Thanks Kevin, Brendan and Wayne.
I'll leave some discussion alone. .
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A suggestion could be for Authorities to take post-race samples from horses that perform contrary to expectations.
Timing - at the meeting 30 mins post race. We currently have vets (licensed etc.) that can draw blood etc. These vets usually assess these horses anyway and so it's not too much time for them.
Assumption - this process can only work if sickness can be accurately determined from blood that is taken soon after the race.
Possible? - I think that it is possible to accurately determine sickness from a post-race blood sample IF blood is near to its pre-race state soon after the race. ..On a quick look, I found 1 article link with some evidence *
Divine State - Authorities took blood from Divine State post-race. This must have been taken for swabbing purposes only and so none of these blood samples were used to assess his wellness.
*http://ajas.info/upload/pdf/15_214.pdf - All animals showed that RBC, WBC, and HCT .... were back to or lower than the initial basis (resting and 0 min) 30min after exercise. - There could be similar results on racing standardbreds? If so then wellness could be assessed from blood taken 30mins post race.
Result - Therefore, we could remove the need for further blood analysis by the trainer or other parties on the following day etc.
Outcomes -
x - Trainers (&owners) save time and money.
x - Trainers Vet is potentially bypassed.
x - Punter is happy that the Authority has made a fast report with higher integrity.
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