Milnerton trainer Candice Bass-Robinson is usually diplomacy personified, but was in a no-nonsense mood at an unseasonally wet Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Tuesday when she implored racing authorities to get their house in order regarding the TC02 testing protocols.
Candice’s Pomodoro gelding La Pulga had just been withdrawn at 13h49 due to elevated TCO2 levels from the fifth race and she was doing the post-race interview formalities for her impressive maiden winner King’s Quest, who duly arrived to win the 1400m fourth after gelding.
Candice Bass-Robinson asked: ‘what are we supposed to tell the owners?’ (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
“La Pulga is a horse who displays highish levels of TC02 every time he comes racing. It is extremely stressful and frustrating. We can’t even enjoy our win as we are worrying about this. What are we supposed to tell owners? To get rid of them or sell them? It is very disappointing and something seriously needs to be done. We cannot continue racing like this,” added the clearly angry horsewoman.
The National Horseracing Authority recently issued a notice stating that in order to reduce the number of horses requiring a second test, and in an effort to ensure that the above 99.7% normal population of horses is catered for, the following new specimen collection procedures for TCO2 analysis were implemented on race days, with effect from 1 October 2024:
Trainers will, prior thereto, be notified of the horses selected for pre-race TCO2 testing and analysis.
A blood specimen is collected from each selected horse approximately 60 minutes prior to the published race time. Immediate analysis will be performed by means of an NHA approved handheld blood gas analyser, ‘the first test’.
Where such analysis shows that a horse has a TCO2 concentration of more than 36 mmol/L, a second blood specimen, ‘the second test’, will be collected, a minimum of 10 minutes after the first test.
If the TCO2 concentration of the second blood specimen is more than 38 mmol/L, the stewards shall withdraw the horse from the race and detain the horse for additional specimen collection.
Under these circumstances, a third blood specimen will be collected a minimum of 30 minutes after the second test.
The steward/s may, at their sole discretion, instruct a specimen collector to subsequently collect further specimens from the horse, for inter alia analytical testing of all prohibited substances.
The steward/s notify the race day commentator of any horse which is passed to run, which underwent a second test.
As the season progresses, the NHA undertook to remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and testing integrity. These procedural enhancements will allow the NHA to increase the number of horses tested pre-race.
Additionally, TCO2 analysis will extend to out-of-competition specimens collected from stable yards, based on intelligence, to further develop the TCO2 biological passport for each horse. This passport will enable the NHA to analyze and track TCO2 levels over time for every horse tested.
Maybe La Pulga can be used as a test case?
On a tricky afternoon of racing, Justin Snaith saddled 4 of the first 9 winners, while the in-form Plattner Racing combination of Andre Nel and Corne Orffer celebrated a double.
- The next Cape racemeeting is at the same venue on Wednesday 4 December.
