Drugging of Racehorses.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 15 May 1914, Page 2

Drugging of Racehorses.

RESULT OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY MADE IN FRANCE.

A scientific inquiry has been conducted by direction of the Minister of Agriculture in France to discover whether ' the doping of racehorses ■may be detected by an analysis of the animal's saliva after it has been running. The practical conclusion is that the presence of certain excitants can easily be established, and the only question was really how long the traces of the intoxicant or stimulant lasted.

The committee appointed by the Minister was presided over by the celebrated Dr. Dastre, Member of the Institute, and it divided its work into three parts. The first experiment was to see if any horse not drugged might nevertheless show signs of something analogous in the saliva. This^turned- out negatively, as was to be expected. Nine horses in training were examined at Acheres. They had not been drugged, and no signs of a drug were found in their saliva. The next step was to drug them, and then in each case traces of the particular stimulant that had been used were found.

The third experiment was to discover how long the traces of any particular drug remained. It was found that all traces of cocaine administered in small doses vanished one hour after it had been administered. The drug called heroine lasted two hours. But it depended a good deal upon the strength of the dose. Kola might, with a strong dose, be still perceived after fortyeight hours, and the others in proportion. The question to be decided was whether it might be possible to discover traces of stimulants if horses had been given certain medicines containing drugs a day or two before, and without, of course, any intention of doping. The committee was satisfied that this would not be possible unless very strong doses had been administered.

Needless to say, no trainer would send to the racecourse horses, that were known to be ill and had to be treated with medicine. The scientific conclusion is that it is possible to detect the presence of drugs. It may be added that since the beginning of the flat racing season a small quantity of the saliva of winners has always been taken on most French racecourses immediately after the race was concluded and reserved for analysis. So far there has been no question of disqualifying any horse for doping, and trainers, if they ever administered them before, must have abstained from using them this year. This does not mean that racing has been any more regular than ;\efore, and the Trench turf has had just as great a number of surprises this year as in the past.