Miff-- seriously, if you are not going to carefully read the stuff I post here, stop commenting on it, or I\'ll just delete it. I\'m not fond of having to say the same things over and over again.
YES, the test for EPO is a blood test. It is expensive, which is why they seldom do it. It also has NOTHING to do with what I am talking about, and have been here for quite a while. And that\'s the point I was making. The test was a waste of time.
AGAIN-- the problem appears to be the raceday use of Clenbuterol. This is problematic for a couple of reasons-- first, it\'s a legal drug when used other than when horses are racing, so if you raid a barn and find it, it is not a violation. Second, the test used everywhere I know of other than California and theoretically in Kentucky (I have some doubts) is a urine test, and if given on raceday Clenbuterol evidently does not show up in urine. SO THE ONLY WAY TO FIND IT IS BY BLOOD TESTING. And of the 18 labs currently used by tracks for testing, very few even have the equipment do that testing.
The gentlemen of the Jockey Club Committee investigating this problem would be comforted to know that it is a voodoo issue, not a real one. I\'m talking about Phipps, Dunker, Janney, Bramlage and all the others in the room when I spoke last week (I was one of several speakers who went before that committee during the day). At one point someone mentioned that NTRA polls have shown that an even larger percentage of those within the industry think there is a major drug problem than bettors do. Phipps (senior) said, \"That\'s because we know better\". I was the only one that laughed.
