VAN ZYL FINED R110,000 ON DOPE CHARGE

Maybe the vet went for over kill as this product was tested and recomended for trying to cure "joint chips" at that price surgery may have been a better option

OBJECTIVE:

To determine effects of intra-articularly administered 6alpha-methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) in exercised horses with carpal osteochondral fragmentation.

ANIMALS:

18 horses: 3 groups of 6 each.

PROCEDURE:

An osteochondral (chip) fragment was created in 1 randomly chosen middle carpal joint of each horse. Polyionic fluid (PF) was injected into both middle carpal joints of horses in the control group. In horses of the MPA-control group, MPA was injected into the middle carpal joint without an osteochondral fragment; a similar volume of PF was injected into the contralateral middle carpal joint. In the MPA-treated group of horses, 100 mg of MPA was injected into the middle carpal joint containing the osteochondral fragment; a similar volume of PF was injected into the contralateral joint. Injections were administered on postsurgical days 14 and 28, and horses were exercised on a high-speed treadmill for 8 weeks, starting on postsurgical day 15.

RESULTS:

Clinical improvement in degree of lameness was not associated with MPA administration. Joints that contained an osteochondral fragment and were treated with MPA had lower prostaglandin E2 concentration in synovial fluid, and lower scores for intimal hyperplasia and vascularity in synovial membrane, compared with PF-treated joints. However, articular cartilage erosion and morphologic lesions suggested possible deleterious effect of intra-articular MPA administration.

CONCLUSIONS:

Some beneficial effects of MPA administration on synovial fluid and synovial membrane were identified; however, the deleterious findings contrast with those associated with triamcinolone acetonide used in a similar model, but agree with other results of MPA administration in normal and abnormal joints.

1. Congratulations to the racing officials for taking a hard stand. They are to be commended.
2. Cheating with drugs generally has little to do with abusing known drugs that are listed by the racing authorities.
3. The most effective ways to cheat with horses are a) increase number of red blood cells to deliver more oxygen to the lungs; b) buffer lactic acid to suspend horses from slowing down in the latter stages of a race; and c) use steroids to build muscle mass and allow horses to train and race harder while recovering quicker.
4. So called "dope" used to mean stimulating a horse. First of all, this is too easy to detect, so it is too risky to use. Secondly, too many horses freak out on it and their behavior become unreliable.
5. I once asked the most famous cheating veterinarian in the modern history of racing in the United States what would be his drug of choice to cheat with and, surprisingly, he mentioned a tranquilizer, because it relaxed a horse and allowed it to run its race. So so much for uppers!
6. The top cheaters in the game use drugs that are not yet known to racing authorities. These are either designer drugs, such as were developed by an American chemist and distributed by the infamous BALCO lab in San Francisco on such athletes as Marion Jones and Barry Bonds, or drugs that have been developed by major pharma to treat human beings with heart, lung and kidney ailments. The cheaters get these products in early days and abuse them before the authorities find out. An example would be EPO. Usually the ones involved in doing this sort of thing are pharmacists, veterinarians and some owners.
7. What van Zyl and his vet did was not uncommon. They probably were just not careful enough. Van Zyl most likely is not a cheater, but it behooves him to be extra careful given his record, because he could lose his license.

It's a massive fine and would be looking to the vet for compensation

How many offences must a trainer commit in South African racing before the NHRA revokes his license?

Why do they always blame the vet? they are responsible according to the law for horses in their care.Surely the vet is not just gonna randomly rock up and administer. They document everything. Funny how the finger always goes to the vet!

Gentelmen,give gavin the benefit of the doubt,imo he s NOT a cheat(and no i dnt own any horses nor do i know him personally)

Unfounded remarks can ruin a man and his career,i must admit i was very negative about this game ,but some clan members showed me the light,my dream of being an owner one day is alive and kicking

soodum Wrote:

---

> Gentelmen,give gavin the benefit of the doubt,imo
> he s NOT a cheat(and no i dnt own any horses nor
> do i know him personally)
>
> Unfounded remarks can ruin a man and his career,i
> must admit i was very negative about this game
> ,but some clan members showed me the light,my
> dream of being an owner one day is alive and
> kicking

Good on you sodum, I'm so glad miss d is now with gvz

so in summary he (gavin) is guilty but not guilty as it was the vet that "done it". Gav stumps up the fine and gets his great name dragged through the mud, the vet continues to practice bada bing bada bang simples really.............

Magic i did not say dope , i dont believe "they dope" horses. What in do believe is that certain medicines are required and certain laws are in place for the integrity of the sport BUT above all the wellfare of the animal.

In most businesses the buck has to stop some where, with gavi boy it has knocked on his door 3 times, he is either a shit business man or his vet has compromising photos of him.

A trainer would have to very stupid to intentionally dope a horse with our testing standards. It is a world class facility. From the talk here when it was 1st heard about was that the horse was medicated to get back into racing quicker but between the trainer and the vet they got the withdrawl time very wrong. I will check again with our vets on the withdrawl time we were given for that medication. It was not done to have a huge bet or anything sinister.

Easy, I didn't name names. I was not referring to you or anybody specifically, but there are undoubtedly people who think medication = "dope." I've been in this game for a long time and some of the things I've heard coming out of peoples' mouths would make for a best selling comedy script.<

I'm sure that Team G by no way was trying to cheat, but with all the technoligy at our hands one should be asking these guys that go
to university for 7+ years to absorb knowlege, the how ,why and where....Leon Setaro bumbled on about the possibility of injecting into a pocket of fat to bring down a swelling in a joint ...well then this medication is supposed to be injected, as per the trial I posted, directly into the joint, so the vet by going for areas where "fatty pockets" are present was not treating the localized problem but getting medication into the entire system???? other more effective steroidal and non steroidal anti inflammitories would have surficed...

some interesting comments especially from those involved in the game...gavin has not been training for long and to have 3 strikes already...