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Drug Watch In Horse Racing ExpandsHealth and Safety of Animals At Olympics: Zero ToleranceParticipants in the horse racing industry are coming under more scrutiny for positive drug tests and their animals' welfare. No exceptions is the word for the Olympics.
All of the United States horse racing industry, and the 2008 Hong Kong Olympic equestrian competition, is being watched and zeroed in on particularly this summer after tragic accidents and positive drug tests have marred competitions and major races. The lives of prominent trainers and Olympians have been interrupted repeatedly to answer for accidents, or positive post-event drug tests on their horses. Olympic Gold Medals ForfeitedThe drug investigation in the horse racing industry has reached all levels of competition. Not only have trainers of Thoroughbred runners come under presssure to account for their use of drugs on the animals under their care, Olympic riders recently have had to forfeit titles and medals when their mounts tested positive for drugs. 2004 Olympic Games (Athens, Greece):
O'Connor had won an individual Gold Medal for show jumping. Beerbaum's Gold Medal was awarded for Germany's team win in the competition's show jumping phase. Hoy's Gold Medal in eventing was revoked when she repeatedly crossed the starting line in the show jumping contest. Any chance Hoy had at appeal was lost when her horse tested positive for drugs following the event. Olympic equestrian competition scheduled this year for Hong Kong will be under new rules designed to discourage drug use. Riders will be held accountable for positive tests without prejudice toward the circumstances. Fifty to 60 random tests will be conducted throughout the competition, according to a report in the July, 2008 issue of Horse Illustrated, "Zero Tolerance", page 12. The top three horses in each discipline will be automatically tested. The three disciplines include show jumping, dressage, and three-day eventing. Patrict Biancone Horses Drug PositiveLast fall, Patrick Biancone, who trained Lion Heart to a second place finish in the 2004 Kentucky Derby (behind champion Smarty Jones), was harshly punished for positive drug tests on the horses in his barn which involved the totally restricted chemicals of cobra venom. It was not Biancone's first offense. Recently, high profile horsemen such as Larry Jones, trainer of the filly Eight Belles; Richard Dutrow, Jr., Big Brown's head trainer; and Steve Asmussen, who trains Horse of the Year Curlin, have come under scrutiny for doping horses under their care. Although Dutrow used a steriod type drug in his training regimen, it was not an illegal substance. Lion Heart, Big Brown, Curlin, and Eight Belles never tested positive for dugs after races. Jess Jackson Speaks for Drug-Free ActionMajority owner of HOY Curlin, Jess Jackson, has spoken often of attaining a zero tolerance for drugs in horse racing in the United States, where the most lenient drug policies exist. He praised the Arabian presentation of Dubai World Cup racing in March, where Curlin earned all-world honors, for its drug-free atmosphere. Likewise, Alex Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, announced after the death of Eight Belles in this year's Kentucky Derby, that a drug-free industry would be sought with authority in the near future. Although Eight Belles' neocropsy was negative for drug tests, her tragic breakdown brought on questions of health, welfare, and drug use in general in this nation's horse racing industry. The United States Equestrian Federation and the United States Eventing Association have followed suit with horse welfare and drug use topping the agendas of their meetings in June.
The copyright of the article Drug Watch In Horse Racing Expands in How to Race Horses is owned by BarbaraAnne Helberg. Permission to republish Drug Watch In Horse Racing Expands in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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