The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency has changed rules regarding the administration of clenbuterol in race horses.
The change is supported by Woodbine Entertainment and the Ontario division of the Horsemen’s benevolent and Protective Association.
Beginning May 1, 2020 the guidance for clenbuterol use has been extended from seven days to 28 days.
Clenbuterol (trade name Ventipulmin) promotes bronchodilation, but can also be used as a medication similar to anabolic steroids and is therefore also considered to be a performance enhancing drug.
Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson said in a tweet on April 4 that the move is “Positive direction for horse racing in this country. The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency has announced the guidance for clenbuterol use has been extended from 7 days to 28 days. The new testing will be effective May 1, 2020.”
HBPA president said in a news item at Blood-Horse, “Clenbuterol is a very, very good therapeutic medication, and for horses with respiratory issues, (it is) very, very effective in being helpful, but unfortunately there are those that are using it for other purposes, and that just has to stop,” she said. “The public and customers who wager on races want to know that horses are racing without medication.
This development comes on the heels of Canadian Hall of Fame trainer trainer Mark Casse identifying the medication as “the most abused drug in our industry.”
The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA) announces that, effective immediately, the Elimination Guidelines have been updated and will now be ONLY AVAILABLE online.
You can view it here
Moving forward, the Elimination Guidelines will be updated on an “as needed” basis. For each future update, the CPMA will send out an Industry Notice to those subscribed to the Email Subscription Service.
The printed Elimination Guidelines booklet is now obsolete. In addition to the update on clenbuterol there is an addition of new guidelines for the following five drugs:
Cetirizine (for example Reactine)
Clodronate (for example Osphos)
Fluticasone (for example Flovent)
Fluticasone / Salmeterol (for example Advair)
Ipratropium bromide (for example Atrovent)
The CPMA strongly recommends that you consult your veterinarian on any decision to administer any supplement or medication to a racehorse.
The CPMA, tasked with regulating and supervising pari-mutuel horse races and ensuring betting is conducted in a way that is fair to the public, is a special operating agency under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
If you have any questions, please contact the CPMA at 1-800-268-8835 or at aafc.cpmawebacpm.aac@canada.ca.
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