Kentucky commission passes new clenbuterol restrictions

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved changes to the state’s rules regarding clenbuterol, banning the drug from being used within 21 days of a race and requiring any horse that is given the drug to test negative before being allowed to race again.

“Any drug out there that has an ability to be misused and overused and you get a benefit that the drug wasn’t originally meant for needs stricter guidance than what we have now presently on the clenbuterol,” Dr. Foster Northrop of Northrop Equine said at the commission’s Tuesday meeting. “I think this will be a good rule.”

Clenbuterol is a drug used to manage airway obstruction in horses, relaxing airway muscles. It is banned in human sports by the World Anti-Doping Agency because of its steroid-like effects, including the building of lean muscle.

All but one commissioner voted for the new rule to pass, that one being Alan Leavitt, who represents standardbred interests on the commission. Leavitt said the drug should be allowed for standardbred horses.

“I oppose this and I wish the do-gooders would just leave us alone because we don’t abuse clenbuterol,” Leavitt said. “It’s very helpful to keep our horses racing.”

Ken Jackson, another commissioner who represents Standardbred interests, disagreed with Leavitt and voted for the clenbuterol restrictions.

“I believe that this is not an issue that impacts the masses that would detrimentally affect the Standardbreds,” Jackson said.

Jackson also maintained that there are no observed differences in how Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds process the drug.  

Previously, Kentucky required a 14-day withdrawal time. Clenbuterol prescriptions are required to be filed with the commission within 24 hours of the drug being given.

The rule had been advanced to the commission by the Kentucky Equine Drug Resource Council at its meeting on Dec. 1.

“The KHRC office has received concerns and comments from numerous trainers and owners who feel that clenbuterol is being misused,” Dr. Bruce Howard, KHRC equine medical director said at that meeting. “They’re concerned that clenbuterol is being used for the anabolic-like effect rather than the therapeutic effect described.”

The new rules help catch Kentucky up with many other horse racing jurisdictions that have further restricted the use of clenbuterol, including California, which has had a long standing race-day ban on the drug, and Maryland, which is eliminating allowable threshold limits in post-race samples among other steps.