The Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, led by a $25,000 donation from the New York THA, will contribute a total of $50,000 to fund research to develop an inexpensive test for the detection of potential blood doping agents such as erythropoietin (EPO). The two-year study, an initiative of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, will be conducted by Dr. Heather Knych at the K. L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at UC-Davis. According to RMTC, the goal is to identify more EPO substances at much lower concentrations.
In addition, the New York THA will donate $120,000 to acquire new equipment for the New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Program at Morrisville State College.
“The integrity of our sport and the welfare of our horses is of paramount importance,” said THA and NYTHA President Joe Appelbaum. “If these blood-doping and alkalinizing agents are being used in horse racing, we need to dedicate our resources to their detection and eradication. Our horsemen, our bettors and our fans need to know that we have a safe and level playing field.”
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