PRE-RACE TESTING
§ 401.11. Pre-race blood gas testing—Standardbred.
(a) General Rule—The administration or use of alkalinizing agents or similar substances that elevate a horse’s Base Excess (BE) or TCO2 levels above those existing naturally in the untreated horse at normal physiological concentrations is prohibited. To assist in the detection of the prohibited substances in a horse entered to race, the Commission may conduct prerace blood sampling and pre-race testing with the use of an accepted, reliable testing instrument, including but not limited to a blood gas analyzer for measuring BE levels in blood samples.
(b) Unless otherwise permitted by these rules, no foreign substance shall be carried in the body of a horse when the horse is on the grounds of the licensed racetrack. It shall be a violation of this rule for a horse to test above the established BE levels on race day.
(c) The Board of Judges shall determine which horses will be selected for blood gas testing by random lots or by pre-determined selection based on previous elevated levels found in horses from a particular trainer or owner, probable cause or a trainer or owner’s conditional license status.
(1) All horses selected to be tested shall be brought to the designated area for the prerace testing before the horse’s first warm up. The order and number of horses which shall have blood drawn for prerace testing shall be randomly selected by lots by the Presiding Judge or the Judges’ designee.
(2) In accordance with the Commission’s regulations, it is presumed that a horse, when entered to race by an owner or trainer, shall be presented on race day in a sound and healthy condition. It is the sole responsibility of the owner, trainer or groom accompanying the horse to identify any health issues pertaining to the horse and immediately notify the Commission Veterinarian or other Commission personnel prior to the initiation of pre-race testing.
(3) Failure or refusal by a licensee to present a selected horse under his care, custody or control for blood gas analyzer testing, or who refuses in any other way, shall result in an automatic scratch of the horse from the racing program, and any other appropriate disciplinary action in the discretion of the Judges. The Commission Veterinarian shall document the name of the trainer or person who refuses to have blood drawn from the horse and shall file a report with the Commission.
(4) An owner, trainer or groom shall be permitted to observe the testing procedure but may not question, object or otherwise disrupt the testing by the blood gas technician or the Commission Veterinarian.
(d) The Commission shall adopt standard operating procedures documenting the calibration procedures for the blood gas analyzer, sampling procedures, initial testing and retesting procedures, methods used by personnel and positive test notification processes. The documentation related to these procedures shall be made a part of the Commission’s chain of custody documentation and shall be admitted into evidence any subsequent hearings without need for authentication or the presence of individuals preparing those documents.
(e) The Commission Veterinarian shall provide documentation reflecting the tattoo or name of the horse from which the blood was drawn, the date and time the blood was drawn, and any other identifying information the Commission deems necessary and appropriate. The Commission Veterinarian shall be responsible to verify that the blood samples for the specific horse in question were tested in accordance with the Commission’s procedures.
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