Harness racing chiefs are pushing for a new rule to prohibit the administration of alkalising agents for one clear day before a horse races to stamp out the practice of "half-shaking."
The move is a precursor to the introduction of far tougher penalties for high bicarb levels and is expected to generate the most debate at the annual conference of racing clubs in Christchurch next month.
The remit, recommended by the Racing Integrity Unit and the equine codes' veterinary advisor Dr Andrew Grierson, seeks to amend the current rule which prevents alkalising agents being given on raceday.
The "milkshaking" of horses has been a significant threat to the integrity of the industry since its height in the 1990s when unscrupulous trainers loaded their animals up with bicarb to stop the build-up of lactic acid and delay muscle fatigue.
But while high levels are rare these days, persistent cheaters have been known to give lower doses, known as "half-shakes".
And it had been shown internationally that by prohibiting the administration of alkalising agents on the day prior to the race, the incidence of "half-shaking" is significantly reduced. In most horses, the beneficial effect of a milkshake peaks six hours after administration and the TCO2 level returns to normal after 12 hours.
The rule change is designed to bring New Zealand into line with overseas racing jurisdictions and further enhance stakeholder confidence in the harness industry.
Grierson believes now that the TCO2 threshold has been raised to 36 – and trainers aren't prosecuted unless the level is over 37 – the next step is to bring in the one clear day restriction so "there was not a shadow of doubt that breaches signalled "intent".
"The previous system wasn't working because we were still getting TCO2 anomalies occurring and the one thing we don't want is to have innocent people being charged."
Grierson said the chances of a TCO2 level of 37 being a naturally occurring event were one in two million and, at the actionable level of 37.1, the chances were one in 3.9 million. The stats were one in 5893 million for a level over 38.
Grierson said under the present rule it was possible for cheats to shake a horse the night before raceday in the hope its level would still be raised slightly for competition.
Ironically, there was no data to support the theory that "half-shaked" horses performed better. Horses with levels of 34-35 did not win more races than those with levels closer to the national mean of 30.6. And the levels of horses who finished in the first five were not higher than the also-rans.
"There is no medical justification for treating your horse that close to a race and, if you have to, is your horse suitable to race anyway?"
Horseman should have no concern that the rule might impinge on their animals' welfare by preventing traditional treatments when away at a two-day meeting.
If a trainer felt a horse who'd raced say on a Friday needed a drench the next day to help it recover for a Sunday race, they could still seek an exemption from a stipendiary steward.
The clear move in international circles was to extend the previously accepted no-treatment-on-raceday to one of no treatment for one clear day before racing.
Already Australian authorities had moved to make it illegal to administer any cobalt-raising supplement for one clear day before competition.
In other remits to go before the conference:
ā It will be an offence for a person to not only acquire, but attempt to acquire, an out-of-competition banned substance.
Those substances are the ones for which there is no therapeutic reason for use at any time.
ā Horses injected with corticosteroids in the preceding eight days will be banned not only from racing but also from being trained on a club-run track.
While a valuable way of managing inflammatory joint disease, corticosteroids can be undetectable in urine but still having an effect, thereby hiding impending failure and increasing the risk of catastrophic events.
ā The 30 metre distance stipulation for horses being disqualified if their sulky wheels track inside the marker line will be removed.
The rule change seeks to have horses able to be put out if they are deemed to have merely gained an advantage, rather than focusing on the distance covered inside the markers.
Judicial committees would have more discretion to deal with individual cases. Horses whose wheels go inside the markers trying to force a run they are not entitled to inside the passing lane could then be disqualified, regardless of distance travelled. And, on the other hand, horses three back on the markers, who go inside markers but cannot possibly benefit from it, do not have to be automatically put out.
ā To clarify a rule introduced last year, the connections of a horse which is interfered with can seek compensation from the owners of the culprit, but only if its chances of receiving higher stake money are prejudiced.
Owners have until 30 minutes after the last race to lodge an information with the stewards who may order that a portion of the stake money earned by the transgressor be paid to the victim.
Under the new rules, horses cannot be promoted ahead of those who interfere with them unless it can be proved they would have beaten that runner home without the interference.
Barry Lichter