Horse Racing: Scotney Issues 'milkshake' Warning

Paul Scotney, the Horseracing Regulatory Authority's director of security, has told a closed meeting of the National Trainers' Federation that a "very small number" of its members "are believed to be using performance-enhancing drugs which are unlikely to show up in our post-race testing".

Though no specific substance was mentioned, Scotney is thought to have been referring to the practice of "milkshaking", and he promised that the HRA's "programme for pre-race testing will increase over the coming months."

Scotney's remarks were made to the NTF's annual general meeting on Tuesday, and while no reporters were allowed to attend, details of his speech started to emerge yesterday. He told the AGM, at which about 50 trainers were present, that a pre-race testing programme was being "developed as a result of intelligence" received by his department.

Pre-race tests are a difficult issue for many trainers, who do not want to risk horses to be upset shortly before a race. Many trainers were upset when the HRA, unannounced beforehand, took blood samples from every horse before racing at two fixtures in January.

However, such tests are the only effective way to detect if a horse has been subjected to milkshaking, which involves passing alkaline substances such as baking soda directly into its stomach via a tube. This is thought to delay the build-up of lactic acid in the horse's system and thereby the onset of fatigue when racing.

In the United States, the practice of milkshaking is thought to have been widespread for several years, although a number of major jurisdictions now operate a system of race-day quarantine barns, since milkshakes must be administered within a few hours of a race to be effective. The move has caused the strike-rate of a number of trainers to drop significantly.

The practice is believed to be highly isolated in Britain at present, if indeed it is happening at all. However, Scotney left his audience in no doubt that it will not be allowed to take root and flourish.

Scotney's speech to the NTF also elaborated on the HRA's approach to the issue of the use and misuse of inside information, an issue which is believed to have provoked some aggressive questioning from his audience.

"By the very nature of what trainers do, their yards are awash with inside information," Scotney told the AGM. "What is important is that whatever you or your staff do with the information, it must be both within the rules and in accordance with the owner's wishes." This, he added, "may also mean not providing your owners with inside information on other owners' horses in your yard without the express permission of that owner".

In recent months, Scotney's campaign to root out corrupt influences in racing has resulted in a number of licensed individuals being banned. To date, though, most have been jockeys, including Robert Winston, the one-time title contender, who was banned for a year last month.

However, his decision to address the NTF in such terms can only reinforce the message that no one is above scrutiny, and also that practices which may have been seen as acceptable until recently, particularly with regard to the use of inside information, will no longer be tolerated.

"Paul explained that the HRA's principal target in current high-profile cases is the corrupting individuals who prey on the sport by encouraging the serial and co-ordinated misuse of inside information by a few licensed people," Rupert Arnold, the NTF's chief executive, said yesterday. "The NTF fully supports the HRA's efforts to eradicate the individuals from the sport."