Boost to research into medication control
Boost to research into medication control The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the regulator of British Horseracing, has announced a partnership with the British Racing School to continue and develop research and education for medication control. The British Racing School will host the Authority's new Centre for Racehorse Studies, where horses will be housed and cared for in a state of the art barn. |  |
The horses will be trained at a level that makes them as representative as possible of horses in race training.
As part of its remit to ensure racing is drug free, the BHA tests around 10,000 samples a year. Of the fraction of a percent that are positive, most result from inadvertent carry-over of veterinary treatments.
The BHA will conduct studies using the horses, giving the same treatments used in training and taking blood and urine samples, to determine drug levels over time. By testing under conditions equivalent to race training, the BHA hopes to be able to provide guidance to veterinary surgeons on the appropriate use of medications.
Horses involved in the studies will be former racehorses which, after life at the Centre, will go on to other roles. There is strict oversight of the research; the Centre is subject to Government inspection, ethics of the studies will be independently reviewed, and independent Veterinary Surgeons will advise on welfare. Results of the studies will be shared with other racing authorities via the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee.
Tim Morris, Director of Equine Science and Welfare at the British Horseracing Authority said:
"British Horseracing is rightly proud of its high standards of integrity. Its participants support and deliver fair and safe racing. The Rules of Racing state that horses must race free of any medication and we conduct extensive surveillance for evidence of misuse of drugs in horses, or inadvertent presence of veterinary medications. Our figures show that inadvertent carry-over of such veterinary medication is the most common reason for a positive drug test in a horse on race days.
"Our focus is therefore education and prevention on medication control. This involves training, information and advice to trainers and their Veterinary Surgeons, and an important component is providing data for medicines withdrawal times. Until recently this data has come from research conducted in racing's own in laboratory but with the sale of the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory this research has now been taken on by the Authority.
"We recognise the need to provide trainers and their vets with this important information to allow them to treat their horses but also avoid race day positive tests. We are committed to providing this information to high standards of science and animal welfare."
Rory Macdonald, Chief Executive of the British Racing School said: "This is a natural evolution of the role of the School, and in particular I welcome the opportunity for active involvement of the School in education, via our courses, to prevent lapses in medication control."
Source: edited press release.
Added on: 14/03/09.
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