With regard to the French trotter Lovino Bello, who was found positive in a doping control on 1 November last, on the occasion of the Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli, Masaf announces the following.
On 1 November 2024, the French trotter LOVINO BELLO took part in the Gran Premio Paolo and Orsino Orsi Mangelli at Vinovo Racecourse in Turin, placing third in the final.
The horse was subjected to an anti-doping test as part of the scheduled controls according to the procedures prescribed by the MASAF regulations in force.
The Tiludronic Acid positivity was ascertained and declared with a report by the appointed Laboratory, acquired in the MASAF protocol with number 626164 of 27/11/2024.
MASAF has proceeded, on the same day of the acquisition of the result, in accordance with art. 13 ‘Communications, measures and second analysis’ paragraph 14, to notify the trainer and owner and the Société Du Trotteur Français (SETF), with notes prot. no. 627155 and no. 627183 of 27/11/2024, at the same time publishing the result on its institutional website.
The suspension measure is effective from 28/11/2024 until 27/12/2024.
SETF was informed of the positivity in question and was provided with clarifications by e-mail on 28/11/2024.
Subsequently, by e-mail dated 04/12/2024, further clarifications were provided and, specifically, it was reiterated that, with a communication dated November 2023, MASAF had informed the UET of the changes to the Italian rules concerning the prevention of doping and the welfare of horses, also with a view to updating the UET website on this subject.
In this regard, under bisphosphonates, Italy has updated its rules so that neither Tiludronic Acid nor Clodronic Acid is allowed in horses under 4 years of age. Therefore, Italy is not among those countries that allow the use of bisphosphonates in horses under 4 years of age, applying more restrictive rules than those of several European countries, including France. On the specific subject of bisphosphonates, the Italian regulation is in line with the more evolved standards also adopted by Northern European countries.
This has led to a difference in regulations between the country for which the horse raced and the country in which the horse resides and trains. According to the regulations, Lovino Bello, a 3-years-old trotter,, is subject to Italian anti-doping regulations when he races in Italy and is therefore to be considered positive and subject to the penalties provided for by Italian regulations. However, with the same concentration of Tiludronic Acid, the horse would not have tested positive in France. Therefore, with respect to such a case – which is not regulated in detail at the UET level -, MASAF formally requested SETF to assess the case according to common sense, balancing the different interests at stake, including the credibility of the doping prevention system and the protection of the horse’s welfare. The request to extend the application of the exclusion order from racing was not formally sent to the Secretariat of the UET but referred to the French Horseracing Authority for evaluation. The French Horseracing Authority decided not to apply any suspension, contrary to what was done by the Italian Horseracing Authority, due to the different – and less restrictive – concentrations considered admissible to Tiludronic Acid in France.
On 6 December 2024, upon request of the UET President, Marjaana ALAVIUHKOLA, an extraordinary meeting of the UET Board was convened to discuss the procedures for the extension of decisions taken by UET member countries to other UET countries, taking into account the case related to the horse LOVINO BELLO.
During the meeting, which took place in a cordial atmosphere of great institutional collaboration, the different aspects of the case related to the horse LOVINO BELLO were jointly discussed, from those of expediency related to the credibility of the UET’s doping prevention policy, to those of a legal-juridical nature related to the possible suspension of a horse that, due to a different regulation, would not have been subject to a sanction in its country of origin. The UET Board reserved the right to issue its own statement on the matter.
