Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approves rule further restricting use of clenbuterol

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Tuesday approved new rules further restricting the use of clenbuterol, the bronchial dilator that has been at the center of numerous allegations of abuse for more than a decade.

The new rules, which are being adopted by major racing commissions across the country under recommendations from national racing organizations, would prohibit the administration of clenbuterol within 21 days of a race and would require a horse to test negative for any trace of the drug before being allowed to race again. In addition, veterinarians who administer the drug would be required to notify the racing commission about the treatment.

Officials for the racing commission acknowledged that clenbuterol is a useful drug to treat lower airway disease in horses, but they also said the drug can have steroid-like effects if administered regularly to horses. Earlier this year, officials in Kentucky and New York stated that the vast majority of horses in the barns of Standardbred and Thoroughbred trainers who were indicted earlier this year on charges related to the administration of illegal drugs tested positive for clenbuterol in hair sampling.

Although Alan Leavitt, a commissioner representing the Standardbred industry, voted against the new restrictions, other constituents of the Standardbred and veterinary industries voted to support the new rules. Leavitt was the only commissioner to vote against the proposal.

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Foster Northrup, a racetrack practitioner in Kentucky who sits on the commission, said that the new rules will still allow horses to be treated with clenbuterol if they are suffering from lower airway disease. He said that the potential for abuse of the drug required the new restrictions.

“Any drug like this, one that can be abused, certain factions are going to find ways to abuse it,” Northrup said. “I think overall this is a good rule.”

Last month, the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council, an offshoot of the commission, voted to approve the new restrictions and send them to the commission for full approval.

* In other commission action, the board voted to approve a “shift” in racing dates for Turfway Park for its 2021 winter dates. Turfway had previously been approved for 39 dates on a Friday-through-Sunday schedule, but the track, which is now owned by Churchill Downs Inc., submitted a request to run instead on a Thursday-through-Saturday schedule, with a first post of 6:15 p.m. each night. The request was approved unanimously.