By Bill Finley

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June 15 | 1 WKH V\VWHP YHU\ TXLFNO\ WKH RI 3HQQV\OYDQLD 6FKRRO RI ³6KRFNZDYHWKHUDS\WKDWLVQRW SDVVSRUWVUHSUHVHQWDVLJQL¿FDQW Veterinary Medicine. DGUXJDQG\RXFRXOGQ WJRDQG VWHS IRUZDUG 7KH\ DUH DOUHDG\ Soma works hand in hand with ORRN IRU LW ZLWK WUDGLWLRQDO GUXJ EHLQJ XVHG LQ F\FOLQJ ZKHUH 'U 8ERK WKH GLUHFWRU RI WKH WHVWLQJ PHWKRGV´ 8ERK VDLG QXPHURXV FKHDWV KDYH EHHQ 3HQQV\OYDQLD(TXLQH7R[LFRORJ\ ³%XW\RXFDQ¿QGFKDQJHVLQWKH FDXJKW E\ WKH PHWKRG DQG LQ and Research Laboratory of proteins. So that's the approach. WUDFNDQG¿HOG7KH,QWHUQDWLRQDO :HVW&KHVWHU3DZKLFKLVDMRLQW 7KHUH DUH GLIIHUHQW W\SHV RI 7HQQLV )HGHUDWLRQ LV LQ WKH YHQWXUHFRPELQLQJWKHH[SHUWLVH WUHDWPHQWV WKDW DUH JLYHQ WR process of implementing its own RI 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 3HQQV\OYDQLD KRUVHVWKDWZHPD\QHYHUEHDEOH program. personnel and those who work to detect that create changes in 7R XVH ELRORJLFDO SDVVSRUWV for the state racing commission. WKH SURWHLQV LQ WKH F\WRNLQHV LQ UDFLQJ D VSRUW ZLWK WHQV 8ERK DQG 6RPD VHW DERXW WR (proteins that are released RI WKRXVDQGV RI FRPSHWLWRUV GHWHFWZKHQWUDLQHUVZHUHXVLQJ E\ WLVVXH FHOOV LQ UHVSRQVH WR PD\QRWEHSUDFWLFDO%XWVRPH VKRFNZDYH WKHUDS\ ZKLFK KDV WUDXPD GLVHDVH HWF  VR WKRVH LQ WKH HTXLQH ¿HOG DUH JRLQJ an effect on horses and EH\RQG WKH W\SLFDO GUXJ WHVWV LV XVHG WR WUHDW VXFK SUREOHPV ,Q 3HQQV\OYDQLD 'U /DZUHQFH DV IUDFWXUHV DQG OLJDPHQW 6RPD DQG &RUQHOLXV 8ERK DUH LVVXHV7KH PHWKRG LV LOOHJDO LQ DWWKHIRUHIURQWRIDPRYHPHQWWR 3HQQV\OYDQLDZKHQJLYHQZLWKLQ GHWHFWGUXJVE\¿QGLQJFKDQJHV VHYHQGD\VRIDUDFHDQGLWFDQ LQWKHKRUVH¶VELRORJLFDOPDNHXS EH GDQJHURXV LI WKH SDLQNLOOLQJ “We are looking at the effect effect is still taking place when RI WKH GUXJ DQG QRW QHFHVVDULO\ WKH KRUVH LV UXQQLQJ %XW VLQFH WKH GUXJ LWVHOI´ VDLG 6RPD WKH VKRFNZDYH WUHDWPHQWV GR QRW UDFLQJ FRPPLVVLRQ V HTXLQH LQYROYH GUXJV REYLRXVO\ GUXJ research director at the New WHVWLQJLVXVHOHVVZKHQLWFRPHV %ROWRQ &HQWHU RI WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ to detection.

Dr. Lawrence Soma, www.vet.upenn.edu/

Dr. Cornelius E. Uboh The Athlete Biological Passport, www.clinchem.org www.agriculture.state.pa.us/

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June 15 | 4 Would Racing Be Better Off With USADA in Charge? By Bill Finley

erhaps the problem of doping in horse racing P is a bigger one than the sport can handle. That, anyway, is the contention of Senator Tom Udall and Representative Joe Pitts, who have introduced the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The act would give the United States Anti-Doping Agency control over drug testing in the sport and handing out punishments for those that it catches. USADA is an independent agency created in 2000 to take over the anti-doping program for the U.S. Olympic Committee. It was formed at a time when it was believed that cheating was out of control in Olympic sports, particularly in track and field. The U.S. Congress has recognized USADA as "the official anti-doping agency for Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic sport in the United States."

“...the only way to truly give hope to clean athletes is through

an independent model. If that’s Travis Tygart, The Jockey Club us and horse racing, we’re happy Congress, to be involved,” USADA CEO Travis Tygart said. “We absolutely support the independent model to play that role.” for all sports, whether horse racing or any other. From our experience and from what we’ve seen from around – Travis Tygart the world, these complex issues and this tension between promoting the sport and policing it means the only way to truly give hope to clean athletes is through Whether or not racing would be better off with an independent model. If that’s us and horse racing, USADA in charge or the status quo, a patchwork we’re happy to play that role. Obviously our expertise of state racing commissions and labs spread across is not in horse racing; we know the industry and have the country, remains the subject of debate. But few been invited to learn more about the industry and we will argue the success USADA has had cleaning up look forward, if this moves forward, which hopefully it the sports that it oversees. Its two most noteworthy will, to working with the various industry stakeholders. successes have come in the cases of Marion Jones We would hope for a system not unlike what is done in and Lance Armstrong, high-profile athletes who the Olympic world where the key stakeholders within were exposed as cheats largely because of USADA’s the industry that embrace a clean culture have rallied determined efforts to catch them. around the mechanism that is going to best support Does USADA want the job? The answer is yes. their rights and ultimately the integrity of the sport.” “It’s obviously an honor to be asked, as we were by Tygart believes the reason USADA can do a better

June 15 | 5 job policing a sport than the sport itself is because sports organizations have an inherent conflict of interest when it comes to catching dopers. If is clubbing 75 home runs a year and putting hundreds of thousands of fans in the seats, does it really pay to bring him down? If a trainer is a cheater, but is filling your races with 10 starters per card, does racetrack management really want him or her to go away? “When USADA was established, there was no longer this inherent conflict of interest where a sport attempts to police itself and the policing mechanism is sometimes directly opposite of the fund-raising and growth of the sport functions that any sport has,” he said. “It’s impossible to both effectively police and promote your sport because some of the very athletes that may be cheating with these dangerous drugs may be the ones you want to promote to put fans in the seats, to grow revenues, to have bigger TV contracts, all the things as a sports organization you have an obligation to fulfill.” Though he admits he is not an expert on horse racing, Tygart doesn’t buy the idea that doping is under control or that overages of otherwise legal medications are the only thing that the labs should be catching. “You can't say that because no one has been caught that the cheating isn't going on,” Tygart said. “You look at baseball in the late nineties and early 2000s and no one was caught then, either. We now know differently from the ; their estimates were that over 80 percent of the population was Under Tygart’s leadership, USADA successfully prosecuted cases cheating. The better yardstick is to look at other sports. against leading athletes and coaches implicated in the BALCO You can take a look at a story in inline roller skating scandal, stripping Marion Jones of all medals dating back to 2000, and see the story of a 16-year-old kid (Corey Gahan) LQFOXGLQJKHU¿YH2O\PSLFPHGDOV/LNH$UPVWURQJVKHKDGQHYHU getting suspended. This is a sport where there is no tested positive for drugs. AP Images fame, no money and you had a kid on one of the most sophisticated doping programs that we've ever seen prosecution of Lance Armstrong was largely the because his dad and his coach got the glory of watching result of his teammates cooperating with authorities. him win. You can't underestimate the win-at-all-costs “Those who have agreed to abide by the rules have mentality that is out there, especially when you add big to stand up and embrace them and that might mean money to the equation. You'd be a fool to think that when they see syringes lying around a barn or around the temptations aren't astounding.” the track they pick up the phone and they call the Should USADA move into horse racing, one thing independent entity,” Tygart said. “When people Tygart would like to change is the see-no-evil, hear-no- are asked questions under oath they need to testify evil culture that exists on the backstretch. In racing, he truthfully; say,` yes, these doctors provided me with sees trainers operating by a code of omertà–the cultural these drugs and the same doctors that provided me attitude popular in cycling that promotes a code with these drugs were providing all the other athletes of silence and lack of cooperation with authorities. Honest trainers and owners, the ones most hurt by on the team with these drugs.’ You have to give support the dishonest ones, rarely if ever speak up, express any to people within the culture that don’t want to break outrage or do anything to help solve the problem. the law, don’t want a secret race and ultimately don’t Tygart and USADA have tried to change that want to be frauds in violation of the rules and possibly way of thinking in other sports, and their successful the law in order to be successful in a sport.”

June 15 | 6