Forum Held to Clarify MRC's Corticosteroid Regulation

Industry stakeholders in Maryland Sept. 28 held an open community forum via Zoom to clarify any confusion over the recent action by the Maryland Racing Commission to remove testing threshold levels for five corticosteroids, which is anticipated to go into effect Nov. 1.

The corticosteroids are dexamethasone, prednisolone, betamethasone, isoflupredone, and triamcinolone. 

The current 14-day stand-down period for intra-articular injections will remain in place under the 2019 model rules approved by the Association of Racing Commissioners International and Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.

During the session, which was well attended by regulators, racetrack officials, horsemen, and veterinarians and included a lengthy question-and-answer session, the horsemen were appraised of the current and best scientific information that indicates they would assume a higher level of risk for a positive test for a medication overage in their racehorses should that corticosteroid be administered 48 hours before competition rather than three or even five days prior to raceday.

"What we're really talking about here is probability. There is no such thing as life without risk. There is a higher probability of a positive test if you are giving dexamethasone at 48 hours than at 72 hours. There is a higher probability of getting a positive test result at 72 hours than at 96 hours. So if you've only given dexamethasone once at 48 hours and you get a negative test, to repeat that, you are a still at a higher risk of a positive test than somebody who gives it at 72 or 96 hours. All we're talking to you about is making an informed decision about how much risk you're willing to accept," said Dr. Mary Scollay, executive director and COO of the RMTC.

Dr. Tom Bowman, who chairs the commission's Equine Safety, Health, and Welfare Advisory Committee, stressed that there has not been what he termed a wave of positive tests since the state changed its testing laboratory, and that the MRC's action is an attempt to bring all parties up to speed on what the new national rules will be when then Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act goes into effect. By law that is no later than July 1, 2022.

At present, other states employ different and more stringent threshold levels.

"If you go out of state the different laboratories have a different analysis and a different level of detection so you might run a higher risk in some other state. Right now, I think it's very comforting to know that the average horseman in Maryland is operating safely," said Bowman.

Alan Foreman, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association general counsel and Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association chairman and CEO, said the takeaway from the session is that administering a corticosteroid as far out as 96 hours to horses before their races substantially lowers, if not eliminates, the risk of a positive test. 

"Quite frankly, you can resist all of this information and advice and ignore it, but I keep coming back to the fact that at some point in the not too distant future there is going to be a national guideline that everyone is going to have to adhere to. There isn't going to be wriggle room. It's going to be what it is. I'm comfortable that if everyone is compliant with Maryland law as we now know it, we'll have no problems at all complying with the new national rules that will go into effect next year," said Foreman.

The call included MRC executive director Mike Hopkins; Dr. Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for 1/ST RACING (The Stronach Group); and Mike Rogers, the acting president of the Maryland Jockey Club.