A. For purposes of detecting violations of this article, the department shall appoint qualified veterinarians, biochemists and such other personnel subject to title 41, chapter 4, article 4 as the department considers necessary or may contract with a duly qualified chemical laboratory located either within or outside this state. The testing personnel may, in accordance with such procedures as the commission by regulation prescribes:
- 1. Examine horses entered in a race within six hours before the start of the race to determine if the horse has been desensitized or drugged. For the purposes of the examination a horse does not have to be held in a retaining barn.
- 2. Perform such other tests and inspections as the department considers necessary to carry out this article including the random splitting of samples.
- 3. Store blood, urine and saliva samples in a frozen state or in any other appropriate manner by which they may be preserved for future analysis.
- 4. Perform tests on horses that die while on property under the jurisdiction of the department.
- 5. Analyze samples of urine, blood or saliva taken immediately after a race from the horse that won the race to determine if the horse has been drugged. The department may additionally analyze samples of any other animal entered in a race.