The Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) advises all participants to be aware of the properties of calcium propionate. The white, powdery substance is used as a preservative in a wide variety of products.
Calcium propionate is an alkalizing agent similar to baking soda and use of this product could lead to readings which exceed the acceptable TCO2 levels under the Rules of Racing. All horses racing in Ontario are tested for TCO2 and any positive is treated as a Class III category.
The Rules state that any horse with a positive for a Class I, II, III drug, or a substance determined to be non-therapeutic, shall then be declared ineligible to race in Ontario for a period of 90 days. As well, participants are reminded that under Rule changes introduced in January 2008, a trainer of a horse with a positive test will be considered to have absolute liability for the offence.
The racing community is reminded that a basic aspect of good medication control is ensuring that you only use products that are properly manufactured and clearly labeled, and that have been obtained from an authorized distributor.
In addition, trainers are reminded that they need to be vigilant and check the labels of all products given to horses in their care. By being aware of the contents of such products, they will be more likely to know if any ingredient will result in a positive test.
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