ERA on cobalt watch

As the Dubai World Cup Carnival rolls into its third week while investigations into positive tests for cobalt keep rocking Australian racing, the Emirates Racing Authority have stressed that cobalt testing is already implemented in the UAE. ERA spokesman Andrew Holmes told The National, “The Emirates Racing Authority have been survey testing for cobalt in both urine and blood samples for thoroughbreds and Purebred Arabian horses since January 2014. The ERA is confident from the results obtained thus far that cobalt treatment abuse is not prevalent in UAE racing. However, surveillance and testing will continue to monitor both race day and non-race day levels of cobalt while recognised international threshold levels are established.”