All Breeders’ Cup Tests Cleared

All samples collected from Breeders’ Cup horses have been cleared by the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at UC Davis, which completed testing Tuesday morning after the samples were couriered Sunday morning to UC Davis – allowing testing to begin within 24 hours of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the final race of the Breeders’ Cup championships.
All horses underwent pre-race testing for TCO2 levels in blood. Post-race testing was performed for prohibited drugs on the first four finishers in all Breeders’ Cup races plus additional random horses selected by the stewards consistent with CHRB protocol. Post-race testing was done on both blood and urine samples. The Maddy Laboratory’s standard protocols look for over 45 anabolic steroids and hundreds of other prohibited drugs. Routine testing in California exceeds TOBA testing standards. Beyond expedited processing, Breeders’ Cup samples required no special handling from everyday CHRB testing requirements.
In addition to routine testing, 25 percent of all horses pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup were randomly selected for out-of-competition testing. The out-of-competition samples were drawn and analyzed with the cooperation of national and international racing jurisdictions and laboratories. All out-of-competition samples had cleared prior to the Breeders’ Cup.
“The cooperation for the Breeders’ Cup’s out-of-competition testing program has been wonderful,” said Dr. Rick Arthur, equine medical director for the CHRB. “This was not a simple process. Veterinarians in multiple countries and states participated in the sampling process and made sure the samples reached the participating laboratories within the necessary time deadline.”

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