MEMORANDUM TO:
Provincial Regulatory Bodies
Canadian Horse Racing Industry
Horsepersons Groups

SUBJECT: Cobalt - Follow Up

The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA) would like to provide the Canadian horse racing industry with an update on cobalt testing since it was transferred from the provincial racing commissions in April 2017.

In the past 12 months, the CPMA has issued seven Certificates of Positive Analysis for cobalt; all were in urine. Cobalt concentrations for positive tests ranged from 116 ng/mL to 340 ng/ml. For reference, the regulatory thresholds are 100 ng/mL in urine and 25 ng/mL in blood.

In order to avoid a positive test, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities recommends that no more than 1 mg of cobalt per injected dose or no more than 5 mg of cobalt per oral dose be given to a horse. The CPMA agrees with this advice, and also recommends that all supplements containing cobalt be withheld for the 48 hours preceding a race.

As always, the CPMA strongly recommends that your veterinarian be consulted on any decision to administer any supplement or product to a horse.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact CPMA at 1-800-268-8835, or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sincerely,
Steve Suttie