The single most dismal and critical shortcoming over-shadowing EVERY aspect of racing in NZ, vis a vis integrity and animal welfare – are the disgraceful use of Erythropoietin (‘EPO’); and other performance enhancers; and the (sometimes associated) blood spinning/race injectable process and agents (‘spun blood’) and blood conditioning and blood solution practices operating within NZ racing; the latter usually being injected into a horses veins (‘IV’) and/or joints and/or soft tissue – being presently permitted to be injected into racehorses by HRNZ rules and by RIU, one clear day pre racing.
EPO and Blood Spinning – Part 1