Keeneland to Host 'Milkshake' Forum Before Meet

Keeneland will host a horsemen's forum April 6 to explain how it intends to test for "milkshakes" during its spring meet, which kicks off April 8.

The forum will begin at 10:30 a.m. EDT in the Equestrian dining room at the Lexington racetrack. It will run for about 1 1/2 hours, officials said.

Dr. Rick Sams, a veterinarian from Ohio State University, will oversee Keeneland's testing program. Sams will be at the forum, along with Keeneland director of racing Rogers Beasley, to answer questions and discuss testing procedures.

"Because this is a new policy, we want to give our horsemen an opportunity prior to the race meet to ask questions and learn how the process will work," Beasley said in a release.

Kentucky is working on regulations and penalities for milkshakes--a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and a liquid given to a horse on race day--but currently has nothing official on the books. Milkshake testing for Standardbreds has been going on for years, but Keeneland will become the state's first Thoroughbred track to do so.