NZTR to ban bisphosphonates from January 1 and orders declarations of past treatments
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) plans to ban bisphosphonates from January 1, 2027, requiring participants to declare past treatments and advising buyers to check veterinary records rather than rely on a negative drug test.
The ban will cover horses currently racing or which may race in future, but exclude those permanently retired or which will never race. It follows a change to the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering, to which NZTR is a signatory.
Ahead of the ban, NZTR’s notification requires participants to report to NZTR and the Racing Integrity Board (RIB) both past treatment of horses in their care and any administration before January 1. An online declaration form will create a record of treated horses, which remain subject to the existing age and racing restrictions.
NZTR cited welfare concerns about the drugs’ effects on bone adaptation and remodelling in growing and exercising horses. Bisphosphonates bind to bone mineral, meaning detection times can be prolonged and variable.
It has asked buyers to establish whether a prospective purchase has received bisphosphonates and to obtain veterinary records verifying administration details.
“A negative test result does not guarantee that a horse is free of bisphosphonates or eligible to race,” the notice states.
Trainers concerned about a horse’s history, particularly after a purchase or a transfer from another stable, can request elective testing through the RIB. The trainer pays, and the test needs prior approval from RIB veterinary services manager Dr Michelle Pap.
The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) has also set out the consequences of treatment once the ban begins.
Under its revised provisions, bisphosphonates will be prohibited at all times in horses of all ages, except when used for diagnostic nuclear imaging. The federation’s September 1 statement sets a minimum six-month stand-down and a veterinary examination before racing for any horse treated on or after January 1. It cited evidence that the drugs have an analgesic effect “and may be used/abused for this effect”.
Australia’s rules still allow registered bisphosphonates to be used in horses aged four and older, subject to racing restrictions. Administration to younger horses is prohibited under AR 88A.
AR 88AA bars horses treated at four or older from races, official trials and jump-outs for 30 clear days. Zoledronic acid, and any bisphosphonate not registered for veterinary use in Australia, is prohibited at all times under Prohibited List A.
