U.S. Reaction to BHA Steroids Policy

By T.D. Thornton 
Three weeks ago, there was considerable anxiety among United States breeders and consignors over how new British Horse Racing Authority zero-tolerance rules for anabolic steroids would affect the marketplace for exported Thoroughbreds.

But when the BHA released expanded rules clarification guidelines six days before the anti-doping code took effect on Mar. 2, there was a collective sigh of relief from American horsemen. 

A number of their concerns were answered–chiefly that the BHA is focusing forward and not enforcing the steroid rules retrospectively. Other assurances are in the pipeline, like the BHA’s acknowledgement that it needs to accredit additional testing labs “as a matter of priority” so U.S. exports sold at auction can be certified as compliant. 

But now that a reasonable degree of near-term clarity has been achieved, one important long-range question lingers: Will America eventually come into line with the zero-tolerance steroid policies that are becoming the norm in Europe, or will the U.S. hold to its standard of classifying anabolics as acceptable so long as they are administered outside of competition and not immediately prior to a horse’s sale at auction?

“All other sports and all other racing nations are taking an absolute stance against the use of anabolic steroids,” said Jim Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club. “The perceived necessity for anabolic steroids in racing has diminished and its use has become less prevalent in younger horses. The Jockey Club supports North American racing coming into line with the new international sport and racing standards.” 

While industry stakeholders and regulators are generally supportive of the “clean horse” movement, opinions vary as to how feasible and how long it might take to phase out steroid use entirely. 

“I don’t know that we will ever move to horses throughout their lives never getting anabolic steroids,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, executive director and chief operating officer for the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium. “I think realistically, the way my board looks at it is, we’ve taken it out of racing. We haven’t taken it out of the hands of a vet to use on a horse that’s exceedingly sick, or a horse that does not have timely physis closure that would cause more problems down the road. 

“I’ve seen horses that have really bad pleuropneumonia and would not eat,” Benson continued. “And you introduce a little bit of anabolic steroids to them and they are eating. Personally, I don’t know if that horse should never race again because it had anabolic steroids when it was very sick. But I can see why it would be unfair to have that horse suffer because someone wanted to not treat it so it would be still able to race.” 

Keeneland Association, Inc., Fasig-Tipton, Ocala Breeders’ Sales, and Barretts Equine Limited are among the top U.S. sales companies that abide by a policy established in 2008 by the Sales Integrity Program that prohibits exogenous anabolics 45 days prior to an auction. 

By contrast, the new BHA rules mandate that “a horse must not be administered an anabolic steroid at any point in its life” under penalty of being ineligible to start in Britain for 14 months. Thoroughbreds entering Britain from Ireland, France and Germany that have spent 12 months under the equivalent policies of those countries are exempt from testing requirements. 

“I think we all know that in some areas we’re not in step with the world, although I’m not sure that’s the case with anabolic steroids,” said Craig Bandoroff, owner of Denali Stud in Paris, KY., and president of the Consignors & Commercial Breeders Association (CBA). 

“We were the first sales companies to ever test for anabolic steroids,” Bandoroff added. “We have a policy in place. It’s not a policy in line with what [the BHA has] right now, but I don’t have any doubt that everybody’s going to get in line and [comply with the rules for exports]. 

“Do I agree totally with their policy? I don’t,” Bandoroff continued. “But I respect that they had a problem over there and that this is their means to solve it. And if we want to play over there, then we have to play by their rules. Maybe this will be an impetus to move forward on some of the medication issues that bring us more in line. I don’t know that [steroid use in young horses] is prevalent. There are people that use them. But I think the majority of people use them for therapeutic purposes, and I think that’s the unfortunate part–we’ve lost a therapeutic drug [for exports] that has benefit.” 

Garrett O’Rourke, who manages the Juddmonte Farms operation in Lexington, disagrees. 

“Having raised horses all my life, I don’t see any place for 90% of the treatments and drugs that people use,” O’Rourke said. “There’s definitely no place for anabolic steroids. In all of my time at Juddmonte, we’ve never used anabolic steroids, and we still continue to turn out top-class racehorses at a very high rate. So that, to me, is proof enough that there’s no need for anabolic steroids in the raising of young stock. 

“From the point of view of people using it for physitis, to me that’s a cop-out,” O’Rourke continued. “It’s probably because they’re overworking and overforcing the horse, and they might be better off using ice and backing off. Conservative management, better horsemanship, and more treatment with anti-inflammatories will do it. The ‘one-shot-fixes-all’ benefit from anabolic steroids is the lazy man’s way out. I’m not saying they don’t work. I’m actually saying to the contrary, they work so damn well that they make us lazy in our horsemanship.” 

The debate over whether the U.S. will adopt a zero-tolerance policy is likely to play out over a period measured in months or years. But over the next few weeks, the CBA, sales companies, and The Jockey Club will be working with the BHA to ensure the new procedures for exports are implemented smoothly. 

According to The Jockey Club, the number of U.S. exports has risen over the last two years. In 2014, the U.S. exported 671 horses to Great Britain/Ireland, up from 520 in 2013. With one stud book covering two countries, imports into Ireland are subject to the same British restrictions. 

“We want to comply, we have no problem with complying,” Bandoroff said. “But in order to comply with something you have to know what the parameters are.”

Benson said the RMTC does not track the number of horses under racing age that receive steroids, so she wouldn’t hazard a guess as to how many exports might be affected. 

The new BHA regulations “pose an issue for horses that are going to be exported, but it’s not an impediment. The rules are not by any means insurmountable,” Benson said. 

“The implementation, obviously, upset some people at first over here,” O’Rourke said. “But in defense of the BHA, I think once the communication started to open up, now it seems as if they’re conducive to looking at ways to make this easier for Americans to have their horses tested and to conform with the rules.” 

Bandoroff said he was “very encouraged that the American industry was unified in its response, and that we made them understand our goal was to willingly work with them.” 

Bandoroff continued: “As the deadline approached and the dialogue got more intense, everybody came to the table and negotiated something that was workable. Once that attitude came across, we got about all we could ask for. Right now we have some promises that they will certify labs in the United States, and as long as they follow through on that, then I think we all have something we can work with.” 

The BHA guidelines gave a timetable of “the next few weeks” for bringing additional testing protocols online. Hair sampling will eventually become the primary testing method because of its ability to pinpoint lifetime drug usage, but in the meantime, urine and blood testing will continue to be used while hair sampling gets phased in. 

“As part of our discussions with sales houses, we will explore the opportunities for the catalogue to identify if the horse has already satisfied the requirements for registration,” the BHA guidelines explained. 

“I anticipate the North American sales companies will strive to work closely with the BHA and other authorities to provide international buyers the confidence to buy and race American-breds in races in Europe in 2015 and beyond,” said Boyd Browning, Jr., president of Fasig-Tipton. 

Although hair testing is not currently the norm in America, Benson said, “U.S. labs certainly have this on their radar screen. They’re making strides forward with hair testing, and I anticipate there will be U.S. labs that are using hair testing in the near future.” 

As for where the labs will be located, Benson said the BHA already has a working relationship with one testing lab in Kentucky. The Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California Davis campus has done some forms of hair testing, and the RMTC has received funding for hair testing through its tactical research program. 
“We have labs that are certainly well respected over here,” Benson said. 

“The part with the U.S. labs is really important,” Bandoroff said. “As long as we can test here, we can certify these horses before sale, that they’re totally clean and give people confidence without a shade of doubt, that would be very beneficial.” 

“I think the other very encouraging thing is their stance that they aren’t looking to look backward and punish things that have happened in the past,” Bandoroff continued. “Their goal is to look forward, and be sure that the product in British racing is as clean as possible. I think that’s what we all want on an international standard everywhere.” 
On this last point, O’Rourke and Bandoroff agreed. 

“I’m hoping that once we make the effort to prove that our young stock is free of anabolic steroids or growth hormones, then they’ll treat us equally in countries like Ireland, France and Germany that are grandfathered into their testing,” O’Rourke said. “And if we don’t, shame on us.”