Indiana moves on EPO rule

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission approved a motion on Wednesday to establish rules to test horses for erythropoietin, the banned blood-enhancing drug commonly known as EPO.

The rules would prohibit a horse from racing until its body is clear of the drug, according to Joe Gorajec, the commission's executive director. Similar rules have been adopted in New York, Delaware, and Canada.

The commission also voted to study the economic impact of offering simulcast signals from Kentucky tracks at two offtrack betting parlors on the Indiana side of the Ohio River. The study would examine the impact on the horse industries of both states.

Kentucky's signals were pulled this year from Indiana OTB's in Clarksville, across the river from Louisville, and Evansville, near Kentucky's Ellis Park, because of concerns by Kentucky tracks and horsemen of handle cannibalization.