New research suggests that a plant commonly found in pastures across the United States can cause horses to fail a drug test. Barbarea vulgaris, known as yellow rocket, can cause a horse to test positive for Aminorex, an appetite suppressant that has an amphetamine-like qualities, which could impact a horse’s athletic performance.
Aminorex is listed as a Schedule 1 controlled substance by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration; it’s listed by the Association of Racing Commissioners International as a Class 1, Penalty Class A foreign substance. A positive for this substance carries a fine and suspension.
Researchers Jacob Machin, Sucheta Kudrimoti, Jonathan Green and Thomas Tobin (with the University of Kentucky); Rodney Eisenberg (with Frontier BioPharm in Kentucky), Clara Fenger (with Equine Integrated Medicine), and George Maylin (with the New York Drug Testing and Research Program) fed the plant, which blooms in in Kentucky between late April and early May, to two Standardbreds. They then analyzed the horse’s urine, which tested positive for Aminorex. A positive test for this substance on the racetrack brings a $10,000 fine and a one-year suspension, so they scientists stress the importance of eliminating even natural sources of Aminorex.
The scientists report that multiple members of the Brassicaceae family may be responsible for low-level Aminorex positive identifications in urine samples in horses worldwide. The scientists call for additional research to determine biomarkers of yellow rocket and other Brassicaceae members to decide an appropriate “cut off” level that takes into account that Aminorex may be found naturally.
Read the study here.
Read more at HorseTalk.
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