RMTC
By: Neil Clarkson
Racing authorities in California are imposing a threshold on cobalt in horses competing in the state.
Racing jurisdictions around the world are moving against the use of the trace element, which has been shown to have performance-enhancing properties.
Cobalt has a similar effect to erythropoietin (EPO) in stimulating production of red blood cells. This, in effect, lifts the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, hence boosting performance.
However, its harmful effects are well documented, too. They include toxicity and potential damage to the heart.
Cobalt is a naturally occurring substance and horses ingest tiny amounts in their daily rations, hence the need for a strict threshold as opposed to a complete ban.
Those seeking a performance boost generally give it to horses in the form of a cobalt salt – cobalt chloride.
The California Horse Racing Board voted 6-0 last Thursday to impose a tight threshold on cobalt.
The board, meeting in Sacramento, approved for public notice an amendment to establish violation and penalty guidelines for excessive cobalt in blood samples.
Threshold levels of 25 and 50 parts per billion in blood would apply for violations, with penalty guidelines corresponding to the levels detected.
The board’s summary does not provide any more details around the threshold and proposed penalties, but it appears to largely mirror the levels backed by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.
Under the consortium’s proposal, a horse that tests above a concentration of 25 parts per billion in the blood would be placed on the veterinarian’s list and be unable to race until it tested below the 25 parts per billion threshold. The trainer of the horse would be subject to a “fine or warning for the first offence”.
If the concentration of cobalt is in excess of 50 parts per billion, the trainer will be fined and suspended.
