This article provides guidance for trainers on the steps they need to follow to ensure that they present their horses free of therapeutic substances that are not permitted to be present on race day.
As defined in the Australian Harness Racing Rules Dictionary:
A therapeutic substance is a prohibited substance to which a screening limit applies, and which is promulgated as such from time to time by Harness Racing Australia and published on the websites of Harness Racing Australia and a Controlling Body.
Meeting means a meeting at which harness racing horses race or participate in events or were scheduled to do so and includes official trials and training at tracks registered by a Controlling Body.
Race means a race or official trial or official time trial or event in which harness racing horses race or participate.
Relevant Australian Harness Racing Rules:
AHRR 190 states:
(1) A horse shall be presented for a race free of prohibited substances and;
(2) If a horse is presented for a race otherwise than in accordance with sub rule (1) the trainer of the horse is guilty of an offence.
Background
Veterinary treatment of harness racing horses can be affected due to uncertainty about detection and withholding times of therapeutic substances. This is an important consideration for both the treating veterinarian and the horse’s trainer.
This short article covers the key factors that must be considered and there are links to web pages at the end of the article that may assist with the decision making process when planning treatment protocols for HRV registered racehorses.
A drug’s detection time is not the same as a drug’s withdrawal time.
Detection time is the length of time for which testing in a small number of horses has shown that a drug or its by-products remains detectable in a horse's system. This is an approximate length of time at best as each horse processes every drug uniquely - one horse may process a drug much more slowly than another – and therefore is a guide only.
Trainers and veterinarians must take into account that every horse is unique in the speed that it processes a drug and it is completely unknown how the speed of processing the same drug given at the same dose rate varies between horses. There are likely to be different processing times with horses of different ages, breeds, sex and health status. Processing times of drugs is also affected by the number of times the drug was given to the horse and whether it was given by mouth, intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM) or intraarticular (IA).
Withdrawal time is often described as detection time with an additional length of time added on. Published detection times are the starting point for calculating the withdrawal time. The extra time added onto the detection time is a safety buffer to provide for individual variation in drug processing times between different horses. Withdrawal times are used to try and give assurance that the drug and its by-products will have been completely cleared from the horse’s system before it is presented at a race meeting. Some horses may take twice as long as other horses to process the same drug at the same dose rate, so professional judgement must be carefully exercised when a withdrawal time is recommended by the treating veterinarian.
How I can I find out detection times for therapeutic substances?
Ultimately, AHRR 190 places the responsibility on trainers to present their horses to meetings free of therapeutic substances. You can compare the information available about the detection times for therapeutic substances using resources and databases listed below:
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Ask your treating veterinarian for advice.
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Contact the manufacturer of the therapeutic substance, as they can sometimes have information about their products that have not been widely publicised. Check the bottle label for their contact details.
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International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities (IFHA) Drug Detection Information
Please note that veterinary therapeutic practices change quickly as new treatments are proven to be effective. The links provided above are current as of September 2020, but trainers are advised that this information may change in the future. HRV and its veterinarians hold no responsibility for changes to therapeutic detection times that may not be reflected in these references. HRV strongly recommend that licensed persons always obtain up to date advice from their veterinarians when planning to use therapeutic substances on horses.