A request was originally made to the IRB by Chicago's Director of Racing Phil Langely in May 2003 which calls for an increase in penalties for TCO2 positive tests and establishes a post-race quarantine program.
"A multitude of positives from one prominent Chicago trainer prompted the rule change," said Elliot "Doc" Narotsky, Maywood Park's racing secretary. Narotsky and Langley had worked together in the early 1990's to establish guidelines for TCO2 testing.
"At that time bicarbonate loading was really in the infancy stages," Narotsky stated. "We kept taking results and worked with the University of Illinois' Dr. Kevin Kline to plot graphs and to set parameters for testing of the blood gas."
The current IRB rules concerning blood gas testing and penalties were originally adopted and put into effect in early March 1997 and have been amended slightly at various times since, but not to the degree which is now being sought.
"We've felt for a long time that the original rules which were mandated by the IRB were much too lenient in regards to testing and penalties. Because of that, Phil and I decided that changes needed to be implemented this year. Also, we received a lot of feedback from other horsemen when we had a certain Chicago-based trainer who had a number of high blood gas positives late last fall and early this spring. We also really felt that Illinois needed to be uniform with the rest of the county in regards to penalties. Up to now, that hasn't been the case."
"We saw that a prominent New Jersey trainer was given one year and a $5,000 fine for a second TCO2 positive, and then five years and another $5,000 fine for his third offence," Narotsky said. "The high-profile Chicago trainer in question received only a $500.00 fine for his first offence, a ten day suspension and another $500 fine for his second offense and a 50-day suspension and a $1,000 fine for his third offense. Clearly, the New Jersey penalties are way more appropriate, and many horsemen here agreed with me."
Both Illinois and New Jersey have the same guidelines for testing as set down by Racing Commissioners International (RCI).
A horse racing on furosemide (lasix or salix) is allowed a TCO2 level of 39.0 millimoles per liter of blood, while a horse not competing on the medication is allowed a TCO2 level of 37.0 millimoles per liter of blood.
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