British Steroid Could Impact American Horses Racing Abroad

Enforcement of Great Britain’s recently announced “zero-tolerance” ban on steroid use in Thoroughbred racehorses could be tricky for American horses running abroad, depending on how testing is conducted
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Enforcement of Great Britain's recently announced "zero-tolerance" ban on steroid use in Thoroughbred racehorses could be tricky for American horses running abroad, depending on how testing is conducted, said Dionne Benson, DVM, executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC).

Benson gave a presentation on the issue Aug. 6 during the annual meeting of Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association members, which is held in Saratoga Springs, New York.

"These are my two least-favorite words in racing—zero-tolerance," Benson said. "It is a misnomer especially when it involves naturally occurring substances."

In late June, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced its "enhanced zero-tolerance policy," which states a horse must not be given an anabolic steroid at any point in its life. Penalties include a ban from training for 12 months and a prohibition from starting in any race in Britain for 14 months. The policy is to be implemented by Jan. 1, 2015, pending the implementation of the necessary rule changes. New minimum standards on steroid use were published by International Federation of Horseracing Authorities in October 2013, but following research and consultation the BHA outlined the official policy

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Written by:

Eric Mitchell is a Editorial Director and Editor-in-Chief The Blood-Horse magazine.

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