The Hong Kong Jockey Club recently conducted an extensive enquiry into the events surrounding the findings of the Racing Laboratory of elevated arsenic levels in urine samples of horses.
Although arsenic is a naturally occurring substance in plant material, when levels are above a specific threshold it becomes a prohibited substance under the Rules of Racing of The Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Arsenic is naturally present at trace levels in most, if not all, horse feeds. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has procedures in place, through their pre-race and post-race urine testing policy, to identify if these levels are such that they could or have contravened the Rules of Racing.
As part of this enquiry a thorough investigation was undertaken by the Hong Kong Jockey Club during which laboratory analyses identified higher than usual levels of this substance in a feed product. The Club believes that this feed may have caused the irregular test results. The feed product that was tested was FiberMix® from Fiber Fresh Feeds Limited.
Fiber Fresh Feeds has subsequently advised the Club that, following investigation, a single batch of FiberMix® was found to contain unexpectedly elevated levels of arsenic which Fiber Fresh Feeds acknowledges may have contributed to the urine test results in Hong Kong breaching the threshold in the Rules of Racing.
The Company’s production records show that the crop used in this batch came from one small land area, leased temporarily. The Company’s investigation found that the increased amounts above normal levels appeared to have come from an entirely natural organic source. The Company no longer uses this area and has not since February 2013.
In their statement to the Club, the Company established that the amount of arsenic found in the batch in question at no stage reached levels that would put at risk the health of horses or of anyone in contact with the feed product.
The Club acknowledges that the Company has responded quickly to the issue and has worked closely with the Hong Kong Jockey Club and other interested parties during this investigation and has provided a full and satisfactory explanation as to how it believes elevated levels of arsenic were present in FiberMix®.
More importantly, the Club has accepted the explanation of Fiber Fresh Feeds and is reassured that this incident was a one-off occurrence and that, because this specific area of land will never be used again, this type of incident should not reoccur in future. The Club has also examined the quality control procedures of Fiber Fresh Feeds and is satisfied that it can continue to be a trusted supplier to the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The Club will continue to order FiberMix® upon request by trainers.
The Club also acknowledges that Fiber Fresh Feeds has provided the funds to reimburse the prizemoney forfeited by the connections of the two horses which were disqualified as a consequence of urine test results breaching the threshold in the Rules of Racing: Hit a Home Run, which was originally placed second in Race 2, 10th May 2014 and Berlinski, which was originally placed first in Race 7, 17th May 2014.
