Was adjourned until the 21/5 to enable him to review evidence.
Wrap is on www.harness.org/stewards wrap
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Was adjourned until the 21/5 to enable him to review evidence.
Wrap is on www.harness.org/stewards wrap
From what I understand, had Luke not faired well yesterday ALL his horses would not have been allowed to start on Saturday night.
Is that correct?
Barney, I had trouble accessing that story on your link, found it on http://www.harness.org.au/news-artic...?news_id=18136
The most optomistic person in the land would not be too chipper about Lukes current predicament at present. Even if he had the 'lawyer to the stars' Chris Murphy in his corner, what has already gone before ( ie the Barry Lew case), the precedent has already been set. If I was Luke, I too would be getting every stay of proceedings possible and employ any delaying tactic I could to prolong what is a foregone conclusion. I have nothing but admiration for what he has achieved in such a short time and it will be a blight on the industry, but eventually he will have to either prove his innocence or serve a penalty. And before anyone zaps this, there is nothing defamatory here, just my opinion on what is in the public arena. Reckon p plater is correct, the stewards would have imposed their penalty immediately and a lot of horses would have changed trainer quick smart. Other owners should not be penalised.
From what I was told, in the recent P Morris case, all his horses were barred from racing for 2 weeks after a change of trainer. This maybe incorrect but if true as Brad has mentioned, what a great penalty against some high profile owners who put a lot of money into the sport
A Butt issued with a trainers licence here to carry on where T Butt left off. No standown of horses. Same with Barry Lew...no standdown of horses.
Both cases penalty started immediately.
read L McCarthy found guilty today been adjourned till tommorrow for penilty,also read on harness web horse search that B McCarthy is new trainner of some if not all in stable.
Good luck to all.
The blight on the industry is if Belinda Mcarthy is allowed to immediately obtain a Trainer's Licence and takeover the team. That would only indicate that L Mc would be calling all the shots. Technically it will be accepted that she would be able to do that, morally it's wrong. In the P Morris case, their horses were sidelined for four weeks while a change of trainer was finalized. What are the rules? They seem to change at various times depending on who's involved. Maybe it's technicalities.
If L Mc horses are stood down there is a good chance that a prominent owner from the camp will seek an injunction against this weeks meeting. Interesting stuff ahead.
This has been happening in all codes for years. If a Freedman got outed then another brother would take over. If John Hawkes had of been done when by himself then one of his sons would have taken over etc.
9 Months but this will drag on under a stay I would say!!!
Unlucky Luke to go on this. I'm sure that you'll bounce back bigger and better. Take a holiday and start again in a few months time. No big problem. You're still way ahead of everyone else and good luck to you for being the smartest and the one to make the most money out of the game.
On another note, I'd like to know where ALL the pundits are that claimed that it was impossible for Luke to be using performance enhancing drugs?
B McCarthy has horses in at Menangle trials today
Melton Friday,& 9 nominated for Menangle
Saturday
Good Luck
https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/im...8nuQIoUluFd_uM
I'll bring the cake....
In all seriousness though it is good news drug cheats get kicked out like this. You never quite know what other horses of McCarthys (and other cheats) had prohibited substances in their system and it sucks majorly for the industry - the day we have a level playing field is the day the sport is allowed to become successful throughout the country. Also, it sucks the horses can just be transferred like that but thems the rules.
Seems that horses cant be transferred to his wife unless she moves to new stables.Must admit surprised that the people on here who were so forthcoming about Luke being so much better than anyone else have gone quiet now he has been suspended. Personally are disappointed as the sport does need a celebrity and he seemed like the one.
Hi Brian
Where did you read that the horses can't be transferred to his wife unless she move's to new stables.
Dallas,
point 2.1(a)
http://www.hrnsw.com.au/assets/files...f%20Horses.pdf
I agree 100% with racefair. Under that arrangement, Luke McCarthy didn't recieve a disqualification but purely a hand brake. He will still earn from the sport and maintain all his clients through a puppet. Not just a farce but makes the Stewards and the rules look like imbeciles and treats the honest folk in the sport like mugs.
Well said.
"I've done nothing wrong" - Luke McCarthy
http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=97792
Reid Sanders - HRNSW stringent drug testing
http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=97793
I've got no idea about her potential and she could be the next star. I hope that she is. I haven't heard of her as a trainer nor seen her name attached to any winners. So then, the facts are that she has no record like Fitzpatrick, Thorn, or Luke McCarthy himself etc. Nothing slanderous here. Owners can do as they please and you get the point that was being made.
It would appear that Luke is not accepting of the judgement and is prepared to take it to the Supreme Court if need be. If I have read the following article correctly has Belinda been denied the opportunity to train the affected horses by HRNSW? http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=97792
The whole article by Steve Dolan really is quite a remarkable document. If reported accurately, some of the statements made by Luke opens him up to further action by HRNSW, in particular "I don't have a lot of faith in the people in charge here or their judicial system". Surely as a licenced (DQ) person this statement in the public arena will be frowned upon by the regulatory folk as bringing the sport into further disrepute. Especially after a few weeks ago when Reid Sanders warned licenced persons making such statements that they should be careful with what they say. He really SHOULD have his lawyer speaking for him at all times.
And then there is this little pearler of a poser to all about the action HRNSW has taken...have they gone too far?
So the question may well be for many, guilty or not, does the punishment fit the crime? Or is Harness Racing New South Wales in their effort to clean the sport up in their State, over flexing their muscle and thus affecting the livelihood of those who are guilty by association only.
Get real. All any of the honest participants could ask for is a level playing field. Sanders is working towards cleaning up the game so everyone gets a fair go. We all knew it was going to get worse before it got better. You cannot expect the industry to have ANY INTEGRITY if they walked away from their recent efforts just because a big name goes down. It is true that there WILL be a big impact in many ways (owners, staff etc) and much disruption, but it should not be the end of the world for an industry that IS bigger than one person. Kudos and congratulations to HRNSW who are stepping up to the mark and not dodging their responsibilities. On the downside they might have a few more legal battles which may be hard to defend but no-one ever won a war without a scratch or two.
Although I haven't questioned Belinda's credentials and don't intend to if anyone thinks it is legitimate that she will be training in her own right (why one would think that I don't know) Luke has put that to bed. From the 'I've done nothing wrong' article here is a quote from Luke.
"I will make sure the horses still race and my owners are looked after. I've spoken to most and they're all very supportive," said McCarthy"
If Belinda was to be a legitimate trainer wouldnt it be 'We' or 'our' instead of I and my? Belinda might have her name in the book but Luke has just told us they're his owners and horses, not Belinda's or anyone elses.
There is a lot more I want to say on this McCarthy matter but alas I better not.
Hi Duane , found this article which makes intresting reading re steroids & how they are used .
At the same AAEP meeting, trainer/veterinarian John
Kimmel – a practicing racetrack veterinarian for several
years before he became a trainer – stood up in front of 100
race track veterinarians and asked, “When are we going to
ban anabolic steroids?” He went on to say anabolic steroids
allow a trainer to train a horse harder than would otherwise
be possible naturally and, for that reason, should be eliminated
What puzzles me more than anything else at this point is that in recent times here in NSW we've had a Trainer score no less than an apparent Methamphetamine positive, it being an illegal drug that puts you in jail if you're found in possession of it...and we've had another Trainer score an EPO positive, it being a highly restricted and prescription only Human medication that has apparently somehow turned up in his horse...and yet nobody seems to want their respective Jatz Crackers hanging from a Flag Pole?????
All that anyone and their dogs want to bang on about is Luke's Boldenone overage. Some significant Double Standards at work perhaps?
I think it was Bruce Fox who recently went for 6 months for Salbutamol/Ventolin and apparently nobody gave a bugger. Old mate the Vet from Liverpool also went for Clenbuterol and again nobody gave a bugger. Barry went for 6 months for exactly the same thing that Luke has gone for 9 months for and once again, as far as Barry was concerned, apparently nobody really gave a bugger.
The difference between those 3 blokes and Luke? Yep, that's right...here's where the hypocrisy runs rife.
Those three blokes were not winning race after race after race, week after a week after week...so they were not seen as competition to anywhere near the same degree, so basically nobody cared. Luke was competition however & the outrage is duly multiplied 20 fold.
Race clean, race fair...my arse. It's smoke and mirrors and by and large it is not about those noble aims at all.
If it was then the supporters of those views would have thumped Bruce & the Vet & Barry just as much...which they quite clearly have not. This is big target, Tall Poppy stuff, no more, no less. Each one of those blokes, including Luke, has scored just (1) positive...but thus far only one of them has worn the full weight of public criticism.
This is a very unfortunate situation for Lukes team, but as you have pointed out the tall poppy syndrome seems to be in full swing.
ps
I hate people that drive Ferrari's
Make no mistake my hatred isn't at individuals as people, rather at their behaviour of cheating and doing good people out of a buck. The hatred of this is on par with all drug cheats. Some of it just gets displayed more because some are higher profile.
Luke was/is the biggest name in the sport over the past season or two. The views displayed by this forum and the wider harness racing public are human nature VVV. Not too dissimiliar to the stewards saga and your own emotions. Remember when you were more disapointed when you heard a couple of names because you really didn't expect it from them. For different characters different emotions become evoked. You were more disapointed in one case, what is wrong with others being more angry in another case? But yes, some still is the tall poppy syndrome.
One question? The steriod used in this case stays in the system of the horse a long time? is there something that is given to hide it's presence?
If giving this to a horse without some sort of masking agent, would'nt it be like painting your horse pink and driving it naked in the race?
It may well be tall poppy syndrome but he is being treated the same as any other licencee who falls foul. Consistency is a pretty hard ideal to invoke but these guys are doing as good a job as they can within the rules and framework that they have to administer. And to clarify one thing. I was a supporter of Luke and I loved his driving style of putting his horses into a race. So to say I am dissapointed in this whole sorry saga is a big understatement.
Some real Twits on here that think just because Belinda McCarthy has a trainer's Licence she woul be just as accomplished as Luke. Give me a break! How many of the top trainers in the world have spouses as equal in training knowledge or ability as the trainer himself/herself?
Jamie, I'm not sure why after all this time you still don't understand the frustration and disappointment of the harness racing community. I'll highlight a few points that I've previously brought to attention.
1. Luke's rate and nature of the improvement that he gets in horses seemed to people to be unnatural. There are few examples if any of athletes or horses improving at the rate that Luke got them to improve unless of course through medication. Refer to Thomas Tobins book and the type/rate of improvement that he'd get through stimulants, etc. and also any athletic conditioning book and the rate of improvement of elite athletes or horses.
2. Luke has improved just about every horse that he's trained and in a time that would seem unreasonable to to be the result of training alone.
3. Lukes strike rate was getting to be about 50% which was about 30% ahead of any other trainer in harness racing or thoroughbreds. Again, an unbelievable result. So then if you were racing against Luke in a 10horse field, you'd have less than a 5% chance of winning if Luke only had 1 horse in the race. You're odds decreased if he had 2.
4. XXXXXXXXXXXX
5. Old mate Vet, Barry Lew etc.. may have cheated on a small scale with a few horses. They're not beating you time after time and costing you every time you run out.
6. XXXXXXXXXXXX
So then, there could be tall poppy syndrome. . .I think however, it's more about the commercial reality of it all and that everyone wants to participate on a level playing field.
http://www.buysteroidsaustralia.com/
It looks like a good site:¬/
[VVV] That's fair comment. From my perspective Meth & EPO Positives are reprehensible. They simply don't compare with Boldenone, Ventolin or Clenbuterol...they're not even in the same State let alone the same Post Code. It's like comparing a cannon to a pointed stick. Consequently I expected the level of outrage to be similarly applicable. Others apparently have a different view. It still amazes me that to this point nobody has said anything about the Meth & the EPO....seriously, what gives there?
Hi Jaimie . The reason people are outraged over LM's Boldenone positive is because he has XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.
The EPO and Meth positives are just as treacherous { but only as treacherous } . These trainers were lucky to be seen at a harness meeting . They are every bit as despicable . The benefits of Boldenone are , more recently , just being understood . Boldenone causes the body to produce large amounts of EPO with other benefits such as causing a healthy appetite . I think this steroid is as dangerous for our industry as any substance . Possibly the most damaging factor is that it has educated other trainers who would be willing to source and use it to gain advantage . Attached is a recent study done on the benefits of Boldenone .
One further property of boldenone that is most advantageous to athletes who partake in cardiovascular exercises is that boldenone directly stimulates the kidneys to produce erythropoeitin (EPO). EPO is a hormone that increases the number of red blood cells in your blood, thus increasing blood viscosity but more importantly allowing more oxygen to be carried to the cells in your body, improving performance of aerobic exercises. This may also help increase vascularity in users as well.
Yes I take that on board. Roots slipped by largely unnoticed. Wonson is yet to have his inquiry completed, though I think he too will slip by largely unnoticed. The advantages of being a relative no name. Being in the public eye has its benefit but it sucks in instances like this for Luke - there is no doubt he has copped it more than others but I won't be feeling sorry for him. I'm sure Craig Thompson isn't the first bloke to use someone else's money, but he has sure copped it more than most.
Wow what a thread this has become..... the lets bash L McCarthy thread.
Lets get some truths into it.
To say L McCarthy has raped the industry simply because he has one positive swab is an absolute disgrace. Many of his winners have been swabbed and have found to be clear of prohibited substances, it would be akin to saying Karloo Mick is no good and Barry Lew would have never won a race with him because a stablemate returned a positive to a steroid.again ridiculous.
These assumptions or accusations could have been made with some validity if the test for Boldenone was discovered last November but that is not the case it has been around for a long time.
Steroids have been banned for years in both equine codes and for years trainers in both codes have experimented with ways around it, both codes any many trainers were using testosterone in very small does a couple of years back until testing again caught up, that is the nature of racing and we need to get used to it.
All the swabs and people mentioned by VVV have one thing in common the drugs that have been found in their horses are not considered therapeutic, so the authorities should act and in my view have done so accordingly, in the end in some case that will be reviewed when the cases are appealed.
Had HRNSW allowed the transfer of horses to B McCarthy not only would it have looked a joke, because regardless of her ability of otherwise it would have been a joke.
This from time to time occurred in the past but HRNSW changed their policy in August last year and have invoked it since, this is not a ruling unique to L McCarthy congratulations to them.
I do have something in common with every other person on this thread in that I have no idea how Boldenone was found in two horses last year but I do know it is in breach of the rules and to me at least it appears our rule makers have acted consistently in both cases...... as an industry what more do we want.
Last time I looked not one jurisdiction in world racing was hanging trainers for positive swabs.
[QUOTE=Thevoiceofreason;20886]Wow what a thread this has become..... the lets bash L McCarthy thread.
Lets get some truths into it.
To say L McCarthy has raped the industry simply because he has one positive swab is an absolute disgrace. Many of his winners have been swabbed and have found to be clear of prohibited substances, it would be akin to saying Karloo Mick is no good and Barry Lew would have never won a race with him because a stablemate returned a positive to a steroid.again ridiculous.
These assumptions or accusations could have been made with some validity if the test for Boldenone was discovered last November but that is not the case it has been around for a long time.
Steroids have been banned for years in both equine codes and for years trainers in both codes have experimented with ways around it, both codes any many trainers were using testosterone in very small does a couple of years back until testing again caught up, that is the nature of racing and we need to get used to it.
All the swabs and people mentioned by VVV have one thing in common the drugs that have been found in their horses are not considered therapeutic, so the authorities should act and in my view have done so accordingly, in the end in some case that will be reviewed when the cases are appealed.
Had HRNSW allowed the transfer of horses to B McCarthy not only would it have looked a joke, because regardless of her ability of otherwise it would have been a joke.
Fair comment Voice . I think that the term "rape the industry" is how most perceive what has happened . I agree , these substances have no therapeutic value and the fact is you can't mistakenly administer it like , say , bute . I personally can't believe that someone with a "clean racing " mindset would think of using such an advanced form of cheating first time . And yet they are still hero's in this industry . I have nothing against Luke personally but I despise cheats and can't , for the life of me , understand why people hero worship harness racing trainers who cheat . The fact that 6 out of the 8 runners in the Miracle Mile were with trainers that have had positive swabs is almost unbelievable and disgusting . HRNSW is doing a great job . 28 positives lately tells me I had been banging my head against a post since I entered the industry as a trainer / driver . At this time NO ONE can go to the races and believe they are racing on a level playing field . Its quite sad talking to people around the stables and races . No one has a positive outlook and ALL talk is completely negative and Armageddon like . HRNSW have stood up to be counted . Keep it up and thanks .
Yes Jett . Using this substance has other benefits besides the EPO production . It causes a veracious appetite . Horses can be worked much harder than would be normal and come home and still eat whatever is placed in front of them . These effects would give the horse an advantage for half a dozen or so starts . If trained well , their first starts would be devastating