The BHA has announced changes to the Rules of Racing, which have been approved by the BHA Board.
These changes, which seek to provide additional clarity and consistency around the treatment and medication administered to horses in your care, come into effect on the dates specified below.
We also wanted to remind trainers and veterinary surgeons about the mandatory 14-day stand-down period from racing following the administration of intra-articular (into the joint) corticosteroids.
USE OF CLENBUTEROL
The Rules will be amended to reflect updated requirements regarding the use of the beta-2 agonist clenbuterol, following agreement on regulation of its use by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).
The updated requirements, which will be fully incorporated in the Rules of Racing from 1 April 2025, are set out in this BHA notice.
Clenbuterol is considered a Category A Substance and is prohibited at all times unless prescribed by a veterinarian as a bronchodilator at the appropriate dose and not exceeding two courses of treatment within any six-month period. See the BHA notice for full requirements.
The BHA would however discourage the use of clenbuterol unless it is considered absolutely necessary, given the risks of cross-contamination and the time it takes to pass through the system (i.e. withdrawal time).
Paragraph 1.3 of the Prohibited List Code will be updated accordingly.
CATEGORY A SUBSTANCES
With immediate effect, an addition to the Rules will allow the removal of the 14-month stand-down period for a horse in instances where a positive result is returned for certain types of Category A substances and it has been established through further testing that there is no lasting effect on the horse.
Examples include where a horse has tested positive for anti-depressants or cocaine, and where this has resulted from human cross-contamination. This will only be available where the substance falls into those covered in Paragraph 6 of the Prohibited List Code.
There will also be further associated changes to the penalty guidance which will allow Disciplinary Panels to impose a suspended period of suspension upon the responsible person rather than the more serious disqualification which had been the case.
Rule (K)46 and the Prohibited List Code will be updated accordingly.
STAND-DOWN PERIOD AFTER INTRA-ARTICULAR INJECTIONS
We also want to remind trainers and teams about the mandatory 14-day stand-down period from racing following the administration of intra-articular (into the joint) corticosteroids, which has been in place since 2015.
A horse must not have been administered with any intra-articular corticosteroid on race day or on any of the 14 clear days before. If the injection is administered on day 1, the horse would be eligible to race again from day 16.
We have seen a significant rise in positive cases this year and would like to emphasise that the 14-day stand-down period is a minimum period and is not the same as a detection time.
Where higher doses of corticosteroid are used or when more complex joints or backs are injected, the detection time may be considerably longer than the minimum mandated stand-down period, and there should be a careful consideration of a suitable withdrawal time. You can find more guidance here.
Elective testing
We welcome and recommend submissions for elective testing using the following forms:
• Elective testing approval form
• Elective testing submission form
These can be made once a horse holds an entry for a race and when the minimum 14-day stand-down period has elapsed after administration of an intra-articular corticosteroid. Results can be obtained on either a two-day turnaround time at a cost of £214.26 + VAT, or four-day turnaround time at a cost of £142.84 + VAT from submission of a urine sample.
Requests for elective testing should be made to the Medication Control and Anti-Doping department who can be contacted at: anti-doping@britishhorseracing.com.
Elective testing may be requested in any circumstance where your vet considers that the detection time of a therapeutic substance may be prolonged.
Private sample analysis
Private testing is also available, with trainers able to request that any new horse into their yard is tested for Prohibited At All Times substances, which will also include some long-acting medications.
The request for private sample analysis must be made within seven days of the horse entering the trainer’s care and the horse must not have run during this time. To request a private sample analysis, please contact: anti-doping@britishhorseracing.com.