by Press Release
A Staff Report on the results of testing under Indiana’s first-in-the-nation cobalt regulation shows substantial decreases in cobalt abuse. The report was released by Commission Executive Director, Joe Gorajec.
Indiana’s emergency cobalt regulation was promulgated by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission on September 4, 2014 after an emerging threat was discovered last summer. During the summer months, 354 samples from twenty-three (23) days of racing were tested at the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. During this pre-regulation period, 5.9 percent of samples indicated cobalt concentrations in excess of 25 ppb (parts per billion).
The results show an 83 percent decline in cobalt concentration over the regulatory threshold of 25 ppb (parts per billion) since the effective date of the regulation. The most significant finding is the virtual elimination of cobalt levels over 100 ppb. Overall, cobalt abuse at these very high levels dropped 96.8 % and disappeared completely in both standardbreds and thoroughbreds.
“I am glad to see that the commission’s proactive efforts have resulted in a cleaner racing product for our fans and horsemen,” said Joe Gorajec.
Test results during the regulated period indicate that across all breeds, the median cobalt concentration was 3.0 ppb and that 93% of all horses tested less than 10 ppb. The breakdown of these metrics by breed and the results of every test can be found in the full report at http://www.in.gov/hrc.
The Indiana Horse Racing Commission would like to thank the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and LGC Science, Inc. for their efforts – without which this program would not be possible.
