A leading American equine doping expert told The Irish Times yesterday that Waterford Crystal's blood sample would be the first European sample tested for the human anti-schizophrenia drug fluphenazine at the US Equestrian Laboratory in New York.
"It's the first case I've tested for from Europe," said Dr George Maylin, who set up the USA Equestrian Lab in 1995.
He confirmed that the use of fluphenazine in horses was not uncommon in America. "It is one of the drugs that's been used in this country," he said. "And it was widespread until we developed the test for it."
"Its use is declining here now, but we've reported a large number of cases in blood.
"It's probably easier to find in blood because it's a long-acting drug and isn't excreted in the urine like most drugs. There are very low levels in the urine."
For the first time yesterday, the FEI confirmed in a statement that no tests had been carried out on the A blood sample from Waterford Crystal.
Only the urine sample was tested in the Paris laboratory that confirmed the presence of prohibited substances, believed to be fluphenazine and zuclopenthixol.
"For most medication control cases for horses, only urine is analysed," the FEI statement declared. "When necessary, and depending on the circumstances of the case, the blood sample is analysed."
Following the theft of the horse's B urine sample in the driveway of the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory (HFL) in Cambridgeshire on October 21st, the FEI this week arranged for Waterford Crystal's B blood sample to be sent to the American lab. The sample was due to arrive in New York State yesterday afternoon and the lab's director, Chris Nattrass, will start confirmatory analysis on Monday. Results are expected later in the week.
Meanwhile, the HFL's director of drugs surveillance, Steve Maynard, said yesterday that the person who collected the urine sample from a DHL courier in the HFL driveway did not show a proper laboratory staff ID card.
Despite the continuing controversy, Cambridgeshire police have said that investigations into the theft of the sample had been put on hold because the detective in charge of the case was on leave until Monday.