Churchill Downs announced Monday that every horse will undergo pre-race
testing during the 2005
Spring Meet for alkalizing agents known as “milkshakes” — typically a mixture of bicarbonate soda, sugar and electrolytes that increase the level
of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream, which curbs the buildup of lactic acid in
muscles and wards off fatigue. The new policy requires
each horse entered in a race during the meet to report to the track’s detention barn 45 minutes
before a race for a blood test.
“The milkshake testing program introduced by Churchill Downs is important to
both our horsemen and our patrons, who deserve every assurance that the
integrity of our sport is our top priority and that horses competing at our
track are doing so on a level playing field,” Churchill President Steve Sexton
said. “The effort to halt the practice of milkshaking is just one front in the
effort to implement strong medication standards throughout our industry, but it
is an important step.”
Horses found to have a blood serum total carbon dioxide (TC02)
level of 37 millimoles per liter of plasma or higher will be in violation of the
track’s policy.
For the first offense, a trainer must place any subsequent
horses entered under 24-hour surveillance for the rest of
the meet. If a second offense occurs, that trainer will be labeled a “persistent
offender” and barred from racing any horses at Churchill for 30
days. A third positive test for milkshaking results in the trainer
being expelled from the grounds for a year and prohibits that trainer
from entering any horse at any of the Churchill Downs Incorporated tracks for
six months.
“The stiff penalties for violators of this policy should be interpreted by
all as an indication of the seriousness of our intent to eliminate the practice
of milkshaking and there should be no doubt that those penalties will be
enforced,” Sexton said.
Horses entered in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) will be
exempt from visiting the detention barn, but will have to provide
blood samples from their respective barns.