Johnston follows US drugs line

13 April 2012

Mark Johnston today revealed plans to use both lasix and bute - drugs banned in UK races - when Fruits Of Love contests Saturday's Breeders' Cup Turf in Kentucky.

The Middleham trainer, also a qualified vet, said he had "absolutely no qualms" about using the drugs employed habitually in much US racing to level the playing field for the 2.48 million-dollar event at Churchill Downs - his first attempt at the Breeders' Cup.

"Medication is an age-old debate, reopened at this time every year, but I have a very open mind about it," he said. "I'm not advocating that we allow bute and lasix in British races, but I have absolutely no qualms about using it here. We're not talking about heroin or something nasty but the equivalent of an aspirin."

Bute is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug formerly employed in human medicine until fears about gut problems and ulceration prompted its use to be restricted. Lasix is a diuretic that prevents horses breaking blood capillaries.

Both drugs are used habitually in training in the UK, but all traces must be removed from a horse's system before it races.

"Bute is exactly like aspirin - it reduces inflammation at the site of an injury rather than being a primary painkiller like morphine," said Johnston. "If you had taken bute and I hit you on the head, you'd still know I'd hit you but you wouldn't have so big a bump. Some vets claim lasix doesn't stop horses breaking blood vessels, but I can categorically say it does. Fruits Of Love has never had a bleeding problem, but I'm using lasix on him because it may well have a performance-enhancing effect. It reduces fluid in the gut and bladder before a race."

Johnston suggested stringent drug laws in British racing actually inhibit trainers from dealing with small, routine problems in the swiftest and most efficient manner.

"I would advocate a review of the Jockey Club's threshholds for certain substances allowed in a horse's system when racing. It's very hard to treat run-of-the-mill problems without getting into trouble with current British guidelines," he said.

Fruits Of Love may also benefit from a drug - legal Stateside - that aids the breakdown of lactic acid in a horse's system. The five-year-old, like much of Johnston's yard, has been plagued by 'setfast' - a severe and long-lasting cramping condition - all season and his trainer plans to "sleep on" this latest idea to help his chances.

The entire will also wear 'toe grabs' on his rear shoes to aid his grip on the racing surface - another regular feature of US racing that Johnston believes should be allowed in the UK.

Johnston follows US drugs line

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