Kentucky commission investigating "object" found in barn

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has asked the public for information about an “an object” that was found in a blood-sampling barn at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, but commission officials would not comment on what they believe the object is.

In a statement put out on Monday night, the KHRC said the object was found in Barn 21 at Keeneland, which is where blood samples are pulled on horses prior to races in order to test for total carbon dioxide levels. Horses that have been designated for TCO2 testing are led to the barn approximately 45 minutes before post time. Artificially high levels of TCO2, which are associated with an illegal practice called “milkshaking,” can lead to penalties for horsemen.

Although commission officials would not comment, several backstretch sources said they had heard that a centrifuge or centrifuge tube was the object that was referenced by the KHRC. A centrifuge is used to separate blood into several components, including plasma, which is used for testing. The sources said that the centrifuge or centrifuge tube had been taken from the barn and then located several barns away.

John Ward, the executive director of the KHRC, would not take a call from Daily Racing Form Tuesday morning. However, he told the Lexington Herald-Leader that a description of the object was being kept confidential in order to establish the credibility of any information that is provided to the commission.

“We just want the racing community to know we’re out there and looking,” he said.