The National Horseracing Authority of South Africa has confirmed that since the 1st of January this year, the Laboratory has reported a total of 18 specimens which were found to contain prohibited substances.
Of these, 12 were specimens which were taken immediately after the race, 2 were taken shortly before the race (pre-race) and 4 were from horses which were not entered to race or “out of competition” specimens as they are commonly known as.
Read our editorial published earlier this week.
The number of positive specimens reported by the Laboratory is disclosed in the annual report but it is done for the racing year.
By way of comparison, during the 2013/2014 year, the Laboratory reported 5 positive specimens of which 3 were post-race specimens and 2 were out of competition specimens.
The previous year, 9 positive specimens were reported by the Laboratory.
The Inquiries into the positive findings are at various stages of completion.
Of the positive specimens reported since the beginning of the year, 5 have been completed. The outcome of these Inquiries have been reported on our website and press releases have been issued. Due to the nature of Inquiries into the presence of a prohibited substance found in a specimen, some take longer than others. It would be inappropriate to report on the incomplete Inquiries at this time.
The National Horseracing Authority can also confirm that all specimens taken from horses on 4th July 2015 have been tested and no prohibited substances were found by the Laboratory.
