All Breeders' Cup Tests Come Back Clean

All samples collected from 2021 Breeders' Cup horses have been cleared by the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California, Davis.

All horses competing in Breeders' Cup races this past weekend at Del Mar were tested for TCO2 levels in blood. Post-race testing was performed for prohibited drugs on the first four finishers in all Breeders' Cup races and any additional random horses selected by the stewards consistent with California Horse Racing Board protocol. Post-race testing was done on both blood and urine samples. The GI Breeders' Cup Classic was won by Knicks Go (Paynter).

The Maddy Laboratory's standard protocols look for a wide variety of compounds of concern for racing integrity, such as anabolic steroids, beta2 (b2)agonists, selective androgen receptor modulators, erythropoietin, and other similar doping agents. All post-race samples were tested for cobalt. Routine testing in California exceeds national graded stakes testing standards. The Maddy Laboratory is accredited by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium and the only laboratory in the Western Hemisphere certified by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.

The Maddy Laboratory cleared TCO2 samples on 148 horses that competed in 14 Breeders' Cup races along with 69 horses that competed in other races on the two Breeders' Cup cards. The large fields were popular with the public, as the total all-sources common-pool handle for the two-day World Championships was $182,908,409, a new record for the two-day event.

There were no equine fatalities in the races nor any observable injuries to the horses. Carl Woods, the assistant starter who was injured at the starting gate Nov. 5, has informed the CHRB that he is fine and back to work.

Jockeys rode under extremely restrictive rules governing the use of the riding crop. Three jockeys violated those rules and received fines totaling $11,000. All jockeys were advised by the stewards prior to the races that the crop rules would be strictly enforced and that fines would be elevated.

All Breeders' Cup horses competed without the administration of furosemide, or Lasix.