Moving forward with its initiative to significantly change the structure of drug testing in United States horse racing, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium board of directors has approved the formation of a committee

to oversee the implementation of the Drug Testing Initiative Task Force recommendations on quality assurance and laboratory accreditation programs for U.S. horse racing drug testing laboratories.

The board took this action at its meeting in Louisville, Kentucky on September 29, 2009.

Named to this committee, chaired by Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association CEO Alan Foreman, were RMTC board members:

• Gary Carpenter, American Quarter Horse Association executive director of racing
• Dr. Robert Lewis, past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners
• Ed Martin, president of the Association of Racing Commissioners International
• Dan Metzger, president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association
• Terry Meyocks, national manager of the Jockeys’ Guild
• Dr. Gregg Scoggins, Magna Entertainment Corp.’s national director of regulatory affairs
• Dr. Scott Stanley, UC Davis associate professor
• Kent Stirling, Florida HBPA executive director
• Mike Tanner, executive vice president of the United States Trotting Association
• Mike Ziegler, executive director of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance

At the board meeting, other integrity issues were also discussed in depth, including the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and how they may affect pre-race examinations by regulatory veterinarians. Dr. Tom David of the Louisiana State Racing Commission and chairman of the ARCI Racing Regulatory Veterinarian Committee explained the examining veterinarian’s concern over current NSAID and corticosteroid policies. The RMTC Scientific Advisory Committee was previously charged with the task of reviewing all existing research on NSAIDs, particularly phenylbutazone.

Dr. Larry Soma of the University of Pennsylvania recently prepared an extensive report and has concluded that “based on scientific reports and the impression of clinical veterinarians, residual effects of phenylbutazone remain at 24 hours.”

The RMTC Scientific Advisory Committee has identified several options for consideration in future recommendations on the administration times and threshold concentrations for NSAIDs. California Horse Racing Board Equine Medical Director Dr. Rick Arthur explained that several states are participating in a study to evaluate NSAID concentrations in blood at the time of pre-race examinations. The Scientific Advisory Committee will assess this data and make a final recommendation at the next RMTC board meeting.

The RMTC previously announced that it was conducting research on corticosteroids commonly used in racing and the board was updated on the status of that project. A copy of Dr. Soma’s report and Dr. David’s comments can be obtained at the RMTC website.

(RMTC)