RNSW_Oct 21_Col_W

RULE BANNING ALL INJECTIONS TO HORSES WITHIN ONE CLEAR DAY BEFORE RACING Trainers and other thoroughbred racing industry participants should be aware of Australian Rule of Racing AR.178AB that became effective from 1 October 2015. This Rule prohibits injections of any type in horses during the One Clear Day prior to racing. “AR.178AB: (1) A person must not, without the permission of the Stewards, inject a horse, cause a horse to be injected or attempt to inject a horse, which is engaged to run in any race: (a) at any time on the day of the scheduled race, prior to the start of such event; and (b) at any time during the One Clear Day prior to 12.01am on the day of the scheduled race. (2) Where there has been a breach of AR.178AB(1), or the Stewards rea- sonably suspect that there has been a breach of AR.178AB(1), the Stewards may order the withdrawal of the horse from the relevant race. (3) Where there has been a contravention of AR.178AB(1), the horse may be disqualified from the relevant race in which it competed. (4) Any person who breaches, or is a party to a breach of, AR.178AB(1), commits an offence and may be penalised. (5) For the purpose of this rule: (a) injection includes, but is not limited to, the insertion of a hypodermic needle into a horse; (b) it is not necessary to establish whether any substance was injected, or the nature of any substance injected.” Implications of AR.178AB This rule makes it an offence for any person (including a trainer, anyone else in charge of a racehorse or a veterinarian) to insert a hypodermic needle into a horse within the one clear day prior to a race. By way of example, if a horse is racing on a Saturday, the last time that the horse may be injected is midnight on the Thursday prior to the race. The horse must not be injected on the Friday or at any time on the Saturday prior to the running of the race. The one clear day ban on injections prior to racing includes, but is not limited to, the administration by injection, whether intravenously, intramuscularly, subcutaneously or any other route, of the following medications and substances: • intravenous infusions, fluids and electrolytes; • vitamin and mineral supplements; • haematopoietic (blood building) agents; • all Schedule 4 Prescription Animal Remedies and Prescription • Medicines for injection; and any other agents for administration by injection. For the purpose of proving a breach of AR.178AB, it is not necessary to establish what (if any) substance was injected, or was attempted to have been injected, into the horse. Importantly, a person must not, without the permission of the Stewards, insert a needle into a horse for the purpose of blood sampling for health and fitness assessment during the one clear day prior to competition. The obvious exception to the Rule is the collection of official pre-race or out-of-competition blood samples at the direction of the Stewards for the purpose of drug analyses. Important note: The timing of the administration of many injectable prod- ucts will be determined by the detection periods for the prohibited sub- stances contained in those products. In most cases, the detection peri- ods will be in excess of the one clear day prior to competition. Protocol for applications for the collection of blood samples on the day prior to racing AR.178AB bans all injections and the insertion of a hypodermic needle into a horse within the One-Clear-Day before racing without the prior approval of Stewards. AR178.AB( 1) provides a discretion for Stewards to approve the taking of blood samples for health and fitness assessment purposes from an acceptor on the day prior to racing. Reasons for an application to collect a blood sample for such purposes the day before a race might include: • There is evidence or suspicion of a clinical condition that may affect the health and/or performance of the horse, or a concern in a recent blood result and a further clinical blood sample test is recommended by a veterinarian. • There is a Sunday or public holiday occurring 2 days before the race, which precludes the collection and analysis of the blood sample that day. To assist trainers and veterinarians in making application for such dispen- sation, the following protocol will apply: • The trainer must make written application to the Stewards/Official Veterinarian to collect a blood sample the day before a race and pro- vide the Stewards/Official Veterinarian the pathology results pertaining to any prior test upon which the trainer/veterinarian bases a request for a further blood test. • The trainer must make application to collect such sample to the Stewards/Official Veterinarian no later than 4pm two days prior to competition, (for example, on the Thursday afternoon before the Saturday), unless otherwise agreed by the Stewards. • If approval is granted, the sample collection procedure must be per- formed no later than 9:00am (or otherwise as agreed by the Stewards) on the day prior to competition. • The sample must be collected using a Vacutainer-type system with a 20G or smaller needle. • The sample collection procedure must be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, a veterinarian who is the holder of a RNSW per- mit. • The sample collection procedure must be immediately recorded in the horse’s stable treatment records, and the veterinarian who performed or supervised the procedure must sign the record. • The blood sample results and the veterinary and clinical laboratory accounts and records must be made available for inspection and auditing immediately upon request by the Stewards. • The Steward and/or Official Veterinarian approving any such request for blood collection on the morning of the day before the race must notify the Chairman and Deputy Chairmen of Stewards, the Chief Steward of the meeting concerned, and the RNSW Investigations and Surveillance Unit. Applications should be directed via email to the Racing NSW Senior Official Veterinarian on tkoenig@racingnsw.com.au and copied to the Chairman of Stewards on mvangestel@racingnsw.com.au . SCREENING LIMITS FOR THERAPEUTIC SUBSTANCES For the purpose of AR.178EA, it is hereby notified that screening limits applicable to the following therapeutic substances, as approved by the Australian Racing Board, are set out as follows (effective 13/7/2018): • acepromazine – 0.02 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in plasma • acepromazine – 10ng/mL of the 2-(1-hydroxyethyl) promazine sul- phoxide metabolite in urine • betamethasone - 0.20ng/mL in urine • butorphanol – 0.01ng/mL in plasma • butorphanol – 1ng/mL in urine • carprofen – 100ng/mL in plasma • carprofen – 100ng/mL in urine • dantrolene – 1ng/mL of the 5-hydroxydantrolene metabolite in unhy- drolysed urine • detomidine – 0.02ng/mL of the 3’-hydroxydetomidine metabolite in plasma • detomidine – 2ng/mL of the 3’-hydroxydetomidine metabolite in urine • dexamethasone – 0.2ng/mL in urine • diclofenac – 50ng/mL in urine • dipyrone – 1000ng/mL of the 4-methylaminoantipyrine metabolite in urine • eltenac – 50ng/mL in urine • flunixin – 1ng/mL in plasma • flunixin – 100ng/mL in urine • frusemide – 0.1ng/mL in plasma • frusemide – 50ng/mL in urine • hyoscine butylbromide (or n-butylscopolammonium) – 0.05ng/mL in plasma • hyoscine butylbromide (or n-butylscopolammonium) – 25ng/mL in urine • ipratropium - 0.25ng/mL in urine • ketoprofen - 100ng/mL in urine • lignocaine – 0.05ng/mL in plasma • lignocaine – 10ng/mL of the 3’-hydroxylignocaine metabolite in urine • meclofenamic acid – 5ng/mL in plasma • meclofenamic acid – 250ng/mL in urine • medetomidine – 0.02ng/mL of 3’-hydroxymedetomidine in plasma • medetomidine – 5ng/mL of 3’-hydroxymedetomidine in urine • meloxicam – 1ng/mL in plasma • meloxicam – 10ng/mL in urine • mepivacaine – 0.05ng/mL in plasma • mepivacaine – 10ng/mL of the 3’-hydroxymepivacaine metabolite in urine • methocarbamol – 100ng/mL in urine (when restricted to a single oral or IV treatment of no more than 5 grams of methocarbamol) • naproxen – 250ng/mL in urine • phenylbutazone – 100ng/mL in plasma • phenylbutazone – 100ng/mL in urine • romifidine – 1ng/mL in urine • salbutamol – 0.5ng/mL in urine • triamcinolone acetonide – 0.5ng/mL in urine • vedaprofen – 50ng/mL in urine IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE DETECTION OF THE CORTICOSTEROID DRUG DEXAMETHASONE The International Screening Limit (ISL) for dexamethasone of 0.2ng/mL in urine has been adopted by the Australian Racing Board and was imple- mented by Australian racing laboratories with effect from 1 May, 2015. This will have important implications for the detection of dexamethasone following its administration to racehorses, and will lead to a prolongation of detection times for this corticosteroid drug. By way of an example, the ISL was applied to the analysis of samples 123 www.racingnsw.com.au PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES