Horse auctioneers to study steroids, By: Gregory A. Hall

January 20, 2007

Goal is to help assure market

Responding to concerns that abuse of anabolic steroids in thoroughbreds being auctioned is cheating buyers, Kentucky's two major sales companies will develop a policy on the use of and testing for the drugs.

In a statement yesterday, Keeneland Association President Nick Nicholson and Fasig Tipton Co. President Walt Robertson said, "We both agree that the use of anabolic steroids in sale horses is an issue that needs to be addressed for the betterment of the entire thoroughbred industry."

The Lexington, Ky., sales companies have formed a committee that includes their staff members, representatives from the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association, veterinarians, and experts on steroids and drug testing.

Complaints that anabolic steroids have been used improperly to improve thoroughbreds' size and appearance at sales have been gaining attention in the industry.

Last year, in a speech at the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association annual dinner, its chairman, Bill Casner of WinStar Farm, cited such abuse at sales of yearlings and 2-year-olds in training as a major concern for buyers.

Kentucky's drug rules for horses pertain to racing not auctions. Kentucky prohibits administering anything other than anti-bleeding medications on a race day. The authority also recommends that certain steroids not be used on a horse within 72 hours of a race.

But the state's race-day drug tests do not determine the presence of anabolic steroids, said Lisa Underwood, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority. The authority's staff is reviewing the issue and looking at what other states are doing, she said.

The industry's Racing Medication and Testing Consortium is working on recommendations for regulation of anabolic steroids, and California's racing regulators are considering rules concerning the drugs.

The Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton policy would address testing procedures and guidelines for appropriate use of steroids. Robertson said the committee needs to consider therapeutic uses and develop the policy with that in mind, focusing on the misuse of the drugs.

Despite the concerns, officials with both companies said they believe the issue is more of a perception than a problem.

"Personally, I don't think there is one," Keeneland sales director Geoffrey Russell said. "But … I think the sales companies have a responsibility to protect the integrity of the auction process."

"It's on everybody's mind," Robertson said, citing the attention on steroid use in other sports.

Russell and Robertson said there is no timeline for the committee's review, which will involve technical and scientific areas in which the sales officials are not experts.

"We want to make sure we do it right, but we also want to do it in a timely manner," Russell said.

Russell said the policy wouldn't necessarily result in testing, but Robertson said he expects that it would.

Besides its Kentucky sales, Fasig-Tipton also auctions thoroughbreds in Florida, New York, Texas and Maryland.

Robertson said that since the goal is to have a standardized policy, he expects Fasig-Tipton also would implement it in its sales outside Kentucky.

"The same buyer'll buy at any number of our sales," Robertson said, "so let's play (with) the same set of rules."