Training and haematochemical profile in Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds: A longitudinal study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the modifications of some haematochemical parameters during 80 days training in 17 Thoroughbreds and 15 Standardbreds in order to assess the relationships between studied parameters and athletic performance. On all subjects blood samples were collected every 20 days for a period of 80 days by jugular venipuncture. Serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), gamma glutamil transferase (γGT), urea, creatinine (CREA) and total proteins (TP) were analyzed with commercially available kits by means of a UV spectrophotometer. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant effect of time (P < 0.0001) on V2 and V4 (velocity speed reached at blood lactate concentration of, respectively, 2 and 4 mmol/L) and V200 (velocity speed reached at heart rate of 200 beats/min). One-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant effect of days of training (P < 0.001) on AST, CK, urea, CREA and TP in Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. Based on these results, it is concluded that physiological changes in several blood clinical chemistry parameters occur in response to exercise training in Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. Since there is an evident relationship between haematochemical changes and performance, these findings can be useful to assess the status of an athlete and the degree of its training adaptability, and eventually to modify the training schedule to achieve the desired performance.