New Prohibited Drugs for Race Horses

Summary#

These final regulations amend the Pari-Mutuel Betting Supervision Regulations to add three drugs to the list of substances prohibited in race horses. The change took effect on registration, February 27, 2020, and was published in the Canada Gazette on March 18, 2020.

What it does#

• Adds these drugs to the schedule of prohibited substances:
  • Altrenogest
  • Grapiprant
  • Lubabegron
• The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA) says it will prohibit altrenogest only in male horses, because the drug has a legitimate therapeutic use in females. The amendment itself lists the drugs as prohibited; the CPMA’s note about sex-specific application is a policy decision described in the regulatory statement.
• The regulations came into force on February 27, 2020.

Who's affected#

• Bettors and people who follow or place wagers on pari‑mutuel horse races — they are the reason for the drug controls.
• Horse owners, trainers and veterinarians who care for race horses — they need to avoid these drugs in horses that will race.
• Provincial racing commissions and the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency, which oversee testing and enforcement under the existing Equine Drug Control Program.
• The broader horse‑racing industry, which relies on drug rules to keep races fair and credible.

Why it matters#

• The change is meant to protect the fairness and credibility of pari‑mutuel betting by reducing the chance that drugs will change a horse’s performance.
• Each added drug has been singled out because of concerns it could hide an injury (grapiprant), change behaviour or hormones (altrenogest), or influence body composition (lubabegron).
• Testing and enforcement are handled through the existing post‑race sampling system; the government says this amendment does not increase enforcement requirements or cause significant costs.
• If you care about horse racing results or you work with race horses, this affects what medicines can safely be used before a race.