Here come the Nutters! Becks Nairn. Thanks Winnie.

[Freda]

Again, I don't find her comments outrageous, crazy, or anti-racing.       

[curious]

https://www.scienceabc.com/sports/why-are-xenon-and-argon-banned-in-sports.html

[the galah]

4 hours ago, hesi said:

Off she goes again

Becks Nairn

23h ·

 

Vodka, fridge gassing, formalin and shock wave use in the racing industry.

Drugs have become insidious in harness racing because only one of the four banned substances above can be tested for in New Zealand. Covert operations have caught trainers red handed with hypodermic needles injecting formalin though. Formalin is a derivative of formaldehyde which I am familiar with from my days in taxidermy, I also use it to preserve tissue samples currently. This article is probably the most distressing aspect to the problems currently facing the industry so I’ll go through them one by one. High purity vodka is available in any bottle store.

Vodka

Alcohol is given as a pain reliever and sedative intravenously, the idea is to get the horse tipsy enough to relax and not feel any niggles that might be affecting their performance. Alcohol is detectable through blood samples. Majority of us will know the feeling of being tipsy so this one’s easily understandable of its effects.

News article

https://www.stuff.co.nz/.../trainer-injected-vodka-to...

R.I.U decision

https://racingintegrityboard.org.nz/.../non-raceday.../

Fridge gassing/argon gas

I first heard about fridge gassing when Ex harness horse Arcano who was well

Known among the industry to have been fridge gassed entered our charity to rehome. Argon gas is commonly used in engineering and a bottle can be easily purchased in multiple locations including Facebook market place. When I approached HRNZ with text messages from his owner admitting he had been fridge gassed they said they would take care of it and that it was shocking. I asked why there was no test for it and they said it was metabolised to quickly by the body to test. However the Australians thought it was enough of a problem that in 2015 they made both a urine and blood tests for it. Argon gas is a prohibited doping agent for horses because inhaling it boosts erythropoietin(EPO) levels, leading to increased red blood cell production and enhanced oxygen transport, which improves stamina and performance. This gas boosts oxygen delivery, providing a competitive advantage. The risk to the horse is heart attacks and pulmonary embolism.

Australian press release on testing for both argon/xenon gases.

https://www.thoroughbrednews.com.au/.../racing-nsw...

Fridge gassing concerns raised in NZ(2019)

https://www.odt.co.nz/.../fridge-gas-doping-concern-horses

Formalin

Formalin is a derivative of Formaldehyde used as a preserving agent commonly in taxidermy, embalming and tissue sample preserving. The reason it’s being used in racing is to prevent very common lung bleeds in race horses. Studies show that lung bleeds are prevalent in numbers ranging from 45% to 75% but that number jumps to 90% when looked at histologically under a microscope.

Why formalin? Formalin injected intravenously would inflame the endothelium(wall of the blood vessel) and reduce the chance of a haemorrhage. BUT formalin is a group 1 carcinogen and the damge it would cause to red blood cells and bone marrow would be horrific. I have dissected a few race horses now where the cervical bones have been blackened inside and I do wonder anout a connection. Formalin would caue mass inflammation through out the body.

Again, australia leading the charge on testing for it. Formalin is not a controlled substance.

Study on lung bleeds in race horses

https://www.msdvetmanual.com/.../exercise-induced... een

Cases of formalin injection

https://www.stuff.co.nz/.../harness-racing-trainer-caught...

https://qric.qld.gov.au/.../qric-warns-racing-industry.../

https://rmtcnet.com/racing-victoria-will-soon-be-able-to.../

https://www.smh.com.au/.../embalming-fluid-used-on-horses...

Shock wave therapy

This device has been bought and utilised by large racing stables and vets for its effective treatment of soft tissue injuries. Shockwave therapy for horses, also known as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT), is a non-invasive procedure that uses focused sound waves to stimulate the natural healing processes of damaged tissues, bones, and joints. By delivering high-energy pulses to an injured area, the therapy increases blood flow, stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, and encourages the release of natural healing factors, ultimately reducing pain and improving mobility. Common conditions treated include tendon and ligament injuries, arthritis, navicular syndrome, and certain bone injuries.

Another effect is a several-day decrease in inflammation, swelling, and pain, an outcome that could allow a horse to work harder than it should because discomfort from an injury has been blocked. Racehorses running on an injured tendon might easily cause further tissue damage, leading to a longer healing time or even a catastrophic breakdown during exercise. Shockwave therapy stimulates nerves to reduce pain through "hyperstimulation anesthesia," where the nerves are overwhelmed, diminishing their activity and pain signals, and via the "gate-control theory," recalibrating pain perception.

The chances of horses fracturing limbs following treatment is very high, there is currently an 8 day stand down period for race horses. There is currently tests being developed to detect biomarkers of its use within the banned period. This device is being abused currently. If you are a trainer who is doing everything by the book this article should outrage you, these cheats affect you! HRNZ are actively covering these reports up from people reporting these abuses, reports should go directly to the racing integrity unit.

Photos below of the blackened bones from a 6 year old gelding. We will probably never know what caused this but what I can day with certainty is this is not normal.

there can be no denying what she says has occurred in the past. The only thing i would say is we need to be a little bit cautious in inferring these problems currently exist at the level they have in the past.

when she talks about vodka. Well thats not something i'm up with the play as to whether its ever been much of an issue in racing. Having said that,a few years ago i did have a greyhound trainer tell me thats what he and others would give  dogs occassionally if they wanted them to downgrade or if they were punting something else in the race.I assumed it wasn't that common,but i have no idea myself.

the fridge gassing,formalin thing,well thats why woodend was viewed as a hive of illegal activity for a while there.

Of course the problem there was it wasn't fair to lump all trainers at woodend as being cheats. But it was accurate to say they came from a training area where % per capita of cheats was very much higher than anywhere else.

but when opertion inca came around,one flow on effect was about 5-6 years ago,the riu of course poured resources into uncovering other illegal activity and they were actually successful. The likes of j alford got 9 yeras for the formalin,c jones got a few years,even being caught injecting the very same horse alford had been training after it being transferred to him after alford was disquialifioed.  The fridge gas horse that the nairn lady refers to was used on arcano,well they never caught m kerr for doing that to any of hiis horses but he of course was extremely well known for being very volatile while he still had his licence.I guess thats what happens when you lose over $1 million on the punt and you have defrauded so many people. Then you had m anderson who infamously was the driver behind the catalyst for the police decision to continue with operation inca.Of course he went on to be known more for assaulting and strangulation of his partner,although the damage he did to her would have been more phsycological than physical long term.And of course he was guilty of being he distributor of party drugs to others in the industry,which he got from someone within the indutsry who i believe got them from her hairdresser,although that bit i don't think ever really came out.Of course m anderson was m kerrs regular driver.

anyways,you get the picture. Harness racing had some really dishonest people who in some cases were proven to have used and in other cases believed to have used the substances that this woman nairn talks about. All to gain an advantage with the motive money.

of course the upshot of the RIU catching these people was 3/4 of the industry thought about time,yet a very vocal,often high powered group was not impressed and believed it was better for racing to swepp such things under the carpet and avoid the bad publicity.

of course now you get stables with trees cut down,big gates,all to avoid the riu spying on them from a tree. Like there were people who most thought were doing nothing wrong,yet people wondered why di you need to cut all the trees down.

the RIU was relentlessly actacked in some circles.. The chief someone who falls into the 1/4.The industry is its own worst enemy in that respect.. 

as a result,it seems these days the riu doesn't do much enforcement in a manner that is likely to catch anyone. 

actually i did think the riu investigators became emboldened by their success and maybe slightly overstepped the line occassionally.

anyways,people who say thsi nairn woman doesn't know what she is talking about,well thwey don't know what they are talking about.

its just the scale and current relevance that i'm not so sure of.

And i've always said the cheats like the ones i mentioned above are the poor mans cheats. The clever ones are the ones who get their vet or say maybe an owner who makes regular trips to the usa,to bring the better,undetectable stuff in.i think when they took down the mass producer af performance enhancwers in the usa it has helped nz in some ways.

Also,liike i have said so many times,if you follow the form you can teell. for example i started a thread one time about the way a certain trainers horses would perform and noted there was sometihibng peculiar abot hiow some of his horses ran. I inferred that it was something they were being given or fed that was impacted their hearts. Well of courtse i got criticised for it in this forum,but 12 months later that said trainer had several high cobalt charges.

then of course,at6 one stage you had 3 telfer trained horses,within a year, all stop to a walk and either collapse and die on the track or back at the stables.  Now,of course when i posted that boy did that set some people off. But its a fact it happend. An offical inquiry found nothing. it was never going to. But i think the telfers addressed the problem and took steps to make sure they weren't doing anything for it to happen again and it hasn't.the nairn woman has made the point that horses are underdeveloped when they are trained and raced as 2 year olds and i think you will find the stables that do put the pressure on early clearly have more bone issues than the ones that don't. The telfer stable is an exmaple of that,but thats not their fault. Their owners and the indutrsy pour so much financial incentitives to race 2 year olds these days.

Edited 19 hours ago by the galah

[Chief Stipe]

You're as bad as Nairn @the galah

Can you post the evidence supporting your assertion that Arcano was given "fridge gas".  Thanks un advance.

I'd live to see the research that Xenon or Argon administered to a horse improves oxygen  uptake.

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, the galah said:

then of course,at6 one stage you had 3 telfer trained horses,within a year, all stop to a walk and either collapse and die on the track or back at the stables.  Now,of course when i posted that boy did that set some people off. But its a fact it happend. An offical inquiry found nothing. it was never going to.

It never found anything because there was nothing to find.  Occam's Razor.

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, the galah said:

And i've always said the cheats like the ones i mentioned above are the poor mans cheats. The clever ones are the ones who get their vet or say maybe an owner who makes regular trips to the usa,to bring the better,undetectable stuff in.i think when they took down the mass producer af performance enhancwers in the usa it has helped nz in some ways.

We've argued this one before @the galah and your point of view is absolute crap.  Those in the USA were done for relabelling common drugs that have legitimate uses in the industry.   Things like Clenbuterol.  You and others really piss me off with this type of posting.  I see @Freda supports your post and I thought she had more intelligence than that.

I've also told you that there is no such thing as an undectable drug.  Whats more the so called "undetectables" and the other fraudulently labelled drugs were in the hand of the US Feds long before charges were laid i.e. they knew exactly what they were and their chemical fingerprint.

But let's et Becks Nairn and her followers muddy the facts.

[curious]

18 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

I'd live to see the research that Xenon or Argon administered to a horse improves oxygen  uptake.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10192833/

[Chief Stipe]

4 hours ago, Freda said:

Again, I don't find her comments outrageous, crazy, or anti-racing.       

I do because they are opinions without a skerrit of truth.  Just like I detest industry participants who partake in unfounded runourmongering.  They do more damage than the small percentage of cheats.

[Chief Stipe]

4 hours ago, curious said:

Argon and xenon gases have been used as performance enhancers, though their effectiveness remains controversial and they are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

---

How Xenon and Argon Work as Performance Enhancers

Both gases are noble gases, traditionally considered inert, but they have bioactive properties that can influence human physiology:

1. Activation of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF-1α)

• Inhalation of xenon or argon can stimulate HIF-1α, a protein that helps the body adapt to low oxygen environments 
• This leads to increased production of erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that boosts red blood cell formation, enhancing oxygen delivery and endurance 

2. Mimicking Altitude Training

• The physiological effects are similar to training at high altitudes, where oxygen levels are lower.
• Athletes may use these gases to increase stamina and recovery without needing to relocate or use hypoxic chambers

3. Rapid Clearance, Lasting Effects

• Xenon and argon clear from the body within hours, but their performance-enhancing effects can last for days, making them attractive for doping

---

Scientific Evidence and Limitations

• Studies have shown modest increases in EPO and plasma volume after xenon inhalation, but no consistent improvement in athletic performance 
• The long-term health effects and optimal dosing protocols remain unclear or unproven.

---

Regulatory Status

• WADA banned xenon and argon in 2014, classifying them as performance-enhancing drugs due to their ability to artificially boost oxygen-carrying capacity
• Detection is challenging, as the gases are quickly eliminated from the body, and testing relies on indirect markers like HIF-1α or EPO levels.

Really resorting to AI now?   Why don't you just take up a SAFE subscription?  

So where does Nairn get her comparative autopsy pictures to confirm her conclusions?

From your AI extract:

Scientific Evidence and Limitations

Studies have shown modest increases in EPO and plasma volume after xenon inhalation, but no consistent improvement in athletic performance 

[curious]

5 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

I do because they are opinions without a skerrit of truth.  Just like I detest industry participants who partake in unfounded runourmongering.  They do more damage than the small percentage of cheats.

At the moment, I think it's the small minority anti-racing brigade, focused on dismissing the messengers and not hearing or acting on the message that are doing the greatest damage.

[curious]

1 minute ago, Chief Stipe said:

So where does Nairn get her comparative autopsy pictures to confirm her conclusions?

No idea. From autopsies presumably?

[Chief Stipe]

1 minute ago, curious said:

At the moment, I think it's the small minority anti-racing brigade, focused on dismissing the messengers and not hearing or acting on the message that are doing the greatest damage.

Because the message is bullshit and not worth giving oxygen to.  You really surprise me considering your research background although not in a proper science.

[Chief Stipe]

1 minute ago, curious said:

No idea. From autopsies presumably?

Not from healthy animals but from "fridge gassed" ones?  There are many other explanations for what she describes.

[curious]

2 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Because the message is bullshit and not worth giving oxygen to.  You really surprise me considering your research background although not in a proper science.

Oh really. My first degree is in science fyi.

[curious]

6 minutes ago, curious said:

Oh really. My first degree is in science fyi.

But again you are dissing the messenger, not hearing the message.

[Chief Stipe]

5 minutes ago, curious said:

But again you are dissing the messenger, not hearing the message.

IT ISNT VALID SO THEREFORE THERE ISNT ANY MESSAGE!!!

[Chief Stipe]

22 minutes ago, curious said:

Oh really. My first degree is in science fyi.

Shame you don't apply it in some of your analysis.

[hesi]

6 hours ago, curious said:

AI doesn't agree with you. You are surely being a bit picky about the definition of a derivative?

Yes, formalin is a derivative of formaldehyde.

---

What Is Formalin?

Formalin is a solution of formaldehyde gas in water, typically containing:

• 37–40% formaldehyde by weight
• 6–15% methanol (added to prevent polymerization)
• The remainder is water

Sorry I have to dispute your findings.

Formalin is simply a 40% solution of formaldehyde in water; it is not a derivative in any way.  A derivative would mean it had to be chemically different and therefore have different chemical and physical properties.

ChatGPT and anyone with training in chemical science, which Becks Nairn is not, would know this.  That she cannot differentiate this casts a dispersion over her credibility to comment on the matters she does

A derivative in chemistry means:

• A compound that is chemically related to another (the “parent compound”) but has been modified by replacing, adding, or changing part of it.

• The new compound usually retains some structural features of the parent but is not the same substance.

For example:

• Benzene → Nitrobenzene (a derivative formed by adding a –NO₂ group).

• Ethanol → Ethanoic acid (acetic acid) (a derivative through oxidation).

So in your earlier question:

• Formalin is not a derivative of formaldehyde, because it’s not a new compound — it’s just formaldehyde dissolved in water (a solution).

 

Edited 15 hours ago by hesi

[the galah]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

You're as bad as Nairn @the galah

Can you post the evidence supporting your assertion that Arcano was given "fridge gas".  Thanks un advance.

I'd live to see the research that Xenon or Argon administered to a horse improves oxygen  uptake.

 

i posted about what i had read about xenon on a topic on this forum 5 years ago.

Russian athletes were using it about 15 years ago. tests on rats had shown a 70% xenon 30% oxygen mix doubled epo levels a day later.

A quote from HRNZ at the time  " international racing laboratories(including nz)are acutely aware of the potential threat that this type of substance could pose to the integrity of racing"

But i'm not going to get into an on going  argument with you about its performance enhancing effects.

besides reading the facebook page of the nairn lady, about what she found with arcano is  consistent with uncaring or desperate  treatment of a horse.

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

It never found anything because there was nothing to find.  Occam's Razor.

yes i know you thought having 3 horses from the same stable suffer heart issues and drop dead at the racetrack.

I didn't. You don't find something your not looking for.

when i said earlier it was over 1 year,to be accurate the 3 horses from that stable died within 4 months. 

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

We've argued this one before @the galah and your point of view is absolute crap.  Those in the USA were done for relabelling common drugs that have legitimate uses in the industry.   Things like Clenbuterol.  You and others really piss me off with this type of posting.  I see @Freda supports your post and I thought she had more intelligence than that.

I've also told you that there is no such thing as an undectable drug.  Whats more the so called "undetectables" and the other fraudulently labelled drugs were in the hand of the US Feds long before charges were laid i.e. they knew exactly what they were and their chemical fingerprint.

But let's et Becks Nairn and her followers muddy the facts.

yes i know you keep saying you think all drugs are detectable.you always say that.I really don't know whether you actually believe that,as i think its  obviously wrong.

again everyone knows if your using a test thats not designed to pick up  certain performance enhancers  or all the derivatives of certain performance enhancers,well you won't get any positives. Thats what they said happened in the usa.

i've tried to keep my reply brief as this topic is about animal welfare and i also don't want to go over things we've already discussed at length in the past.

Edited 15 hours ago by the galah

[curious]

1 hour ago, hesi said:

Sorry I have to dispute your findings.

Formalin is simply a 40% solution of formaldehyde in water; it is not a derivative in any way.  A derivative would mean it had to be chemically different and therefore have different chemical and physical properties.

ChatGPT and anyone with training in chemical science, which Becks Nairn is not, would know this.  That she cannot differentiate this casts a dispersion over her credibility to comment on the matters she does

A derivative in chemistry means:

• A compound that is chemically related to another (the “parent compound”) but has been modified by replacing, adding, or changing part of it.

• The new compound usually retains some structural features of the parent but is not the same substance.

For example:

• Benzene → Nitrobenzene (a derivative formed by adding a –NO₂ group).

• Ethanol → Ethanoic acid (acetic acid) (a derivative through oxidation).

So in your earlier question:

• Formalin is not a derivative of formaldehyde, because it’s not a new compound — it’s just formaldehyde dissolved in water (a solution).

 

Disagree. Doesn't formaldehyde become methanediol when dissolved, so forms a new chemical compound?

That said, it's beside the point. You are obsessed with a minor technical issue to try and put down the messenger and at the same time ignoring the message.

[Chief Stipe]

7 minutes ago, curious said:

Disagree. Doesn't formaldehyde become methanediol when dissolved, so forms a new chemical compound?

That said, it's beside the point. You are obsessed with a minor technical issue to try and put down the messenger and at the same time ignoring the message.

Whatever.  You're the one that googled.  To prove what?  Cast doubt?  Create another conspirac

Post the evidence that whatever you are talking about happens.

This thread is closed.  The rest of us are enjoying racings bew renaissance.