Contolled use of Therapeutic Drugs

[Danno]

[VVV] To my knowledge nobody's suggesting Bute on race day SC. Lasix, yes...Bute, no.
Rather, what those in favour of a re-think are suggesting are a series of thresholds for Bute etc. , below which a pre or post race swab is deemed to be clear.
Exactly the same approach as a TC02 test. Everyone knows the number, everyone knows what's required of them.
The document I asked Jules to upload lists a whole swag of thresholds & withdrawal times and from memory the closest to race time that Oral Bute can be given in any jurisdiction in the US or CAN is 48hrs and that was in California. IV Bute can go as close as 24hrs in New Jersey, Oral is 48hrs. Various others are as far out as 96hrs (Canada).
There in itself is a discrepancy because the ORC is as tight a jurisdiction as you'll see re: treatments and they're operating on 96hrs. The problem here in Oz is that the test we have in place to detect prior use of old mate phenylbutazone picks it up well beyond 96hrs. You really have to ask yourself why Oz Trainers should be under an even harsher anti-therapeutic drug testing regime than that overseen by the ORC. 96 hrs is 4 days. The test being used here in Oz will pick it up out to 7 days post. Nice. It stopped working after 12hrs but as a Trainer as far out as 156hrs beyond that you're still rooted and burned.

personal experience re: bute, 48 hours from oral administration would have the horse well and truly over any significant effect, the key is proving it/reasonable detectable threshold levels given the individual horses' metabolism, to me that is the key factor with many therapeutic drugs... prove it has been administered (and it's affect on the individual horse) is in a consistent fashion and we get a level type playing field.

While ever there is the opportunity for the arguement, "but I just slipped up a little bit!!" we are left with the cheats pushing the boundaries and, unfortunately, other participants feeling like they've been ripped off!

As we all know the TC02 levels Jamie referred to are being constantly experimented with by some camps... look at all the "inconsistent" form when we had to go to 2 hour on course arrivals, as well as a spike in TC02 infringements.

That alone identifies people who are pushing the boundaries, not for the welfare of the horse they have in their care or for the benefit of producing a consistent racing product , but more for their own benefit.

The very people I despise, those who put there own interests in front of the game.