This is a Graham Motion interview conducted by the Paulick Report on 2/22/12. Graham Motion is a well respected horseman here in America who has never had a positive drug test after 9,590 starts and counting. A native of Cambridge, England who came to America to train horses. His interview touches on some hot button issues in racing here and abroad and his answers are indicative of what most trainers in America would agree. Here are a couple questions he was asked:
Q: Team Valor’s Barry Irwin has said he can’t convince you that you don’t need Lasix on raceday. Why is that?
A: My problem with doing away with Lasix is that we’re going to go back to how it was before in New York (the last state to permit the drug), where everybody is trying to use things under the table that nobody knows about. I honestly don’t believe that in some of these other countries people don’t use alternative medications to Lasix. It’s better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know. Most horses bleed to a degree. Lasix is one medication that we know helps horses that have this hemorrhaging. My feeling is let’s control the administration like they do in Canada. 5 cc’s are to be given by a state veterinarian. If we do away with Lasix, we’d better step up security big time. No one’s going to like that. You cannot tell me that people are not going to use other things.
Q: Are you suggesting the rest of the world should adopt our rules?
A: That’s a tough point. No, I’m not. In England, everyone gives Lasix up to the race, then they take it away. A lot of it comes to the horsemanship side. We are so much more proactive over here in scoping our horses. I want to be on top of our horses. When we consider a horse to bleed, it might just have a spot in his lungs. In many places bleeding is only identified if it’s external.
Q: If you could make one change about racing, what would it be?
A: I think probably the most important thing is the fact that we don’t have a national standard for things – medication, licensing. It’s the root of a lot of positives because of the different withdrawal times and test levels. We have a lot of positives in this country, not because we have mischievous people. It’s because we have so many standards to go by. It’s medication, testing, licensing standards. They need to be national.
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Changes Graham spoke of have been achieved or in the process of being implemented....lasix is now being administered as it is in Canada and a national standard for medication and testing is currently under way under the direction of the Association of Racing Commissioner's International (RCI), Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), with the help of the National TB Racing Association (NTRA). Click below to read the entire article. TJ
http://www.paulickreport.com/features/t ... am-motion/
Graham Motion Interview
Moderators: Roguelet, hpkingjr, WaveMaster
wilf wrote:Motion talks sense.........national guidelines for medication makes so much sense but the hardheads will never go for it. Secondly the national licence initiative will not fly as every state wants a piece of you and as a trainer in several states I know how they nickel and dime you to death.
Hi Wilf,
The national licensing I agree with you, they've been getting more then their fair share, especially from the lesser paid grooms and hot walkers (which we'd usually pay for their license fees).....each state wants their piece of the pie. The good news about that is the States will fight to keep racing out of federal control....the state gets a good piece of the gambling action. The National Guidelines will be implemented sooner than many think. A large portion of the current states signed on will be implementing the new reforms by January 1, 2014. It behooves them to sign on, the sooner the better...or risk the feds stepping in if this falls apart.
This from the NTRA:
The horse racing industry in the United States has developed new uniform model medication guidelines, a penalty system designed to target individuals with multiple medication violations and a requirement for laboratory accreditation and participation in an industry external quality assurance program (the “Reforms”). These Reforms were developed by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), the industry’s scientific advisory organization consisting of 25 major racing industry stakeholder organizations and the Association of Racing Commissioners International, the industry’s association of state regulatory bodies responsible for the integrity of racing. RMTC recommended the Reforms to the Association of Racing Commissioners International ARCI and ARCI voted to incorporate the Reforms into their official Model Association of Racing Commissioners International (“ARCI”), Rules earlier this year. Individual regulatory bodies must now move to adopt the Reforms.
It has all ready been accepted by the majority of states....leading the reform is NYRA. Here's something in the new rules that will shake up some trainers...they will be required to take an approved 4 hour course yearly before being issued their trainers license:>)
Letter sent to the State Commissions: http://www.ntra.com/media/8341778/Indus ... ssions.pdf
Those who've signed on for the new reforms as of Nov 15, 2013 http://www.ntra.com/media/8341781/Signa ... .15.13.pdf
Uniform National Rules agreed to: http://www.ntra.com/media/8230584/Exhib ... lators.pdf
Sysonby wrote:The Voice of Reason. Some of the pre Lasix things that were done to control bleeding were horrifying.
Hi Sysonby,
Back in the day....Lasix use at the races began in the mid-1960’s when Kentucky-based veterinarian Alex Harthill administered the then unknown drug to Northern Dancer for the 1964 Kentucky Derby. Prior to lasix, in NY many vets were using adjunct bleeders meds, which weren't being tested for. Amicar was the wonder drug at that time....but Amicar is not good for the horse and in the new national model rules, no adjunct bleeder meds are permitted. Anyone you worked for at that time, would have you put the bleeders on shavings and take away their water and hay the night before.....they call it drawing them up....but it was to dehydrate them which is what is done when lasix is given.....a 5cc shot of lasix eliminates that torture. TJ
Thought I'd bump this up as it is a good read.....especially in the face of many of these posted headlines. Graham Motion is one who does what is best for his race horses. He has been on both sides of the big pond and knows what goes on. If he believes in the use of race day lasix, it needs to be promoted as the threads on this message board are starting to look like a PETA convention. His squeaky clean record speaks for itself, he does what he feels is best for his horses and has no reservations about speaking the truth concerning race day lasix. His morals are above reproach in American and European racing and he won't compromise his beliefs...even if it may have cost him his anti lasix, outspoken ex-owner, Barry Irwin. TJ
Sysonby wrote:The Voice of Reason. Some of the pre Lasix things that were done to control bleeding were horrifying.
Two observations - 1. That Euros that come for the BC don't race on Lasix over there, then all in a sudden they are 'bleeders' and need Lasix here in the States. 2. There is still plenty of nasty stuff - snake venom and the like. Cheaters will always cheat.
jm
Run the race - the one that's really worth winning.
Speaking of Graham Motion, he's back at Palm Meadows for the winter, ran 1st and 3rd today at Calder in the GR III My Charmer Handicap. Just missed running 1-2 by a neck. His winner paid $87.60 for a $2 win bet:>) TJ
The Race: http://www1.drf.com/displayVideo.do?tra ... ountry=USA
The Payoffs: http://www1.drf.com/drfPDFChartRacesInd ... 31207&RN=8
The Race: http://www1.drf.com/displayVideo.do?tra ... ountry=USA
The Payoffs: http://www1.drf.com/drfPDFChartRacesInd ... 31207&RN=8
