Anti-milkshaking law signed in
California
Thursday,
September 08, 2005 - from the
California Horse Racing Board
Sacramento, CA ---
California Assembly member Jerome E. Horton (D-Inglewood)
has announced that Assembly Bill 52, a bill to combat
illegal substances in California racehorses, was signed by
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Assembly Bill 52 requires the California Horse Racing Board
(CHRB) to adopt emergency regulations to establish policies,
guidelines and procedures to test the total carbon dioxide
(TCO2) concentrations in the bloodstream of racehorses.
These regulations are necessary to determine whether an
alkalizing substance was administered to improve a horse's
performance in a race, a practice known as "milkshaking".
The bill also contains a provision that would designate the
University of California at Davis as the primary testing
laboratory for the Board.
"Milkshakes" are mixtures of bicarbonate and other alkaline
substances, fed to a horse shortly before it competes. The
mixture is believed to delay the build up of lactic acid in
a horse's muscles, allowing it to run farther before tiring.
Because the excess carbon dioxide in a horse's bloodstream
quickly dissipates, testing must be done immediately after a
race.
The Board adopted a rule in January for TCO2 testing, but a
modification of state law relative to split-sample testing
was required before the Board could assume responsibility
for all TCO2 testing in California. Assembly member Horton
introduced AB 52 to change the split-sample requirement --
only as it pertains to TCO2 testing.
On behalf of the California horse racing industry and the
Board, AB 52 contains a second provision which will allow
the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Laboratory at the
University of California at Davis to be the primary drug
testing laboratory for racehorse drug testing.
The Maddy Laboratory is one of the premier laboratories in
the world, and one of only two laboratories in horseracing
accredited by the American Association of Laboratory
Accreditation to the International Organization for
Standardization standard.
“(AB 52) will not only ensure a level playing field for the
owners and trainers of racehorses, but will protect the
integrity of this great sport and the fans that support it,”
said Assembly member Horton, after learning that his bill
was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
“Now more than ever, it is imperative that the California
horseracing industry remains at the forefront of combating
the illegal use of drugs in racehorses. It will ensure that
California continues to be the place where the best horses
race, and the best trainers and jockeys compete."
