Wow- Lactic acid is actually a fuel.

Or maybe you were witness to something illegal?

It probably wasn't illegal. It was still legal in Kentucky in 1999:

Volume 3· Issue 56 · December 6, 1999

Kentucky Groups Request Closer Look Into Milkshakes

Alarmed over what is rapidly becoming a credibility issue for Kentucky racing, the state’s racetracks and horsemen have asked the Kentucky Racing Commission to look into the issue of "milkshaking," the practice of forcibly injecting a mixture of sodium bicarbonates and water into horses hours before they race.

The practice is illegal in Standardbred racing and in all but a handful of Thoroughbred jurisdictions, but is legal in Kentucky up to four hours before a horse is scheduled to race. The mixture supposedly slows the buildup of lactic acid, which causes muscle fatigue in horses while they are running or otherwise performing.

Commission Chairman Richard "Smitty" Taylor and Executive Director Bernie Hettel received a letter from the Churchill Downs Horsemen’s Committee on December 3 requesting the commission look into the issue. The committee consists of Churchill Downs President Alex Waldrop, track officials Jerry Botts, Butch Lehr, and Donnie Richardson, Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association President Rick Hiles and Executive Director Marty Maline, and Dr. David Richardson and Alex Rankin of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association.

"Recent media attention given to the practice of ‘milkshaking’ horse on the backside of Churchill Downs and other Kentucky racetracks raises serious questions about the integrity of racing in Kentucky," the letter, dated November 24, states. "We believe the horsemen and the wagering public deserve to know the facts where this practice is concerned.

"To maintain the confidence of horsemen and the public, we ask that the Kentucky Racing Commission commence an open, objective investigation of the prevalence of the practice and further, that the commission consult experts in veterinary science and pharmacology."

Taylor said the commission’s legal staff is currently assessing options, and that he hopes to schedule a meeting/public hearing into the issue before Christmas.

A ban on milkshakes could be enacted in one of two ways, Taylor said. The commission could pass an emergency regulation banning milkshakes immediately, but that would only last for 120 days. The other method would be to make the ban a normal regulation, which would require a five-to-six month process including public comment and clearing the regulation through Kentucky’s Legislative Research Commission, according to Taylor.

"I can’t speak for (Governor Paul Patton) and all the commissioners, but once we come up with a regulation, this should go really fast," Taylor said.

The quicker the better, said Kentucky Thoroughbred Association Executive Director David Switzer, who said the issue "affects the credibility of racing, the credibility of the sport to our fans, and the credibility of our breeding industry."

"Tomorrow’s too late," Switzer said of efforts to address the issue. Source Thoroughbred Times

[Eva]

i am sure it was not illegal here in PR when i saw it done....heck, i mixed them and gave them to the horses myself....

so, i guess milkshakes really did work....otherwise, why ban them?