Mid-Atlantic states ban steroids · 30.11.07
The Blood-Horse today reported that the U.S. Mid-Atlantic states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) have agreed to ban anabolic steroids in racehorses effective 1 April 2008.
The long lead-time was chosen to allow horses time to clear any trace of steroids from their systems, which can take up to 120 days. The ban does not affect the use of steroids for therapeutic purposes – that is, to help horses recover from injury. Rather, it is aimed at eliminating race-day (i.e. performance-enhancing) steroid use.
The one concern raised here is that trainers who use steroids as performance-enhancers will simply take their horses to other states without such a ban. While this might happen, two factors which would likely counter this are:
- New York is also considering restricting steroid use on racehorses to one of four specified types at any time, as stated in the linked article (as are other states), so there would be little benefit to moving there;
- of the states participating in the ban, all except Maryland allow income from slot machines at tracks to go towards enhancing purses – the resulting richer purses will likely serve to keep racing stables in those states and drop steroid use, rather than going to the expense of moving their operations to other states (which may also institute steroid bans or restrictions in the future).
Those of us who feel that the Thoroughbred as a breed has been weakened by the prevalence of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs can only see this ban as a good thing, long overdue. Hopefully it marks the beginning of a trend across North America.
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Steroid effect can outlive a steroid blood positive. How does the testing barn differentiate the two?
Also the “Balco” type designer varieties are always utilized to beat the tests, even the ultra-sensitive E.L.I.Z.A. type.
— Dr. T. Yatcak · Feb 1, 10:01 AM · #