Picture credit: Candiese Lenferna Photography
There have so far been two or three horses scratched for elevated levels of TCO2 since the NHA began testing for this transgression over the last few weeks.
NHA CEO Vee Moodley said in response to a Turf Talk query today that the eventual aim would be for every horse to be tested for TC02 before every race.
This will be the ideal scenario for owners, trainers and punters, who can then be assured that no horses have slipped through the net and gained an unfair advantage.
The ideal scenario for punters and owners would be for races to be decided on the ability of the horse coupled with the skill of the trainer and jockey.
It is hoped that all trainers would want this too i.e. the creation of a scenario where there is no temptation to compromise integrity in order to compete on a level playing field.
The integrity of racing results is reportedly being compromised around the world by the practice of “milkshaking”.
The NHA should be applauded for tackling this scourge.
However, there can not be full confidence in fair results being achieved until every horse is tested before every race.
Moodley said, “We need manpower, but it is in process and the plan is to eventually get there.”
At present trainers are notified at least 90 minutes before the race that their horse has been selected for TC02 testing.
On Champions Day a total of 55 horses were tested and there was only one scratching.
Should a Trainer refuse to allow a blood specimen to be taken, the horse in question will be scratched, as per Rule 75.3.2.
To pass the test the horse’s blood TCO2 level must be below the accepted published threshold of 36.0 mmol/L.
The blood specimen will be collected 50 minutes prior to the start of the race the horse is carded to run in, and it will be analysed immediately.
Should the analysis of the specimen show that the horse has a TCO2 concentration of more than 35.0 mmol/L, a second blood specimen will be collected, between 10 and 15 minutes later.
If the TCO2 concentration of the second blood specimen is more than 36.0 mmol/L, the Stewards will scratch the horse from the race it is carded to run in and detain that horse for additional specimen collection.
Under these circumstances, a third blood specimen will be collected 30 minutes later. If the TCO2 concentration of that third specimen is less than, or equal to, the international threshold of 36.0 mmol/L, no penalty shall be imposed on the Trainer.
The horse in question may also have further specimens taken for the full analytical testing of all Prohibited Substances.
The pre-race administration of alkalinising agents before a race is of concern to racing authorities across the world, because the resulting alkalosis of the horse’s system may enhance performance and could interfere with the detection of any Prohibited Substances in post-race urine samples.
The pre-race administration of sodium bicarbonate to a horse running in a race is a practice widely known as “milkshaking”.
It is thought by some that giving this treatment, either by oral route or via a naso-gastric tube between 3 to 5 hours prior to a horse running in a race, that the horse’s performance may be enhanced, due to increasing the blood buffering capacity and enhancing the clearance of lactate from the muscles, delaying the onset of fatigue in a horse during strenuous activity.
The ingestion of sodium bicarbonate in the hours immediately prior to strenuous activity or vigorous exercise maintains blood pH, by acting as a buffer, thus preventing metabolic acidosis.
For this reason, the administration of sodium bicarbonate in the hours prior to racing, is generally viewed as performance enhancing.
The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) has determined that the threshold limit for pre-race blood TCO2 levels is 36.0 mmol/L and anything above that, regardless of cause, will be a violation of both IFHA and NHA Rules.
