Breeders' Cup stiffens penalties for rule-breaking trainers

In an expansion to its Convicted Trainer Rule,

trainers who are convicted of a Class 2, Category A, violation during the 12

months preceding the Breeders' Cup World Championships will face a minimum

one-year suspension from this year's Championships, and trainers who are repeat

offenders will face up to a lifetime ban, it was announced Thursday by officials of

Breeders' Cup Ltd.

These revisions to the Convicted Trainer Rule were based upon the recommendation

of the Breeders' Cup Medication Committee. This action is an extension of the

Convicted Trainer Rule enacted in 2011 that made trainers with any Class 1

violations in the 12 months preceding the World Championships ineligible to

participate.

The revised rule, effective with the 2012 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park, is as follows: No person may participate as a trainer of a horse pre-entered or

entered in a World Championships race if that person, during the twelve months

preceding the World Championships, has been found by any racing regulatory

agency, whether a governmental agency or a non-governmental regulatory body, to

have violated a racing regulation prohibiting the possession or use of any

substance listed under Class 1, carrying Category "A" or "B" penalties, or Class

2, carrying a Category "A" penalty, in the Association of Racing Commissioners

International Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances or a

racing regulation prohibiting the possession or use of steroids and the appeal

periods for such finding shall have expired or all appeals, if any, will have

received final disposition (a "Drug Conviction").

In the event a trainer has two Drug Convictions after May 1, 2012, that trainer

may not participate as a trainer of a horse pre-entered or entered in a World

Championships race during the next two Breeders' Cup World Championships

following the second of the two Drug Convictions. Conviction for a third

violation after May 1 of this year will result in a lifetime ban from

participation in the Championships.

"The establishment of these new regulations for Class 2 violations reflects our

number one priority of preserving the integrity of our competition and

protecting the welfare of our athletes at the World Championships," Breeders' Cup President and CEO Craig Fravel

said.

Class 2 drugs, as described in the RCI classification guidelines, are not

generally accepted as therapeutic agents in racing horses. In some

instances they are therapeutic agents that have a high potential for abuse.

Drugs in this class include: psychotropic drugs, certain nervous system and

cardiovascular system stimulants, depressants, and neuromuscular blocking

agents. Injectable local anesthetics are included in this class because of their

high potential for abuse as nerve blocking agents. Examples of drugs in the

Class 2, Penalty Class A, category are: Buspropion (Trade Name: Wellbutrin) or

Loperamide (Trade Name: Imodium).

Thursday's actions further ongoing efforts by the Breeders' Cup to ban illegal

substances from the World Championships. In 2007, in conjunction with local and

international racing authorities, potential runners were selected for

out-of-competition testing for blood doping agents prior to shipping in to run.

Beginning in 2008, in conjunction with the California Horse Racing Board,

anabolic steroid testing was, for the first time, conducted on competitors in

the Breeders' Cup races and the Breeders' Cup Board mandated that the

connections of any horse found to have violated the steroid rule would face

severe sanctions including a one year suspension from the Championships imposed

on the trainer for a first violation.

Runners competing in the 2012 Breeders' Cup World Championships will face an

array of pre-race and post-race testing. All potential participants will

be eligible for selection of out-of-competition testing for EPO (blood doping)

performed, as well as  TCO2 (milk shaking) testing prior to all 15

Breeders' Cup races in the Santa Anita detention barn. A failed EPO test would

make the horse ineligible for competition and the trainer subject to suspension. Failed tests for TCO2 will result in purse redistributions and suspensions. The EPO and TCO2 testing policies were first instituted by Breeders' Cup at the 2007

Championships at Monmouth Park. Post-race testing will be performed on the

first four finishers and any other horse(s) selected by the stewards. These urine and/or blood samples will undergo

"super" testing for all known performance enhancing drugs and to ensure that no

allowed medications have exceeded their approved limits.