Cobalt - new drug ?

[Benny]

This is a new one. 2 Meadowlands trainers banned and simply move to Yonkera according to poster on PA,

http://xwebapp.ustrotting.com/absolu...7329&zoneid=63

This from Bossert at NY Daiiy News

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/the...l-ban-trainers

"
Both Tioga Park and Vernon Downs are located in New York, which is governed by the New York State Gaming Commission, issued this statement to the News.

“The Commission supports efforts by track operators to exclude parties who put horse health and safety in jeopardy and call into question the integrity of horse racing. New York’s Equine Drug Testing Program is continually evolving. The Morrisville laboratory has acquired on loan the equipment to test for Cobalt. Personnel are being trained to test for Cobalt, and George Maylin (the Director of Equine Drug Testing in New York) has been consulting with Meadowlands officials to help establish the proper thresholds for determining cobalt positives "

[dellinger63]

Cobalt also has another property which has gone relatively unnoticed by athletes: it increases EPO when taken orally. This ought to be somewhat obvious, as it has been used to treat certain types of anemia, which is characterized by a lowered red blood cell count. Here's how it works:

Hypoxia Inducible Factor and the HIF pathway are responsible for the expression of a variety of physiological responses to oxygen deprivation and conditions of lowered oxygen intake - similar to what would be seen with altitude training, which itself relies on adaptations mediated by this pathway to stimulate an increase in endogenous EPO and red blood cells.

Typically, the mediator of HIF undergoes rapid degredation under conditions of adequate oxygen intake. However, in an oxygen-deprived environment, it remains active for much longer and sets off a sequence of events that (among other benefits) activates the gene for producing EPO that promote efficient adaptation to hypoxia. Cobalt chloride appears to mimic the oxygen-deprived state at the genomic level, thereby causing the HIF mediator to remain stable enough to initiate increased EPO production.

And this from a company catering to human athletes

[randallscott35]

Everything in Thoros starts in Harness. It is the training ground for the chemists.

[Benny]

BUMP

Blue Salt, as its called with a podcast on ESPN Radio with Barry Abrams

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=11096108

[Benny]

Aussie winner purse $$ withheld for Cobalt.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/horserac...622-zsi1a.html