Your Steroid Resource

The committee that determines what rankings are assigned to major U.S. thoroughbred stakes races announced this afternoon that a track must effectively ban anabolic steroids — if its state regulators don’t — in order for stakes races to keep their grade next year.

The American Graded Stakes Committee today said states or racetracks through house rules must adopt, at a minimum, the proposed model rule from the Association of Racing

Commissioners International and Racing and Medication Testing Consortium by Jan. 1 or the date of a state or racetrack’s first 2009 graded race in 2009, whichever is later.

That rule bans anabolic steroids, except for four that could be given no closer than 30 days to a race. Promoters of the rule say that is effectively a ban on anabolic steroids by the time a horse would race.

Also, the committee issued a similar edict requiring adoption of a similar rule banning front toe-grabs.

As an example, the committee designates the Kentucky Derby as a Grade I race. Kentucky has not adopted either rule yet, but is studying both. If the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission did not adopt those rules, Churchill Downs would have to adopt them as a track rule before its first graded stake of next year, which would be during Derby week.

Reporter Gregory A. Hall