A couple of recently published scientific papers took my interest, one of which was on bicarb-loading. There has been a lot of papers written on milkshaking in Thoroughbreds including its effect on cardiorespiratory limits and exercise, the proper amount, and the exact mechanisms behind its success and there is also some conflicting research on its efficacy. However, one of the more interesting papers surmised that the better horses had naturally higher pre-race TCO2 levels,