Some odds and ends… Australian jockey is suspended two weeks for this: Two weeks. BloodHorse reports that veterinarian Kyle James Hebert was found guilty this week for providing dermorphin to multiple trainers in Louisiana in 2012. Dermorphin, also known as…
Raceday Lasix is one of the more controversial issues in American horseracing. The critics say that the drug is but a performance-enhancer: A diuretic, Lasix helps shed water weight prior to a race – lighter equals faster – and as…
A few odds and ends: In a weku article (4/29/15) on Lasix, longtime (45 years) equine vet Mark Chaney offers his reason for supporting the raceday medication: “If you and I were in one of those stalls 22 hours a…
On December 10, Sage Valley dropped dead of an “apparent cardiac arrest” in a race at Aqueduct. At five, he was only just reaching the tail-end of puberty. Turns out, there was a drug “violation,” which may or may not…
2-year-old QuarterHorse Kays Version broke down in a stakes trial at Sunland yesterday afternoon. Replay here (Dec 12, race 3) – the filly crumples to the dirt at :30 mark. She was trained by Jaime Aldavaz and owned by Currie…
To the objective and reasonable among us, the almost universal use (95% of starters) of raceday Lasix in America is bad for horses. So, it would appear that The Jockey Club’s opposition to Lasix – indeed, to all raceday medication…
While preparing my 6-month update on the December casualties, I came across a 3-year-old gelding named Rockinpop. Rockinpop has run a total of three races, all under Jared Cheeks. In his second race, a maiden claiming on December 21st at…
In Monday’s Paulick Report, apologist Ray Paulick relays Malcolm Gladwell’s contention that performance-enhancing drugs and reconstructive surgeries for athletes should be seen in the same light. Gladwell, according to Paulick, “thinks human athletes should be permitted to use any type…
Yesterday, the Breeders’ Cup announced the results of a Lasix study conducted on juveniles at last month’s event, and the apologists surely won’t be happy. In two non-BC races, 2-year-olds were allowed to compete with the drug. Of those 14…
Arthur Hancock III is a world-renowned Thoroughbred owner and breeder, a member of racing royalty. In an op-ed published by the Paulick Report (11/23/13), Hancock had this to say about his cherished sport: “Sadly, the federal government’s compassion shown for…
Racing’s biggest problem, according to the racers themselves, is the perception of a pervasive drug culture. They fret on this for good reason: The New York Times says (10/31/13), “Nearly four in five bettors — 79 percent — factored in…
With the Lasix ban for juveniles ending with this past weekend’s Breeders’ Cup and a trend toward keeping the drug raceday legal in the U.S., I thought it appropriate to revisit these words written by equine veterinarian Sid Gustafson in…
