A Kentucky racing official said last week the state has been at the forefront of research into cobalt, a naturally occurring element said to have blood-doping qualities if used at high levels, and is part of a team working to develop a standard testing threshold for the substance.

Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) equine medical director Mary Scollay-Ward, DVM, in a presentation before the Kentucky General Assembly Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations, said officials in Kentucky, California, Pennsylvania, and Canada have worked for months on the project. She said about 900 blood samples from racehorses in those jurisdictions were taken and tested.

"We need to separate the risk to integrity from legitimate, ethical care of the horse," said Scollay, who noted cobalt is present in feed and vitamin B-12 supplements regularly given to horses. "(With the test results), we are beginning to understand what normal is and what manipulated looks like.

"This is not a local problem, it's a global problem," she said