At a meeting of the National Board of the National Horseracing Authority of South Africa held on 30 July 2015, it was agreed that the Guidelines for Classification of Prohibited Substances would be amended by the addition of Carbon Dioxide and Cobalt.
Accordingly, Carbon Dioxide is classified as a Class 2 substance, a substance which has an obvious effect on a horse. The internationally agreed threshold level for Carbon Dioxide is 36 millimoles available Carbon Dioxide per litre in plasma.
Cobalt is classified as a Class 3 substance, a substance which has the potential to affect the performance of the horse. The internationally agreed threshold level for Cobalt is 0.1 microgram total cobalt per millilitre in urine.
Cobalt has been at the centre of a scandal in Australian horseracing in recent times.
