A report prepared for trainer Anthony MacDonald in the matter of trotter Stonebridge Rich sheds light on the impact of topical anesthetic mepivacaine on a horse's system, and more specifically the effects of the drug in this instance.
Since 1987, Dr. Steven Barker has served as the Director of the Equine Medication Surveillance Laboratory (EMSL), the official drug testing laboratory for the Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC). He also served as the State Chemist to the LSRC, offering testimony as the State’s expert in hundreds of equine drug positive cases.
Noting that the EMSL served as the "referee labratory" for the Stonebridge Rich positive test matter, Dr. Barker confirmed testing revealed the presence of mepivacaine in urine at a concentration of approximately 4.92 ng/ml. In his opinion, " the finding of 4.92 ng of mepivacaine/ml of urine is pharmacologically irrelevant and insignificant" and thus not providing any sort of performance-enhancing benefit.
MacDonald submitted this report to the Ontario Racing Commission in advance of his hearing, set for Friday (April 24). ORC veterinarian Dr. Adam Chambers declined comment to Trot Insider earlier this week, noting that the case was currently under adjudication.
The report prepared by Dr. Barker with supporting documentation is available below or at this link.
The views presented in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Standardbred Canada.