Masochistic, the 2nd place finisher in the 2016 Breeder’s Cup Sprint was disqualified after testing positive for traces of an anabolic steroid in his post race blood test. The steroid stanozolol, which is legal in California for horses in training but not racing, was openly administered 68 days prior to the Breeder’s Cup. This drug is administered to aid in recovery and is usually out of a horse’s system within 60 days, but negligible traces remained in Masochistic’s system and were detected. In a post-test statement, trainer Ron Ellis admitted that, prior to the Breeder’s Cup race, he was “90% sure” the drug would clear the horse’s system.
The legality of the use of any steroids in racing is a big deal. Horse racing is competing for the gambling dollar and even the inference of impropriety further damages the sport’s already damning reputation as an insiders’ game that can’t be beat. To muddy the waters even more, the laws regarding steroid use vary from state to state with different veterinarian’s list requirements and racing restrictions.
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Allowing steroid use adversely effects everyone involved. The horses themselves suffer, non-doping trainers are put to a moral dilemma, and a big disservice is being done to the horseplayers.
THE HORSE
In the case of the specific steroid in question, stanozolol, trainer Ron Ellis readily admitted that he administered the drug to aid in recovery because of Masochistic’s small size and difficulty maintaining weight. Well, if the horse is too small and skinny to recover and race every 60 days, then he should not be racing every 60 days! If Masochistic needs 75 days between races then he should get 75 days. If he needs 90 or 100, he should get 90 or 100. It’s that simple.
While steroids aid in muscle recovery, they do nothing to facilitate recovery in the structures that support the muscles such as the tendons and ligaments. When the muscles have artificially recovered with the help of steroids and the horse feels at full strength, he is actually running on a support system that may need more time. When horses break down it is not their muscles that give out, it is their tendons, ligaments and bones.
THE TRAINERS
The measuring stick for trainers is their win percentage. When steroids are used to aid recovery it allows a horse to come back to the races sooner and the trainer can get more races out of a horse at the horse’s peak form cycle. If a trainer does not use steroids to aid in recovery and a horse is away from the track for a longer period, he may have to start a new form cycle and need a race or two before being back near peak shape. This obviously effects the trainer’s win percentage and makes the trainers who utilize the steroids seem far superior because they rarely have to race a horse back into shape.
Then when an owner is looking for a trainer to hire and checks the winning percentages, the trainer who does not dope is at a severe disadvantage. Whether steroids are legal or banned, the incentive to use them is undeniable. When they are legal in any form, their use is unavoidable.
THE HORSEPLAYER
The average horseplayer has never seen a veterinarian’s list and probably has no idea what it really is. While lasix and bute are listed in the program, I would venture to guess that less than 10% of folks at the track have any idea what these accepted drugs actually do. Steroids, however, are a part of sports pop-culture and everyone knows that they are performance enhancing drugs. The mere mention of the word “steroid” infers cheating.
The powers that be in the racing industry are again forgetting that the gambler is the lifeblood of the industry and needs to be protected.
Are we to now assume that every California horse who is laid off for 60-65 days was on the vet’s list for stanozolol? Does every horseplayer now need to become familiar with the vet’s list requirements for every steroid? There needs to be transparency in veterinarian information and standardization across state lines.
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Much of the rest of the world levels the playing field with zero tolerance policies regarding steroids. The U.K., Japan, Australia, and United Arab Emirates are just a few of the countries that prohibit any use of anabolic steroids whether the horse is in or out of training. If we expect horsemen in these countries to send their best to the U.S. we need to assure them that the American horses are not using unfair advantages such as steroids. Until then we cannot expect them to attend. When the world’s best stop coming, the Breeder’s Cup races will suffer and no longer be the “world championships”.
