Breeder Cup 2008 Steroid Free?!

crazyhorse

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from Bloodhorse.com:

The California Horse Racing Board is planning for the first anabolic steroid-free Breeders' Cup World Championships in 2008 at Santa Anita Park.

The commission's medication committee -- consisting of board chairman Richard Shapiro and vice chairman John Harris -- is recommending rule changes that would add the four most commonly used anabolic steroids in horses to the list of drug substances it can sample in official urine tests. The full board will examine the committee's recommendation at its meeting Nov. 29 at the University of California-Davis.

"The Breeders' Cup is very much in support of this," said Dr. Rick Arthur, the CHRB's equine medical director.

Testing approval is just one step in the process. The board also plans to move these four anabolic steroids into the Class 3 level, which carries penalties such as purse disqualification and suspension. They are currently categorized in Class 4, punishable by a warning.

Arthur said he hopes to have all the necessary rule changes covering anabolic steroids at the Oak Tree Racing Association's Breeders' Cup in place by July. The 2008 Breeders' Cup will be held Oct. 24-25.

Recommended allowable levels in urine tests would ensure that competing horses are as anabolic steroid-free as possible, according to Arthur. The anabolic steroids that would be affected by the restrictions are Stanozolol (one nanogram per millimeter of urine), Nandrolone (one nanogram for fillies, mares and geldings and 45 nanograms for males), Boldenone (15 nanograms in males other than geldings) and Testosterone (55 nanograms in fillies and mares and 20 nanograms for geldings). The latter would be allowed at any level in non-gelded males.

The proposal is based on the Racing Medication Testing Consortium and Racing Commissioner International anabolic steroid model rules. Additional allowable levels would have to be adopted if the board wishes to test for anabolic steroids through blood samples, acknowledged as being more accurate than urine.

Arthur said withdrawal times have not been established for horses under anabolic steroid treatment, but suggested that two months would be a conservative estimate.

"The effort here is to regulate anabolic steroids rather than to prohibit them," Arthur said. "We may do that, but anabolic steroids are widely used in horse racing. This is a way to ease the industry to this particular step."

Added Harris, "One challenge is to get the word out so people can change their regimens."

With the Breeders' Cup less than a year away, California racing expects many horses from throughout the world. Anabolic steroids have been banned overseas, in some cases for decades.

"The international community is way ahead on this one," Arthur said.

More than 40 other anabolic steroids are considered Class 3 substances in California. Designer steroids such as Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) are Class 1.

The committee also voiced its concerns about regulating anabolic steroid use at the state's horse sales.

"It's one of the most pressing issues that we're dealing with today," Shapiro said.

In other business, the committee recommended that the CHRB consider allowing horses to race unshod, a change reflecting the synthetic track era. "Horses who race unshod actually may have stronger hooves," Arthur said. "With the move to synthetic tracks, I think it makes a lot of sense."
 
Also looks like there will be a turf sprint and staying race.

Interesting to see if the Breeders Cup try and taken on board the problems many have pointed out this year. You’d like to think they will make a serious effort to encourage more foreign runners. They also make the decision on which track the 2009 Breeders Cup will be…lets hope they continue to look in the direction of the tracks that have changed from dirt.
 
The problem with attracting foreign runners is the huge supplementary fees if they aren't by a nominated stallion. They should look into extending their win-and-your-in program to some of the big international races.
 
more news:

The Breeders' Cup has been expanded again with the addition of three races.

The event will now comprise of 14 races when it takes place on October 24 and 25 next year at Santa Anita in California.

The US$1million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint will be contested on Santa Anita's signature El Camino Real 'down the hill' turf course, with a maximum of 14 starters. Horses aged three and over will be eligible and will run over six and a half furlongs.

The Juvenile Fillies Turf, again worth US$1million, will be limited to 12 two-year-old starters. It will be contested over one mile.

Finally, the US$500,000 Breeders' Cup Dirt Marathon will see three-year-olds and up race over a mile and a half.

All three of the new races will be staged on the meeting's opening day, the Friday, which was a new addition in 2007. Prior to this year, the meeting had been a one-day affair.

Greg Avioli, Breeders' Cup president and chief executive, said: "The establishment of the three new races continues our aggressive expansion of the Breeders' Cup World Championships as a pre-eminent international sports and entertainment property for our fans, sponsors and television viewers around the globe.

"These new races also continue our mission in providing more opportunities for horsemen to compete at the highest levels over the two-days of the championships."



haha - Breeders Cup "Marathon" over 1 1/2 miles .... :nuts:
 
For a country accused of putting far too much emphasis on speed in their racing, it can only be a good thing that there's going to be another Grade 1 (eventually) 12f dirt race there.

Crap name, though.
 
Hopefully this new 12f race will be the kick that they need to put the Jockey Club Gold Cup back to it's proper distance.

The Breeders Cup Marathon, Belmont Stakes and Galant Fox Handicap - anyone else know any 12f+ graded stakes in the US?
 
The three new races seem to be getting a very mixed response (mainly negative) from what I have seen on the American racing forums.

One in particular poster, who I have a lot of time and respect for from Canada, posted this today:

It's not that I don't want to see a greater focus on distance racing in the US but I dont think a BC race is the best thing to do. Use that money to create a division first and then maybe after 15-20 years of building a stamina program again we'll be ready to have a championship event. It's no use have a championship at this stage. The marathon isn't even run at a marathon distance.

I think the other BC races only serve to cheapen the event as well. Someone needs to sit down and logically think out the best way to conduct racing's championship day. The people in charge don't seem to get it.


I have to agree with him. What used to be a fantastic race day with around eight BC races is now a drawn out card over two days. There are now two miles races, four juvenile races, two 12f races and two sprints.

As a couple of the Americans have said "At least the likes of Jazil would have another chance at winning a big 1 1/2 mile race."
 
It's not that I don't want to see a greater focus on distance racing in the US but I dont think a BC race is the best thing to do. Use that money to create a division first and then maybe after 15-20 years of building a stamina program again we'll be ready to have a championship event. It's no use have a championship at this stage. The marathon isn't even run at a marathon distance.

It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation, but I would have thought it easier to get support going for a 12f dirt division if there's already a championship race in place?
 
Originally posted by Venusian@Dec 10 2007, 06:16 PM
A mile and a half is a "marathon"?!
Anything that can "go two turns" is apparently a stayer Ven..

Seriously though, what is the point of the new races? I can understand a Juvenile Fillies Turf, but the other two just seem likely to dilute some of the more established fields..

Is there even a Group 1 turf sprint in the US? Can't think of one off the top of my head anyway..

Don't have a problem with the races being staged on a conventional dirt surface myself, as long as it is a proper track.. in fact, I would be delighted if the event was staged at Belmont every year..
 
Exactly, Gareth..

What's more, the vast majority of American sprinters have "dirt" pedigrees.. difficult to see the logic behind this one..

Seems to me like they're trying to string the meeting out to a full weekend, maybe? Might as well incorporate the Breeders Cup Chase and throw in a Champion Hurdle as well.. :D
 
The logic is simple.

1) Imagine all combinations of age, sex, distance and surface.

2) Think of a "snappy" name for each one.

3) ????

4) Profit!



(Holding out for the Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Dirt Steeplechase Juvenile Sprint)
 
The best race on turf over there is a sprint worth about USD$200,000 on Kentucky Derby day called the Churchill Downs Turfway Sprint. Its run over 5f and is a Grade 3 event (I think which is their highest level for a turf sprint).

A horse from Australia by the name of Man Of Illusion won this race last year. He is owned by a fellow forumite, from Racing Australia Forums.

I have a feeling the Americans want to nominate an event into the Global Sprint challenge. It seemed only feasible that they have a race, on Breeders Cup day, worth USD$1 million. I have high doubts, based on quality that they will get this race nominated into the event, as strictly speaking, all races in the challenge are 6f or less.
 
Seems the three new inclusions are getting less well received than planned.

Seriously, they should go back to the one day card of 8 races, and stick to either Belmont, Churchill Downs or Santa Anita, reduce with the nominations process and then the Yanks would have the best days racing in the world.
 
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