CPMA Extends Guidance on Clenbuterol to 28 Days

Canadian horse racing's guidance for clenbuterol use has been extended from seven days out from race day to 28 days out, with new testing effective May 1, the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency announced April 3.

Clenbuterol is a beta-2 agonist that can be used therapeutically to help horses with airway issues. Under the trade name Ventipulmun, it is listed by the Association of Racing Commissioners International as a Class 3 drug carrying a B-level penalty for Thoroughbreds and has a 14-day withdrawal period.

Clenbuterol is banned in Quarter Horse racing.

Though much of horse racing is mostly on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson said he is glad to see the change in the CPMA's guidance done in time to be in place whenever Woodbine's 2020 Thoroughbred meet is able to get underway. The Ontario track has postponed the beginning of the season, which was originally scheduled to open April 18.

Lawson said while he doesn't believe a majority of trainers are using clenbuterol, the medication has been applied outside of therapeutic uses on horses. Though clenbuterol is not an anabolic steroid, it has been used to achieve similar effects in horses, such as building muscle mass. Lawson also said studies have shown the use of clenbuterol can reduce bone density or cause cardiac issues.

"It's caused issues, clearly, as part of pari-mutuel wagering. As a business, it's caused issues. But first and foremost, I believe in the safety of these horses, and it's not fair to be pumping them up with (a substance with similar effects to) anabolic steroids. It's just got to stop," Lawson said.

"It's become a real problem in our industry. I'm hoping and expecting that we move to zero tolerance in Ontario."

The Ontario Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association president Sue Leslie said the majority of horsemen are supportive of a change in the guidance of clenbuterol usage.

"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."

In response to questions regarding what to treat horses with respiratory issues if clenbuterol is off the table, Lawson said alternatives include expectorants and bronchodilators.

"Equine welfare in these horses comes first, and the downsides of this are clearly outweighing any therapeutic value, and there are alternatives to assist these horses who do have breathing issues," he said. "There are alternatives in the market. I'm not concerned about that. I'm more concerned with the abuses and the impacts it has on horses."

"There are new inhalers that the CPMA are going to be approving to help the horses with respiratory issues, so it's not like it leaves the trainers and owners without medication that can help a horse who really needs it," Leslie said. "But it removes any type of steroid effect, and that's from a wide berth of observations with how it's being overused."

Leslie said though some horsemen may not jump on board with the CPMA's guidance change, it's an issue the HBPA and track operator agree on.

"These things—change—never come easy. People are always resistant to change, and there will be some horse people that will be resistant to the change," she said. "But I think for the overall health of the industry and the overall health for the horses, it's the right thing to do."