Page 21 - March 2009 The Game

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Splitting Hairs: Hair Analysis for Steroids and Other Drugs
gut wall and thus probably does not have a systemic effect).
Dunnett and Lees concluded: “The data presented suggest that hair analysis may become a useable technique for the retrospective detection of drug administration in horses. This technique could ultimately be used as part of a pre-purchase veterinary examination to identify misuse of anti-in ammatory and sedative drugs, in an in-training testing program to identify the use of anabolic agents, or to provide evidence to support post-race blood or urine test results.”
But they add, “Clearly, more extensive research will be required to evaluate the effectiveness of the technique over a much broader range of drugs.”
Dunnett and Lees’s study also notes that the antibacterial combination of trimethoprim/sulphadiazine was detected
a full ve months after the horse had been treated with the medications. Metronidazole was detected three months after it had last been administered, as was the procaine penicillin. Researchers at the Institute for Animal Science at Neustadt, Germany, in collaboration with colleagues at the Institute of Doping Analysis and Sports Biochemistry, have also investigated hair analysis as a drug testing method, and have found that clenbuterol (aka Ventipulmin) can be detected in equine tail hair for up to a year after it had been administered.
Apparently, tail hair growing at an average rate of just over 2 cm per month can act as a long-term record of past medication administration. The German team snipped
tail hairs into 2 cm sections and were able to correlate the changes in concentration of clenbuterol along the hair with the time lag since the drug was given, starting at the roots of the hairs and working their way down. The drug seems to be carried with the hair as it grows downward. Samples indicating peak concentration of the drug were found between 24 and 26 cm down the tail nearly a year after the four horses in the study were given clenbuterol.
This long-term record has huge potential in drug testing, especially in the case of drugs like clenbuterol which can only be detected in blood or urine till about 30 days after administration. And hair analysis has a number of other advantages as well. It’s easily repeatable, quick, and has the potential to allow analysts estimate the exact dose of drug given and when.
But there are a few snags as well. For one, the German research team investigating clenbuterol found a marked difference in the drug’s concentration in different coloured tail hairs. Dark coloured hairs had higher concentrations than lighter hairs, probably because clenbuterol is thought to be bound to melanin pigment.
Another obvious problem is that not all horse’s tails grow at the same rate. Manes are an alternative, but it’s easy for an unscrupulous owner or trainer to take the clippers to a horse’s mane or tail to avoid a drug being detected. Some studies suggest that hair growth may vary seasonally, as well, though others refute that.
Anielski acknowledges in her paper that the procedure has limitations and that further research will be needed
to improve sensitivity of the technique, as well as to investigate factors that might in uence the deposition of steroids into hair following administration of the drugs. But with so many logistical and cost advantages, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if hair testing is incorporated into the repertoire of the test lab sooner, rather than later.
The Game, March 2009 21 New Dextron Microchip
It’s no secret that the days of using anabolic steroids on racehorses are numbered.
Simcoe, Ontario is a new dealer for Dextron Microchips for horses.
The substances are already banned in many European racing jurisdictions. Back in March, 2008, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, an organization representing 23 racing industry stakeholders on the Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and Quarter Horse sides, recommended that the androgenic anabolic steroids boldenone, nandrolone, stanozolol and testosterone not be administered to a horse within 30 days prior to a race. One by one, North American jurisdictions have been giving notice that they intend to comply. The Ontario Racing Commission announced in February that steroids are now classi ed as Class III drugs.
The Dextron Microchip allows horsepeople to keep track of their horses and offers an added sense of protection from theft.
The organization which produces the Breeders’ Cup has also announced that if a horse running in their events tests positive for anabolic steroids, that animal will be disquali ed and the trainer suspended from the Breeders’ Cup for one year.
The microchips can also be placed in saddles for easier identi cation should they be lost or stolen.
Of course, the more drugs we prohibit, the more we have to develop accurate and practical tests for. Blood and urine analyses aren’t necessarily the best ways to detect every medication – and even when they are, they’re invasive (in the case of blood tests) or inconvenient (as anyone who has ever waited an hour or more for a horse to relieve himself in a test stall can con rm).
For more information contact Kim at 519-875-2078
That’s why some recent work from German researcher, Patricia Anielski, is rather intriguing. In an article published in the Journal of Mass Spectrometry in 2008, Anielski attests that anabolic steroids such as testosterone proprionate can be detected in equine hair samples.
is in danger of defaulting on loans after its parent company, MI Developments Inc. decided not to proceed with a reorganization proposal.
Anielski, of the German Institute of Doping Analysis and Sports Biochemistry, notes that hair is quick and
easy to obtain, offers no transport issues, and doesn’t
need to be refrigerated or otherwise coddled in storage. Hair harvesting (usually from the mane or tail) is non- invasive – and what’s more, it may even permit long-term detection and retrospective estimation of when a drug was administered, providing a long-standing medication history for each individual horse.
Frank Stronach is the Chairman of both companies, however investors
in MI Developments opposed the proposal which would have given a much needed injection of money for MEC which owns many major US racetracks, including Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita.
In her study, Anielski obtained hair samples from three stallions who were treated with testosterone propionate
via intramuscular injections for three weeks. She also collected hair samples from eight untreated control horses and a gelded racehorse. All of the samples were tested for testosterone and several testosterone derivatives commonly used in pharmaceutical products.
The Aurora, Ontario based MEC is also in danger of losing its listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE)
as well as its listing on the NASDAQ exchange which requires companies to maintain a stock price of $1 per share.
“After three weeks of testosterone propionate administration, this steroid was subsequently detected in the stallions’ hair,” explained Anielski, who also noted that she and her colleagues found testosterone propionate in the mane hair of the gelding.
in eld party is undergoing a change in atmosphere in 2009. The in eld party, which has long been known as one
of the wildest beer bashes on the East Coast, will undergo major changes including the prohibition of the “Bring Your Own Beer” and alcohol policy. Beer will be sold in the in eld for $3.50 for a 16-ounce cup. The changes to the in eld party is in an effort to appeal to the masses, not just the teens and 20 somethings who are known for spirited partying, drunken brawling and nudity.
“These results suggest that hair analysis is a potentially viable option for testing for anabolic steroid administration in the last six months,” she said.
In a separate study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal in 2004, researchers Dunnett and Lees, of the Royal Veterinary College in London, England, used hair to detect the presence of drugs such as omeprazole (aka GastroGard), and the antibiotics metronidazole, procaine benzylpenicillin, and trimethoprim/sulphadiazine in four Thoroughbred colts and geldings with known histories of the administration of these drugs.
The running of the $1 million Preakness Stakes (G1), the second leg of racing’s Triple Crown for three- year-olds on May 16, is the main event however in eld concerts including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees ZZ Top, and the Toyota Pro Beach East Volleyball Tour, which will open its season with a professional women’s beach volleyball doubles tournament will also be featured.
They pulled 40-50 tail hairs from each horse, snipped
the hair into three to ve mm segments, and placed the samples in a hydrochloric acid solution overnight. The next day, they used high-performance liquid chromatography to analyze each sample. All but the omeprazole showed up in the chemical analysis (the researchers postulated that this was because omeprazole is not well-absorbed across the
Equine Health
By Karen Briggs
Dave Landry Photo
Dealer in Ontario Kimberly Conn of Jericho Stud in
The Microchips are easy to install and are endorsed by the Jockey Club and all Breed registrations. Insurance companies are also recognizing the bene ts of microchipping horses
and some companies are considering making it mandatory for coverage.
The microchips are $20 per chip for self installation or $35 per horse for installation service.
News In Review Magna Entertainment Corp. (MEC)
The rejection of the proposal means that Magna Entertainment Corp. could default of several loans totaling close to $250 million.
Did You Know... That the legendary Preakness Day
The Game March 2009.indd 21
2/24/09 10:32:15 PM