Stewards News 2

[Messenger]

https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fi...23#SPC05042310

What is the QDT about for the fav who ran last in R1 at Shep today
It was a 1690m race and he started from 3 and was stuck 3w with the option to go back (over 1690m = No) or to work a little longer to pass the 2 horse ($126) who was being restrained for him
I think it was admirable that he pushed on (with his stablemate and near on equal favourite in the lead)

Are the stewards worried about the stable trying to control the race? Over policing! What is wrong with near on equal favourites wanting to occupy the lead spots in a 1690m race

[Messenger]

A couple more strange QDT's last night (I will await the Stewards Reports)
Melton R2 - what would they be querying about Ellen Tormey's drive on the unlucky Major Milestone?

https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fi...23#MXM08042307

At Wagga in R5, what would they have been querying about Matt Craven's drive on Bettor Isolate?
No good trying this link yet (I will contact RISE) as it is showing previous race

https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fi...23#EYC08042301

[aussiebreno]

A couple more strange QDT's last night (I will await the Stewards Reports)
Melton R2 - what would they be querying about Ellen Tormey's drive on the unlucky Major Milestone?

https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fi...23#MXM08042307

At Wagga in R5, what would they have been querying about Matt Craven's drive on Bettor Isolate?
No good trying this link yet (I will contact RISE) as it is showing previous race

https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fi...23#EYC08042301

Agree. Thats a pathetic QDT in Bettor Isolate. Driven exact same way as the prior week when he won. Alternative was to be driven like Tay Tay or Abouttime in the races either side.

He was a good thing beaten, but not because of the drive. Just luck in racing. Horse is going places.

[Showgrounds]

If nothing else, this settles who the trainer is and who the bowlers are.

https://integrity.thetrots.com.au/ne...t-david-moran/

Even so, the punishments, if you could call them that, is akin to 50 lashes with a piece of lettuce from a day old Big Mac. Perhaps whipper snipper cord would leave a longer lasting message.

[Messenger]

The VRT decisions take a while to be published but we must keep an eye out at the following link (not the useless one provided) so that we know who to label a horse abuser - like asbestos, they will have to live and breath it forever more on this forum

https://djsir.vic.gov.au/victorian-r...ns-and-reasons

[Theoldfox]

If nothing else, this settles who the trainer is and who the bowlers are.

https://integrity.thetrots.com.au/ne...t-david-moran/

Even so, the punishments, if you could call them that, is akin to 50 lashes with a piece of lettuce from a day old Big Mac. Perhaps whipper snipper cord would leave a longer lasting message.

...and what makes it a bigger joke is that "the media" knew of this training arrangement when writing all of the "hard luck" stories on losing the horse to a bleed before he returned from his "run of bad luck". Surely we can do better than elevating serial rule breakers to hero status and not calling out indiscretions and suspensions/disqualifications as WRONG! Being disciplined for doing the wrong thing should never be portrayed as having a "bad run" unless they believe that getting caught is the "unlucky" part. The media may think they are helping with what they believe are "positive" stories but all that is happening is that they are normalising the wrong behaviour in the sport and in the long run the reputation of the sport goes down the drain. It may seem painful but the best thing for the sport is showing that the industry does not tolerate rule breaking, aggression, violence, cruelty and any other indiscretions. Perhaps only then will industry's reputation be restored.

[Messenger]

...and what makes it a bigger joke is that "the media" knew of this training arrangement when writing all of the "hard luck" stories on losing the horse to a bleed before he returned from his "run of bad luck". Surely we can do better than elevating serial rule breakers to hero status and not calling out indiscretions and suspensions/disqualifications as WRONG! Being disciplined for doing the wrong thing should never be portrayed as having a "bad run" unless they believe that getting caught is the "unlucky" part. The media may think they are helping with what they believe are "positive" stories but all that is happening is that they are normalising the wrong behaviour in the sport and in the long run the reputation of the sport goes down the drain. It may seem painful but the best thing for the sport is showing that the industry does not tolerate rule breaking, aggression, violence, cruelty and any other indiscretions. Perhaps only then will industry's reputation be restored.

Well said.
We get bugger all mainstream media coverage so we are pretty much looking at the platforms we 'rusted ons' access.
Apart from a notorious subscription only critic (maybe too much so) about the only criticism I have heard from our presenters would be a couple of times in his limited opportunities where Dan has spoken out on something that he thinks is wrong (not participants, mind you)

[strong persuader]

...and what makes it a bigger joke is that "the media" knew of this training arrangement when writing all of the "hard luck" stories on losing the horse to a bleed before he returned from his "run of bad luck". Surely we can do better than elevating serial rule breakers to hero status and not calling out indiscretions and suspensions/disqualifications as WRONG! Being disciplined for doing the wrong thing should never be portrayed as having a "bad run" unless they believe that getting caught is the "unlucky" part. The media may think they are helping with what they believe are "positive" stories but all that is happening is that they are normalising the wrong behaviour in the sport and in the long run the reputation of the sport goes down the drain. It may seem painful but the best thing for the sport is showing that the industry does not tolerate rule breaking, aggression, violence, cruelty and any other indiscretions. Perhaps only then will industry's reputation be restored.

Amen to that. That is one train that I'll be happy to get on.

[Showgrounds]

It only took two and a half years for her drawn out inquiry into Black Edition's two positive swabs for the presence of levamisole to be concluded. She has been DQ'd for 6 months. The decision makes interesting, and alarming, reading.

https://www.harness.org.au/media-roo...?news_id=60925

Note the horse's previous NZ trainer Ken Barron admitted to administering a product called Matrix-C to the horse on 20 November 2020, a week before being cleared to NSW. This is an oral drench register in NZ and elsewhere for use with cattle only. On dairy cattle, it has a withholding period of 35 days on milk intended for human consumption. For meat, the WHP is 14 days.

The 3 active ingredients in Matrix-C are:
- abamectin, a macrocyclic lactone similar to Ivomec and other worm drench pastes used to worm horses;
- oxfendazole, a "white" drench that nowadays is used in rotation with mectins to clean out residual worms; and
- levamisole, which is a prohibited substance for horses. Calling your horse a cow, sheep or goat makes no difference.

The first two ingredients in their various forms and products are registered products, sometime as a combination, in horses. Levmisole is a prohibited substance according to the rule of racing and veterinary medicines registration authorities in Australasia. Here is the the product sheet:

https://parasitipedia.net/index.php?...27&Itemid=4857

Which begs the questions - what is HRNZ going to do about Ken Barron's admission? What is a professional horse trainer doing administering a cattle-only drench to a horse? And a 3-way drench designed to treat cattle with a heavy worm burden, something you are unlikely to find in the lush pastures around West Melton (Canterbury NZ, not to be confused with the dry pastures of Mellton West just past Tabcorp Park).

Barron's admission does not wash for mine.

[Theoldfox]

It only took two and a half years for her drawn out inquiry into Black Edition's two positive swabs for the presence of levamisole to be concluded. She has been DQ'd for 6 months. The decision makes interesting, and alarming, reading.

https://www.harness.org.au/media-roo...?news_id=60925

Note the horse's previous NZ trainer Ken Barron admitted to administering a product called Matrix-C to the horse on 20 November 2020, a week before being cleared to NSW. This is an oral drench register in NZ and elsewhere for use with cattle only. On dairy cattle, it has a withholding period of 35 days on milk intended for human consumption. For meat, the WHP is 14 days.

The 3 active ingredients in Matrix-C are:
- abamectin, a macrocyclic lactone similar to Ivomec and other worm drench pastes used to worm horses;
- oxfendazole, a "white" drench that nowadays is used in rotation with mectins to clean out residual worms; and
- levamisole, which is a prohibited substance for horses. Calling your horse a cow, sheep or goat makes no difference.

The first two ingredients in their various forms and products are registered products, sometime as a combination, in horses. Levmisole is a prohibited substance according to the rule of racing and veterinary medicines registration authorities in Australasia. Here is the the product sheet:

https://parasitipedia.net/index.php?...27&Itemid=4857

Which begs the questions - what is HRNZ going to do about Ken Barron's admission? What is a professional horse trainer doing administering a cattle-only drench to a horse? And a 3-way drench designed to treat cattle with a heavy worm burden, something you are unlikely to find in the lush pastures around West Melton (Canterbury NZ, not to be confused with the dry pastures of Mellton West just past Tabcorp Park).

Barron's admission does not wash for mine.

To be honest I don't think that this constitutes any offence, particularly if prescribed by a vet. There are many drugs dispensed by vets that are branded/labelled for one animal but used on another. This is not strictly regulated. It happens that drugs labelled for humans (it usually means they are purer) are used on animals too. Levamisole is banned from competition (as is too much Bicarb soda!), if the trainer had no intention to race, there is no offence committed by him as far as I can see, it's not a restricted drug. It was good to see the stewards did the due diligence and didn't let this slip as coming from Ken Barron's treatment. It was waaaaay past the withholding period.