NYRA reveals new in-house drug-testing program, closes security barn

NYRA reveals new in-house drug-testing program, closes

security barn

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced plans Wednesday to expand

and enhance its in-house drug testing program to detect illegal

performance-enhancing substances in Thoroughbred race horses utilizing

state-of-the-art science, technology and procedural processes. As a result,

NYRA's backstretch security barn, initiated in May 2005, will become obsolete

and will cease operations as of opening day at Saratoga Race Course, July 23.

The expanded program includes random out-of-competition testing designed to

effectively deter the use of blood doping agents such as Erythropoietin (EPO),

bronchial dilators, and other emerging threats. Out-of-competition testing will

focus primarily on claimed horses, horses shipping in and out of NYRA tracks,

horses running in stakes races, and other random occurrences.

NYRA will also initiate an "in-today" process which will identify all horses,

in their stalls, running in a NYRA race within 24 hours. This will afford NYRA

the ability to monitor horses the day prior to and in the hours leading up to a

race through the deployment of an even stronger backstretch presence of NYRA

veterinarians and security officers. NYRA will continue testing for illegal

levels of total carbon dioxide (TCO₂, known as "milkshaking") through

an "assembly barn" where all horses entering a race will be required to report

just prior to moving to the paddock for saddling.

"The out-of-competition drug testing program combined with the new assembly

barn and 'in-today' procedures will provide NYRA with potent tools to confront

today's challenges of detecting performance-enhancing substances and allow us to

stay one step ahead of potential abusers," NYRA President and CEO Charles

Hayward said. "The science empowering cheaters has changed since 2005 and these

new procedures will ensure that NYRA's countermeasures keep pace in order to

preserve the integrity of the sport."

The testing operation will be administered and supervised by Dr. George

Maylin, director of the New York State Racing & Wagering Board's drug testing

and research program at Morrisville State College in upstate Madison County, New

York. The program of Thoroughbred and Standardbred drug testing in New York

currently overseen by Maylin is already the most advanced and comprehensive of

any jurisdiction in the United States.

NYRA's new robust testing regimen will be accompanied by equally robust

mandatory penalties for trainers of horses testing positive for illegal drugs.

Consistent with the uniform regulations promulgated by the Association of Racing

Commissioners International (RCI), trainers of horses testing positive for Class

A drug violations will face a minimum mandatory one-year disbarment from

entering horses or being allocated stalls at NYRA racetracks as a first offense;

a minimum mandatory disbarment of two years for a second violation; and a

permanent disbarment for a third violation. Moreover, trainers serving

disbarments will not be permitted to transfer their training responsibilities to

family members or current employees.

In an ongoing effort to further enhance the new policies and procedures being

announced, over the next 12 months NYRA management will closely monitor the

re-instituted procedure of private veterinarians administering Lasix to horses

on their race day, and re-examine TCO₂ testing, historical TCO₂

levels, and appropriate penalties for violations, and report on the results and

impact of the elimination of the security barn to the Special Oversight

Committee of the NYRA board of directors on a regular basis.