainer Bill...

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) has awarded $20,000 to the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Veterinary Medicine to be used for equine research. In alignment with their mission to support and promote equine research, TERF annually provides grant funding to organizations that are engaged in the research of issues which impact equine health. Funding will be used to support research by Mary Robinson, VMD, PhD in a study of the use of bisphosphonates to medically treat equines. Bisphosphonates inhibit bone breakdown and are useful for treating bone disorders...

The California Horse Racing Board's Rule 1867.1, which becomes effective July 1, prohibits the administration of bisphosphonates to any horse within a facility regulated by the CHRB and also prohibits any horse from entering the grounds that has been administered the drug within six months. This means that any horse administered bisphosphonates since Jan. 1, 2020, will not be permitted within any CHRB-regulated facility (racetracks and training centers) within a six-month period of such administration. Additional information on bisphosphonate use in race horses is available on the CHRB website (www.chrb.ca.gov)...

Vinnie and Teresa Viola's St. Elias Stables will sponsor a research project to help develop alternate methods for detection of bisphosphonates in Thoroughbreds, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced today. This gift was made following an appeal by Grayson, the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium (RMTC), and the American Association of Equine Practitioners in June 2019 for research proposals to investigate bisphosphonate administration in racehorses and in young racing prospects intended for sale at public auction. This research will be based at the University of California-Davis K.L. Maddy Equine Pharmacology...

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine are launching a novel study exploring possible effects resulting from the combined use of furosemide, commonly known as Lasix, and bisphosphonates in equine athletes. Led by Dr. Mary Robinson, assistant professor of veterinary pharmacology and director of the Equine Pharmacology Laboratory at Penn Vet's New Bolton Center, the study is poised to be the first comprehensive analysis of the two drugs that, when used concurrently, could be capable of diminishing bone integrity and compromising cardiac function in racehorses. "The beauty...