My milkshake brings all the(NHA) boys to the yard -

 
The TCO2 (total carbon dioxide) test is performed on the blood of racehorses as a means of combatting the practice of administering alkalizing agents for the purpose of enhancing performance.


A bicarbonate milkshake, also known as bicarbonate loading, is a procedure that involves giving a horse a large dose of sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, to improve performance. The milkshake is a mixture of bicarbonate of soda, water, sugar, electrolytes, and sometimes other substances. It's administered to the horse through a tube inserted down its nose into its stomach several hours before a race. 
The milkshake is believed to help horses battle fatigue by preventing the build-up of lactic acid in muscles. It may also neutralize acid in muscle cells by raising the pH of the blood, which may delay the onset of fatigue in working muscle. 
The practice of bicarbonate loading began in Standardbred racing in the 1980s and then spread to Thoroughbred tracks. However, it's banned in all racing jurisdictions. 

that's what a vet did to all mrs b's (aka MRS H ) runners on race day early eighties  - tim somebody (think they called it drenching)

 

.... always been amused by this practice as the theory sounds feasible  but the science is not... and seriously doubt that it would improve performance or try and increase aerobic action by interfering with the Krebbs cycle and decrease lactic acid excess. Imo it  would work adversely...but there are several perfectly legal exilirs that work very well to actually improve performance and conditioning but are rather costly ....
 

The Krebs cycle - now there's a word from the past - I actually knew how that worked about 60 years ago - until I finished writing the exam
I thought it could work well for fatigue during a race - complications from other metabolic effects would only kick in later

what are trainers allowed to give their horses on raceday if anything and how do they adminster it

...  if one feeds and nourishes property nothing at all should be administered ...but some do give prerace electrolytes and/or vitamin boosters via oral pastes and or through drinking water ....the last thing that anyone with any brains should be doing on any day is f@cking about with tubes through the nasal passages... as it is highly invasive very uncomfortable and can do much harm .. as disrupting the mucus in the airways can lead to major infections and  further breathing related problems.....

ok ...so they hinted....

.....have seen this procedure of using the nasal tube for administering a cocktail of antibiotics  and deworming medication.... it was the most traumatic thing I have ever witnessed in a stable....the poor stressed horses even more so....days after some of the horses had developed nasal infections went off feed and had to be taken out of work and further medicated with antibiotics.... totally rested and then nursed back onto condition 

yet the winners still keep on coming, the food is still eaten, there is no visible nasal wear and tear. Perhaps they milkshaking via the poepol

.....it would seem that there is still some that believe that elevating Co2 levels is a sound positive practice....and because one cannot do it on a race day.....then nothing wrong with doing it the day before  huh....

SCRATCHED:
a)​MISS HANNIGAN was selected for the taking of specimens (TCO2) testing.
The initial specimen, which was tested at 12H32, revealed a reading of over 35 TCO2.
mmol/L. Trainer F P Habib was interviewed and advised that, in terms of the Procedure for Total Carbon Dioxide (TCO2) analysis on Raceday, a second blood specimen would be taken and if this specimen confirmed a level of more than 36.0 mmol/L, MISS HANNIGAN would be withdrawn. During the interval between Races 1 and 2, Trainer F P Habib was interviewed again and was informed that the second blood specimen had confirmed a level of above the international threshold of 36 mmol/L and that consequently MISS HANNIGAN was scratched from this race in terms of the provisions of Rules 72.1.23; 4.2.14 and 4.2.18.

DISQUALIFIED / DECLARED NON-RUNNER

Zackey last week and Habib this week, both gambling stables ... Or is the feed contaminated?