Horses pre-entered in the 14 Breeders' Cup races to be run October 24-25 at Santa Anita will face drug testing ahead of thoroughbred racing's richest event.
Horses will be selected randomly for testing from the pre-entry lists to be released October 14, the California Horse Racing Board announced earlier this week.
The testing will specifically target EPO, darbepoetin and other blood-doping agents that are typically administered days or weeks before competition and are not usually detectable in testing traditionally done shortly after the race.
The Breeders' Cup will help the board with the collection of samples from pre-entered horses before their arrival in California.
EPO, also called Epogen, is a blood-doping agent that enhances horses' red blood cells and has the potential to improve their performance.
Trainers of horses that test positive for anabolic steroids at the Breeders' Cup will face a one-year suspension from the event, and three-time violators will be banned for life, according to new rules this year.
(Associated Press)