Booker, who has been affected by being taken off Regu-Mate

© Racing photos

By Luke Sheehan and Jayne Ivil

We asked some of Australia's biggest trainers about the issue of altrenogest (Regu-Mate), with Racing Victoria moving to warn trainers of its potential to produce a positive steroid reading. RV's stance is a 'no tolerance' one to any positive, whereas Racing NSW has moved to introduce a local rule that will be more pragmatic in the instance of any positives produced.

Tony McEvoy's stable includes the equal-Thousand Guineas favourite Oohood, and the trainer - who has bases at Angaston in SA and Flemington in Melbourne - said it was a potential occupational health and safety risk to take fillies and mares off the drug used to control their cycles.

"It's a difficult one. It's something we've used for a long time," McEvoy said.

"And it's been very effective. Now to have it taken away means we have to change what we do really.

"My attitude is if it's not there and we can't use it, we've got to get around it and get by and work it out.

"The things to factor in is the safety factor - all our stables have colts and fillies, so if you have your fillies coming into season, it not only affects them and their performance but it also affects our colts, if they've got in-season fillies around them.

"We're talking about the punter having every possible chance, if our fillies are going to the races in-season and our colts are going to the races thinking about the fillies, it'll be interesting to see if they hold their form - the whole lot.

"If that's happening in our stable, we've got a safety factor with my staff. You've got the colts getting excited because the fillies are in season; it's an added risk to my staff.

"It's something we have to manage.

"The alternative for me, the progesterone, the injectables, it's not an option for me because you get a lot of swollen necks from injectable progesterone, so I don't think I'll be doing that.

"I'll just go without if they don't change the rule."

David Hayes said he has applied for 30 boxes at Randwick due to the lack of mid-week city racing in Victoria in this period. However, he said a successful bid for boxes might have the residual benefit of being able to accommodate his mares, should they fail to perform without Regu-Mate in Victoria.

"Basically, Regu-Mate - which NSW feeds to their mares, and we have in Victoria for years - stops them coming into season, and it's very, very effective," Hayes said.

"But it is coming up with traces of steroids, and steroids have a worldwide ban.

"RV have given an alternative, which means there's no chance the horses can be on steroids, and hopefully that will work just as well. Research says it will.

"So I don't think it'll be a big problem.

"But for instance I had a mare who was odds-on at Ballarat owned by Gerry Harvey, and she raced without Regu-Mate of course and she let the punters down, but was heavily in-season after the race and before. That wouldn't have happened before this rule.

"My mares will definitely be getting treated, especially at this time of year, they'll regularly be treated on the new RV treatment.
"But if that's not as effective as Regu-Mate, my mares will be racing in New South Wales."

Mike Moroney feels the decision from RV to recommend trainers stop using Regu-Mate could be a knee-jerk reaction, and believes the few positives that have been detected might not be necessarily tied to correct application of it.

"Very disappointing [decision], because I know most trainers do use it," Moroney said.

"It's going to get to a stage if jurisdictions outside of Victoria use it, then they might lose a lot of horses - and trainers lose a lot of horses too.

"So very worrying, and it seems the products have been used for a long, long time, it just seems strange all of a sudden there's been positive swabs on it.

"I really think they should be looking harder at it.

"To me, they seem to be cut and dry about what they're doing, and there should be some leniency about it."

He added: "I think it harks back to the fact it's been used for years without positive swabs - there's got to be a reason there is.?"Whether it's been used in the wrong way, and it needs to get out there if you only use it so often if you use injection or paste only, but from what I can work out from the literature I've read, it's to do with that [frequency]."

Simon Zahra, who trains in partnership with Mat Ellerton, has detected a noticeable change in his Group 1-performed mare Booker, since coming off the Regu-Mate.

"The main one we have on it is Booker, and since she's been off it, she dumped the rider the other morning, and she's leaning up against the wall all day, kicking the wall and carrying on.?"These are the things it stops them doing, getting themselves hurt.

"It's obviously a good tool everyone's used for years, and to have it taken away from you, it's getting harder and harder to keep horses sound - to take away a simple thing like this, it's getting a bit frustrating for most trainers."

He added: "Obviously they [Racing NSW] spoke to most of the [local] trainers, and I know the ATA have been working really hard to push this for us - so good on them for going in to bat for us, and trying to get it done.

"Obviously, NSW can see the benefits of using it, and not performance enhancing.

"It's all most trainers need - and with the staff handling these fillies, and barrier attendants and that, when they're on it, they're a lot calmer.

"It's no different to someone on depression tablets, you take them off them, they're different people - it's the same with horses."

Ciaron Maher had a bit of intel from the perspective of a couple of retired champs. His 2016 Caulfield Cup winner Jameka never needed Regu-Mate, however Maher's old neighbour at Caulfield, Peter Moody, certainly did for the unbeaten legend Black Caviar.

"It's interesting, isn't it, the whole debate, different rules between the states," Maher said.

"I suppose we had a horse like Jameka who never had to have anything like that, she was very straightforward, was almost like a gelding.

"But I remember Moods telling me about Black Caviar, and she definitely needed it.

"So it can really make a difference to some fillies and mares, and certainly would affect their form and racing, so if the rules are the same here, and we're discouraged from using it, we might look at sending them [mares] to Sydney.

"It can be a great aid to keep them level and consistent, and that's what you're trying to do - maintain a level, consistent horse and form and racing, so everyone can read them and get a good guide on them.

This article first appeared on Racing.com and is reprinted here with their kind permission. To find out more about Racing Victoria's Off the Track program, visit rv.racing.com/the-horse/off-the-track.

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