Beginning September 11, 2015, HORSE RACING ALBERTA (HRA) in conjunction with Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA) will have all horses that are selected to provide an official sample (blood) as defined by CPMA, will also be tested for COBALT.
- Medication - COBALT
- Threshold - 50 nanograms per milliliter in plasma or serum.
- Withdrawal Guideline - Cobalt stays in a horse's system for an extended length of time.
- Dosing Specifications - As a precaution the CPMA recommendation is that no supplements should be administered within 48 hours of racing (refer to attached letter from CPMA dated August 6, 2015).
- Reference Notes - As researched by CPMA, T. Field, L. A. Prescott and staff (CFIA) and C. Gaskell (U. Kentucky).
HRA Judges will take action as necessary for any overage of COBALT.
This process will be revisited at such time as the Canadian PariMutuel Agency has Cobalt added to their Schedule of Drugs.
Doug Fenske
Manager of Racing Supervision and Security
September 2, 2015