Steroid Nation

Dubai Shiekh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum bin a winny horse doper

The ruling shaikh of Dubei will serve a six month ban from horse racing following proceedings examining his role in horse doping.  Sheikh Mohammed's horse tested positive for some doping substance, which isn't named in the article below.  The Mrs. --  Princess Haya of Jordan -- was head of the horse regulatory agency.  (friendly looking fellow)

To the New York Times:

Dubai's ruler was given a six-month ban from long-distance horse racing after his horse tested positive for banned substances, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) said.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum's horse Tahhan ran in two endurance races in January and February and "in both events, the horse was ridden by Sheikh Mohammed ... who is the person responsible," said FEI in a statement on its website. He was also fined 4,500 Swiss francs (2,500 pounds).

Most endurance races are up to 160 km (100 miles) long.

In the statement, the Dubai ruler, who is also the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, said he had no knowledge of any illegal substances being used. He can appeal. Trainer Abdullah bin Huzaim was also fined and banned for a year after admitting to doping the horses. FEI said it had detected prohibited substances, a drug with calming and analgesic effects and a steroid.

Sheikh Mohammed's wife Princess Haya of Jordan, who presides over FEI, stepped aside in this case, Malina Gueorguiev, spokesperson for the FEI, told Reuters by telephone from Geneva.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of conglomerate Dubai World, one of the emirate's largest companies, had previously been suspended for six months and fined. He had said he was unaware of any doping.

The Sheikh's horse tested positive for two substances, one of which was Winny:

Sheikh Mohammed accepted that his horse, Tahhan, tested positive for guanabenz and steroid stanozolol, the FEI said on Monday. His wife, FEI president Princess Haya of Jordan, is leading a clean-sport campaign, and Sheikh Mohammed stood down from competing in April when the test results became known.

2009 Kentucky Derby first in history to check for steroids post-race

Last year Big Brown juiced before he won the Kentucky Derby.  This year, if a horse uses the same drug as Brown (Winny, stanozolol), he gone. Post race steroids testing will be administered to the top 4 finishers for the first time in Derby history. To the Press-Enterprise

The biggest change at this year's Kentucky Derby won't be noticed by any fan or disrupt the routine of any horse. In fact, its only evidence will be sealed and stored in a padlocked refrigerator minutes after the race.

For the first time, the signature American thoroughbred race is screening for anabolic steroids -- a quiet step that industry officials are hoping will help the sport's image.

"Our existence depends on public confidence," longtime breeder Arthur Hancock said. "If we lose that, we lose our livelihood. Its extremely important we get this mess cleaned up."

Last year's Derby winner, Big Brown, was on steroids at the time of his victory -- a fact known only because trainer Rick Dutrow acknowledged he injected the horse with the then-legal steroid stanozolol.

If this year's winner tests positive for more than a trace amount of stanozolol, the horse will be disqualified and the trainer subjected to a lengthy suspension.

The race gained some excitement this morning with the favorite scratched.

Sheikh Mohammed's rides horse with whinny -- or is that 'Winny'

One of the biggest names in horse racing, Sheikh Mohammed, rode a horse with more than just whinny, but also tested positive for Winny.  The horse -- Tahhan -- tested positive for two illegal drugs one of which was the anabolic steroid  stanozolol or Winstrol, Winny.

Sheikh Mohammed, one of the biggest names in horse racing globally, has been embarrassed by a doping scandal involving a horse he has ridden in endurance races in Bahrain and Dubai. The horse, Tahhan, which the Sheikh owns, was found to have two banned substances in its system after testing by the Sheikh's own staff.

On being told of the results, the Sheikh informed the International Equestrian Federation, which has launched an investigation. He began his own internal inquiry and has waived his right to have back-up samples tested. In the meantime his wife, Princess Haya of Jordan, who is president of the IEF, said she will defer the presidency on "all matters related to this subject".

A bit embarrassing because the Princess is the high commissioner of the International Equestrian Federation which monitors horse doping.

European pony primed with painkiller: Rubbing gel contaminated with lidocaine

A European champion pony and his teenage rider lost medals due to a positive doping tests revealing lidocaine.  The tribunal called to render justice seems to have spit the bit though. Horsetalk.com tells the tale:

The 16-year-old rider who won bronze at the 2008 European Pony Championships has lost her medal and been suspended from competition for two months by the FEI after her pony tested positive for a prohibited substance.

A sample from Tim, the pony of Swedish dressage rider Elin Aspnas, was found to reveal the presence of Lidocaine, a local anaesthetic that can be used to reduce pain and stiffness in soft tissues. It is classified as a Prohibited Substance under the Equine Prohibited List (VR Annex III, the "Equine Prohibited List"), in the class "Medication A" .

At the preliminary hearing, Aspnas said that she had used only one substance, Arnika Gel, which had been regularly used to give the pony relaxing massages. Arnika Gel was sold by a Swedish Company and on its package it was presented as "Natural Product for Massages" and as "approved for veterinary use". She said that as a result, she had been confident that the substance was legal.

However, testing of three different bottles of Arnika Gel - including the bottle used by the rider - revealed Lidocaine was found in the bottle used by the rider, but not in the two new bottles.

Aspnas said that neither she nor her team had added any substance to the Arnika Gel used on the horse.

One more example of a contaminated commercial product.  The rider's lawyer presented evidence that sabotage might also play a role:

Her counsel also argued that the security provided at the FEI International Event in Falsterbo, where Tim had competed two weeks before the event, had been insufficient and that the family of the rider, since spring 2008, had felt hostilities towards them from other families in the circle around the Swedish national pony team, and had also received handwritten anonymous threats.

Aspnas said that a criminal investigation had been initiated in Sweden three days before the hearing with respect to those threats. She said she could not prove that any other person had added the Prohibited Substance to the bottle used by her, but that it was not unlikely that this could be the explanation for the findings.

The tribunal decision is presented below.  Essentially the court ruled that the rider as responsible -- despite the contaminated balm, and the low security.  Odd.

One would think for a first time offense, especially with extenuating circumstances the tribunal would show more mercy, and perhaps mete out a probation.  A bit Draconian, eh?

In its decision the Tribunal said that it could not find that Aspnas has met that burden of proof to show that she bears No Fault and No Negligence according to its Equine Anti-Doping and Medication Control Rules ("EADMCR"). "The analysis of the bottles containing Arnika Gel, together with the described hostilities, may suggest that somebody from outside the PR's team might have tampered with the Rider's bottle of Arnika Gel, but the Tribunal cannot accept this as a decisive proof."

It also said that lack of stable security "is not an excuse in doping cases and the PR is to ensure sufficient stable management and proper security over any horse used in international events in order to ensure that they are not administered any prohibited substances either negligently or willfully."

The tribunal ruled that Aspnas and Tim be disqualified from the event, and forfeit all prize money, points, and medals. The rider has also been suspended for two months effective immediately. She has also been ordered to contribute 1000 Swiss francs ($NZ1540; $US914) towards legal costs.

International Equestrian Federation throws Norwegian rider off Olympic equestrian bronze medal

Several horses and their riders tested positive for doping agents at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games held in Hong Kong, The latest, and the last, rider to lose his medal was the Norwegian rider Tony Andre Hansen whose horse tested positive for capsaicin, or pepper powder.  (That's Hansen and his ride Camino, apparently kissing the medal goodbye). To the Canadian Press:

Norwegian rider Tony Andre Hansen was stripped of his Olympic bronze medal in team jumping Monday after his horse tested positive for a banned drug at the Beijing Games.

Hansen was disqualified by the International Equestrian Federation and banned from the sport for 4 1/2 months. Hansen, 29, was the best performer in a four-rider Norway team which won bronze under a scoring system where the top three count.

Without his scores, his Norway teammates - Morten Djupvik, Stein Endresen, and Geir Gulliksen - drop out of medal contention.

The fourth-placed Switzerland team of Steve Guerdat, Christina Liebherr, Niklaus Schurtenberger and Pius Schwizer will now be awarded the bronze medals by the International Olympic Committee.

The United States won gold, beating Canada in a jumpoff in Hong Kong, where the equestrian events were staged last August.

Hansen's horse, Camino, tested positive for capsaicin, a banned pain relieving medication derived from chili peppers. He was provisionally suspended and did not complete the individual jumping competition. His ban Monday was backdated and runs through Jan. 2, 2009.

Hansen's use of capsaicin was documented last summer.  The drug, a product of the chili pepper, may anesthetize a horse's senses, allowing the beast an advantage in competition...or so goes the party line. Back to the FEI's statement:

"It is each person responsible's personal duty to ensure that no prohibited substance is present in his or her horse's body during an event," the federation said.

Hansen faced two daylong hearings, in September and November, at an FEI tribunal before the governing body reached its verdict.

He can appeal the ruling within 30 days to the Court of Arbitration of Sport.

It is the sixth and final drug test case from the Olympic equestrian events to be decided.

Hansen is the fourth rider disqualified and suspended in cases involving capsaicin: Germany's Christian Ahlmann was suspended for four months, Brazil's Bernardo Alves for 3 1/2 months, and Irish rider Denis Lynch got a three-month ban.

Ahlmann's ban expired last Thursday but the German equestrian federation has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to extend it to at least eight months.

Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa, the individual jumping gold medallist in 2004, was disqualified and banned for 4 1/2 months after his horse tested positive for nonivamide, a banned pain-relieving medication.

American Courtney King was disqualified and banned for one-month because her horse Mythilus tested positive for felbinac, a banned anti-inflammatory medication.

Horse doping...appears that the FEI runs a tough show in the doping arena.

Breeders Cup Report: No horsing around with steroids, EPO, or bicarb

Looks like the Breeder's Cup horse are running clean according the The Horse.  Here is a good report on the methods, and the consequences of doping in the Breeders Cup series.

None of the horses that participated in this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships Oct. 24-25 at Santa Anita tested positive for steroids, blood-doping agents or TCO₂ (bicarbonate), according to Pam Blatz-Murff, senior vice president of operations for the Breeders' Cup.

However, as of Nov. 8 test results for any other prohibited substances were not available because of the testing process used by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB).

Under Breeders' Cup and CHRB rules banning anabolic steroids, tests were conducted on the first four finishers and one additional horse selected at random in each race. The steroid rules, in place for the first time at the Breeders' Cup, called for disqualification and purse distribution, and a possible one-year suspension for the trainer of any horse testing positive.

The blood-doping tests were conducted under "out of competition" rules 10 days before the races. Any horse testing positive would have been ineligible for competition, with the trainer facing suspension. The TCO₂ tests were conducted in the detention barn prior to each race, with a purse forfeiture and trainer sanctions for any positive tests.

Rick Arthur, DVM, equine medical director for the CHRB, said any positives for other prohibited substances would not be reported until the split-sample process is completed. Under CHRB rules, a test is not considered positive until a suspect sample has been confirmed by another testing lab.

Under CHRB rules, the primary testing lab has 21 days to report any positives. The trainer of the horse in question then has 72 working hours to request that a split sample be sent to a confirmation lab and then has five additional working days to make arrangements with one of the six labs available for split-sample testing. Once the lab receives the split sample, it has 28 days to report the results to the CHRB. At that time if the split sample confirms the positive, a complaint is filed against the trainer.

Internet pharmacy sues Albany DA Soares; Breeder's Cup horse to be dope tested

1.  Members of the Florida Internet Signature Pharmacy sue Albany DA David Soares for over-reaching his authority in his internet steroids investigation. (North Country Gazette).  Doesn't Soares have sovereign immunity?

Albany District Attorney David Soares and assistant prosecutor Christopher P. Baynes acted outside the scope and territory of their jurisdiction and instead conducted themselves in an investigative capacity by detaining and questioning employees of Signature Pharmacy in Orlando, Fla., during a raid conducted at the pharmacy in February, 2007. That’s one of the charges of a civil rights lawsuit filed by the operators of the Florida pharmacy at the center of the steroid investigation which Soares dubbed “Operation Witch Doctor”.

Soares, Baynes, the Albany County District Attorney’s office and the City of Orlando have been named as defendants in the suit which charges that the rights of the pharmacy operators and managers were violated in an “illegal search and detainment”.

2.  Breeder's Cup horse will be tested for steroids and doping.  (AP)

Horses pre-entered in the 14 Breeders' Cup races to be run Oct. 24-25 at Santa Anita will face drug testing ahead of racing's richest event.

Horses will be selected randomly for testing from the pre-entry lists to be released Oct. 14, the California Horse Racing Board announced Tuesday.

The testing will specifically target EPO, darbepoetin and other blood-doping agents that are typically administered days or weeks before competition and are not usually detectable in testing traditionally done shortly after the race...

Trainers of horses that test positive for anabolic steroids at the Breeders' Cup will face a one-year suspension from the event, and three-time violators will be banned for life, according to new rules this year.

 

Pro cyclists now in harness racing: Four harness racing horses doped with EPO

So, what's up with harness racing in Kentucky?  Did pro cyclists suddenly enter racing there?

According to the paper, 4 harness racing horses tested positive for EPO, a drug heretofore not known to dope Kentucky horses...breaking down barriers.  However as noted in the story, the horse's names will not be released.

Four harness horses at The Red Mile to race in the Grand Circuit meet have tested positive for illegal blood-doping agents, but their trainers are unlikely to be punished by the state.

This is thought to be the first time the dangerous drugs have been detected in racehorses in Kentucky

The horses were among dozens tested by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission at the request of the track, which instituted out-of-competition testing for the performance-enhancing drugs last week.

However, the names of the horses, trainers, and owners might never be made public because the testing comes under the regulatory gray area of "house rules," established by tracks to go beyond state regulations. Keeneland and Turfway have implemented such house rules to ban toe grabs on front horseshoes.

This article looks at EPO doping in Canada, to note the drug can induce severe side effects.

Since the ORC (Ontario Racing Council) banned the substance two years ago, about 10 cases of the hormone's use in Ontario race horses have been reported. Last fall, the ORC adopted a test based on detecting antibodies produced in horses given human EPO. That test was developed at Cornell University by George Maylin, a 1965 graduate of OVC...

EPO, which is secreted naturally by the kidneys, is used therapeutically in people with chronic renal failure, particularly patients on dialysis awaiting transplants. Used improperly to boost red blood cell counts, it may cause “sludging” of the blood and, ultimately, strokes in horses and humans.

Steroid Shorts: Marion Jones out, Chargers in, and Kentucky bans horse steroids

1.  Marion Jones freed form prison.  (AP)

2. Steroids are only a piece of the San Diego Charger scene.  (Village Soup)

3.  My old Kentucky home.  Govorner bans steroids in horses.  (The Horse)

Equi-Block named as the culprit behind the great horse doping Olympic scandal 2008

Four horses with broken hearts (but no skin pain) appear to be out of the Olympics today, suspended for positive tests of capsaicin.  Looks like the culprit was a topical (skin) pain reliever called Equi-Block...guaranteed not to test positive. To Horse and Hound for the rub:

One of the four show jumpers suspended from the Olympic competition in Hong Kong has blamed his horse's positive test for a banned substance on a Deep Heat-like ointment used on the horse.

At the tribunal yesterday in Hong Kong the International Equestrian Federation indicated that the banned substance, capsaicin, was an ingredient in some equestrian products in regular use.

Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) has confirmed that it was identified by their rider Denis Lynch as an ingredient in a product called Equiblock used by him on his horse.

An HSI spokesman said : "Equi-block is a product used in similar circumstances to 'Deep Heat' used on humans and Denis Lynch explained to the tribunal that he commonly applies Equiblock to the horse's lower back prior to exercise."

From the product literature:

Description:

Racehorse Strength topical pain reliever with Capsaicin. Will not test positive.

Indications:

For the temporary care of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, neuralgias, simple backache, strains and sprains of ligaments and tendons, curb and splints in horses.

Ingredients:

Active Ingredient: Capsaicin (0.025%)

Other Ingredients: Deionized Water, Chamomile Extract, Carbomer 940, Polysorbate 20, Triethanolamine, Propyl Gallate, Methylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Propylparaben, Fragrance.

This product contains natural products and is subject to color change over time.

Is 'Deep-Heat the trouble a competitor gets into if he doesn't read the banned drug list?

Capsaicin: Huge horse scandal peppers Olympics with doping controversy

(Update: Equi-Block names as culprit)

Appears several horses caused trouble at the Beijing Olympic games after some hot tamales.  The dressage regulatory body (FEI) put out preliminary suspension notices against the steeds for using capsaicin -- the ingredient in peppers.  The compound can also be used medicinally, in horses as a pain-relief skin cream.  It is considered dressage doping.  To the CBC:

Horses aren't so easily treated for what ails them at the Olympic Games.

A sprinter with sore legs can pop an Aspirin before the final Olympic heat. A paddler nursing a shoulder injury can get permission to take cortisone to ease pain before a race.

However, if a horse with a bruise or leg pain takes a special giant-sized Aspirin made for the animal, it's game over. Disqualification. Elimination from Olympic competition.

No trips for some spicy food, and we all know how horses love spicy Tex-Mex.

"Any foreign substance they pick up pretty much means disqualification. You have to be so, so careful."

That's why it comes as no surprise when horses get busted for drugs.

It happened Thursday at the Beijing Games, where horses from Norway, Ireland, Brazil and Germany were all found with capsaicin in their blood. The drug, in the form of a cream rubbed into the skin, is prohibited for its pain-relieving properties.

Norway's Tony Andre Hansen and his horse Camiro, Lantinus from Ireland, ridden by Dennis Lynch, Brazil's Chupa Cup, ridden by Bernardo Alves, and Germany's Coster, ridden by Christian Ahlmann, were all suspended.

CBC Sports analyst Beth Underhill has suspicions that the drug was not given to relieve pain, but was administered because it causes "hypersensitivity" to a horse's legs and would make the animal more cautious on the jumps, and less likely to hit a jump and incur a fault.

"It's a pretty shocking revelation that's happening here," she said following Thursday's news of positive drug tests. "These riders are sophisticated and are very knowledgeable. As I said, the testing has become so sophisticated it's quite possible that they just made a mistake, but I find it shocking that they would take that kind of risk."

Sounds like everyone went in on this together.  Oops.  Too much horsing around.

Performance enhancing or not, the nature of a drug does not matter. The strict testing, Gallagher says, is to ensure the welfare of the horses.

"The idea is these horses can't tell their riders if they' re in pain," he says. "They can't express if they can endure the pain with an Aspirin, or if they need to be pulled out of the competition. That's why if a horse has any kind of injury, he must be removed from the Games. It's as simple as that."

The suspension of the horse and rider immediately gets people thinking of foul play, but Gallagher stresses that' s not always the case. A horse given Aspirin one week before the Games could test positive because it' s not yet out of his system by the time testing happens.

"We'll have a positive drug test, and everybody will go, 'Oh my God, how did this happen?'" Gallagher says. "Nobody was giving this horse drugs, not usually. You find out the horse had a little cut, and the groom decided to put some ointment on that cut and it turns out there's something in that ointment that nobody knew was banned.

"You have to be very, very careful."

FEI Press Release after the jump. (International Equestrian Federation)

Daily Steroid Dose: Olympics and lizards

1.  Always the doping in the Olympics.  (USA Today)

2.  Canadian horse rider banned for two Olympiads for positive cocaine tests, wins silver medal in Beijing. (Toronto Star)

3.  Another athletic career cut tragically short by steroids.  (New York Times)

Prophetic name: Prairie Meadows Iowa suspends horse -- Anything But That -- for Viagra use

The horse "Anything But That' could use anything but that, but he did and was suspended.  The horse trainer didn't even know about the drug; perhaps the horse wanted privacy.

It's no laughing matter to Prairie Meadows trainer Jeff Morrical.

Morrical was suspended for a year after one of his horses tested positive for sildenafil, which is used to make Viagra and other male enhancement drugs.

Morrical said he did not give sildenafil to the horse Anything But That, and that the penalty was too harsh since it was his first positive in seven years of training.

"This is my first offense," he said. "(The penalty) should be lighter, but it's the maximum. Other tracks only gave guys 30 days for the same thing. Prairie Meadows is just getting out of hand."

The track meted out a harsh penalty:

Along with the suspension, Morrical was fined $1,000 and Anything But That was disqualified from his July 21 victory, which included a $5,700 winner's share. Anything But That was barred from racing for 90 days, which Morrical said will hurt his chances of selling the horse.

Viagra has also been an issue in human athletics. An Italian cyclist was suspended earlier this year for Viagra possession. The New York Daily News alleged in June that former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens kept Viagra in his locker, which is legal in baseball.

The World Anti-Doping Agency is studying the effects of sildenafil, which is believed to expand blood vessels and increase the blood supply to muscles. However, the drug is currently permitted in Olympic events.

Under horse racing rules, a trainer is responsible for any substance found in his horse's system. Morrical said that racetracks should install security cameras in barns to make sure that strangers cannot tamper with horses.

Could this be sabotage (Or could the horses girlfriend slipped him one?)

Monday evening steroid injection: President Bush signs new anti-doping policy

1.  President George W. Bush signed a new international anti-doping agreement.  (LA Times)

2.  The Breeder's Cup outlaw horse steroids.  Next female bodybuilding... (Louisville Courier-Journal)

Daily Steroids Dose

1.  Jamaica and Greece in steroid trouble (Jamaica has unnamed athlete who dropped positive test)(First Post)

2.  No bull. Canadian rodeo steroid tested.  (Edmonton Sun)

3.  Italian pole vaulter Giuseppe Gibilisco whines about his coach.  Cleared of doping he now may drop out of Olympics.  (Reuters UK)

4.  Iowa horses juicing.  (Des Moines Register)

5.  The Toronto Star says the focus on scandals detracts from the athletic performance.

6.  The Chicago Tribune says the Tour de France 2008 was boring.

Daily Steroids Dose

1.  Australian police station raided in steroids search.  (ABC News)

2.  While you're watching those Olympians selling candy bars remember once Ben Johnson was a corporate spokesman.  (Blogging Stocks)

3.  California bans steroids in horse racing.  (Modesto Bee)

Daily Steroids Dose

1.  Simon Vroemen tested positive on the B test too.  Says D-bol doesn't benefit Steeplechase.  (Dutch News)

2.  Kentucky horse racing committee wants ban on steroids.  (Kentucky.com)

3.  Morgan Hamm's use of  Triamcinolone acetonide, prescribed by his doctor will not bar him from Beijing in 2008.  (AFP)

4.  Vancouver to build new WADA doping lab.  (Globe and Mail)

5.  Judge delays decision on Chambers until Friday.  (The Guardian)

Daily Steroids Dose

1.  The  Federation of Gay Games and Cologne for 2010 will be instituting a full panel of doping tests.  (Bay Area Reporter)

2.  Guilt by graph - Roger Clemens.  (Lab Notes, Newsweek)

3.  Curlin -- reigning horse of the year -- juiced.  (ESPN)

4.  Rare instance of basketballers doping -- in Australia (AFP)

5.  Oh oh.  Hormones and injections for breast enhancement in Ghana.  (ADM)

6.  Spain given 6 months to h and over Valverde's blood doping bag.  (The Star)

7.  Phillip Hersh on  Dara Torres.  (LA Times)

Daily Steroid Dose

1.  Deadspin says Dara Torres offering up her suffering for your doping sins (Deadspin)

2.  Dara on Dan (Patrick).  MSNBC Believes. 

3.  There may not be steroids in the pool, but there are 'massive' amounts in Oklahoma City bust.  (Tulsa World)

4.  Our Old Kentucky Home horse racing commission looking deeply into steroids.  (Mclatchy)

5.  Steroid madness?  Fan IQ wonders if Darius Miles was suspended for juicing?

6.  Juan Rincon, attempting a comeback, says he didn't intentionally use HGH.  (Ohio.com)

7.  Interesting article in Malaysia Today asks if the world's fastest humans are drug-free.

8.  Are cheaters the most influential figures in sports?  (The Bleacher Report)

Daily Steroids Dose

1.  Alejandro Valverde retains his Tour de France lead.  (IHT)

2.  Damu Cherry comes back from steroid suspension to qualify in the 100M hurdles Olympic trials.  (Orlando Sentinel)

3.  Blame goes to Lasix for horse doping. (The Telegraph)

4.  China feels the drug net is closing on Olympic athletes. (Shanghai Daily)

5.  Sprinter Allyson Felix (right) hopes to mitigate memories of Marion Jones. (Daily Mail)

6.  Is Roger Clemens's DNA on those Brian McNamee syringes?  (SF Chronicle)

Daily Steroids Dose

1.  The FBI interviews Roger Clemens's flame Mindy McCready. (AHN)

2.  Anastasios Papadopoulos, Australian bodybuilder, nailed for selling steroids (HeraldSun.com)

3.  Trotters feeling stepped on with the new anti-steroid horse climate.  (USTA Newsroom).

4.  Hoping Little League players are juice-free.  (Argus Courier)

5.  Roid rage for Shawn Chacon?  (Fan IQ)

Daily Steroid Dose

1. Another performance enhancing device that's better than steroids. (har humpf) (PR.com)

2. Horse racing's bad boy Rick Dutrow faces suspension for clenbuterol excess in a colt he 'trained'. (The AP)

3.  The WWE, post-Benoit tragedy.  (Phillyburbs.com)

4.  You too can dominate your opponent without using steroids, with the right personalized nutrition (no more hot dogs)(PRWeb.com)

5.  Mob wise guy had dagger, stun guns, a billy club, and steroids.  (Philly Inquirer)

6.  New Jersey suspect stashed away pipe bombs and steroids. (LoHud.com)

Daily Steroid Dose

1.  Big Brown's owners make another about face, say no more steroids. (Bloomberg)

2.  Don Catlin founds organization to combat doping.  (News Blaze)

3.  Swimmer Ian Thorpe suing French newspaper. (Herald-Sun)

4.  Terry Bradshaw is a psychopathic killer who used steroids, but so what?  There are alot of those out there (thanks to Woody Harrelson aka Carson Wells, and to the Sporting News)

5. So Big Brown's problem wasn't steroid withdrawal, he simply had trouble with his spikes out there on the race track.  (Louisville Courier-Journal)

Eight Belles trainer suspects sabotage in doping case

The trainer of Eight Belles, the filly who died on the track at the Kentucky Derby -- finds himself on the defensive after his horse tested positive for Clen.  To the New York Times:

Two of the most outspoken critics on the use of drugs in horse racing recently had a colt of their own fail a drug test, a result that they are saying was sabotage. Larry Jones, who trained the late filly Eight Belles, and Jim Squires, the breeder of the 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, were notified Tuesday that Stones River had tested positive for illegal levels of clenbuterol, a bronchodilator that helps burn fat and promote muscle growth, after a race June 8 at Delaware Park.

Jones trains Stones River for Squires, who races under the name Two Bucks Stable. Stones River romped to a nine-and-a-quarter-length victory in a 1-mile 70-yard allowance race, paying $7.40 for a $2 bet to win.

Jones has long called for limits on the use of steroids and race-day medications in horses, and he endured severe criticism after Eight Belles was euthanized on the track after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby. In more than 25 years of training horses, Jones had never had a violation, including any for drugs, according to the Racing Commissioners International database.

      Both owner and trainer posted a long history of clean horses; they were also outspoken critics of steroid use in horses.

Squires, a former member of the Kentucky Racing Commission, also has a clean record and has called for more vigorous, uniform regulation of therapeutic drugs like clenbuterol, as well as for steroids. Squires has written on the subject in several articles for The New York Times.

Squires said that the positive test came amid intense scrutiny of industry practices during the recently concluded Triple Crown season, beginning with the death of Eight Belles and continuing with the acknowledgment by Rick Dutrow, the trainer of Big Brown, who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, that his colt had received the anabolic steroid Winstrol. These events helped spur a Congressional hearing Thursday, when members told industry leaders to clean up their sport or the federal government would.

Sabotage?  Deliberately poisoned?  Perhaps.  Nasty business.

“That a Two Bucks Stable horse in his care has become the first drug positive in his career in the highly charged atmosphere during the week of a congressional investigation focusing on drugs and safety in horse racing is highly suspicious,” Squires said in a written statement. “It reeks of a deliberate effort to impugn our credibility on the subject of drugs and damage the reputation of a highly successful trainer who has been unfairly and mistakenly blamed by a few critics outside the industry for the death of Eight Belles.”

Jones is the leading trainer at Delaware Park and is ranked No. 11 nationally with purse earnings of more than $3.1 million. Last year at Delaware Park, a small sponge was found in the nose of one of his horses in what the state police described as an attempt to fix a race. The horse, a 2-year-old filly, finished third as the 4-5 favorite.

Jones noticed mucus coming from the filly’s nose two days later. He sent her to the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., and, after antibiotics failed to improve the condition, veterinarians operated and found the sponge with uniform holes stuffed in her nose. The case remains unsolved.

Daily Steroid Dose

1. Tennessee Titan LB Ryan Fowler denies steroid use.  (AHN)

2.   Big Brown trainer Rick Dutrow will miss the Congressional session on steroids in horse racing today.  He has a virus.  Awwwww (Philly Enquirer)

3.  More on the Greek weightlifters.  (MVN)

4.  And more on Doctors prescribing HGH in Anti-aging clinics.  (ZD Net)

5.  Greg Anderson, Barry Bond's trainer now a target of the IRS -- wife Nicole Gestas receives letter (ESPN)(overall good reference at ESPN)

Jockeys and horsemen come down on horse steroids

An ad hoc group of horse racing jockeys and others called for several reforms in the racing community yesterday.  Formed after the Kentucky Derby dramatic death of eight Belles, the group called for the banning of anabolic steroids as well as several other measures.  To the WaPo:

A committee organized by the Jockey Club last month after the death of filly Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby issued its first recommendations yesterday, including the elimination of anabolic steroids in the training and racing of thoroughbreds.

The seven-member committee, which included prominent breeder Stuart Janney III as well as leading veterinarian Larry Bramlage, also pressed for the ban of shoes called "toe grabs" -- which are believed to cause extra pressure on a horse's front legs -- and reforms for the design and use of whips.

While the recommendations are not binding, committee members said they have broad support from industry groups that could enact the changes, which are targeted for implementation by Dec. 31.

The announcement of the recommendations came two days before a House subcommittee on commerce, trade, and consumer protection is scheduled to hold a hearing examining breeding, drugs and breakdowns in racing.

Much heat coming down on the horse racing industy.  Interesting that Big Brown, the Kentucky Derby winner, will be back on the juice.