Advances in horse anti-doping aimed at boozed up broncos

Horse have been injected with everything from vodka to Viagra to improve racing performance says the Omaha Herald-Journal.  New anti-doping measures should keep the equines more equitable.

The latest case involved a Nebraska vet who gave his horses some booze to calm their nerves before races.

Interest in alcohol testing has been renewed since charges were filed against a Grand Island veterinarian who is accused of injecting horses with vodka to calm them on race days.

The case against Dr. Jay Stewart, president of the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association, apparently is a first in Nebraska. The veterinarian is accused of injecting Phillips vodka into Thoroughbreds at Grand Island's Fonner Park in 2005. Stewart denies the charges; the case is to go to trial March 29.

When the issue of alcohol and horses surfaced a few years ago, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium funded research that led to development in 2004 of a pre-race test for alcohol. That test is being used at tracks in some mid-Atlantic states.

Hartmann said the expense of the equipment to test for alcohol has been a stumbling block to using it more widely. She estimated the cost to be anywhere from $250,000 for a basic unit to almost $1 million for a more sophisticated version.

Anti-doping officials consider how a breathalyser may stop the boozed-up horses.  (BTW, is Phillips Vodka any good?)

Another possibility to deal with alcohol is the development of a post-race test similar to a breathalyser, said Dr. Scot Waterman, executive director of the consortium. Research is under way at the University of California, Davis on such a device.

"That seems really bizarre," said Hugh Miner, general manager at Fonner Park. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

How common are horses who down a few jelly-shots to relax?  Not very, according to experts.

The possible use of vodka has come as a surprise to many, including longtime trainers who previously raced at the now-closed Omaha racetrack at Ak-Sar-Ben.

"Some people do some desperate things," said trainer Don Von Hemel. "It's kind of sad when you hear about something like that."

Bob Holthus, a Nebraska native who has raced horses in the Kentucky Derby, said he was surprised by the case.

"With all the drugs available today, you think something else would have been used to calm down horses," he said. "But if it's true, it's something we need to get a handle on."

Fonner Park's Miner said: "Whether you're talking about baseball or the Tour de France, these are substances that have no place in the field of athletics. Again, it all gets back to the integrity of the sport."

The Nation wonders if Barbaro were bellying up in the bar next to some filly before he went out and tripped on the turf?   Should have had a breathalyser that day...

Comments

[The Big Picture]

would booze have saved barbaro's life?

[grg51]

Booze might make it easier for Barbaro to bring a hot mare back to the stable. However, I am thinking if Barbaro were boozed up, say on 'slow gin fizzes' he would trip on some loose turf....

[colby cloninger]

i think it is very wrong to do horses like that. Inject then with steriods just so they can make their horse better.