cobalt

[Richard prior]

3 run in a week or 4-5 runs in a fortnight...harness yes, thoroughbreds never.

2 Runs on the same day here sometimes and 3 in The Little Brown Jug on the odd occasion.

[Danno]

Bailey that's my point exactly, comparing apples with oranges.
Kevin, it is naive to think that chemistry does not play s part in all racing and sport in general.
I have to admit I have a vested interest in this issue.
Out of all the positives in NSW I believe there is one genuinely innocent participant. The big issue is withholding periods. Imagine if you gave a horse a start and it received a positive swab due to the hotse husbandry of the previous trainer. The facts will eventually come out.
As for the story in the Age what a beat up. Let's ban all horse supplements, and jumps racing

Adam old mate, there is always the "innocent victim" my father inlaw worked in the correction system for 40 years and he can tell you he never met a prisoner who admitted guilt!! TRUE!!.
I see a few red herrings in your argument as well,...."build up" "ban Jumps", seriously mate I have been around for a while and have seen all manner of defense for the guilty ( who wish to be protrayed as victims), that is why the rules changed a while ago to "no treatment of ANY kind on raceday", and mate if you think all trainers are adhereing to that rule you are living is disneyland, MANY have "husbandry" techiques finely tuned in order to reduce the chances of detection.

the no treatment rule on raceday was brought in to try and reduce the cheating because it is so F___ing prevalent by "progressive" trainers, people who prefer that term to cheats.

cheers,
Dan

[Danno]

2 Runs on the same day here sometimes and 3 in The Little Brown Jug on the odd occasion.

Hey Rich,
I raced a horse twice on the same nightime program years ago.... he got smashed in the first one and came out an hour an a half later and brained them!!! and guess what!!! he hadn't had an ASPRO!!!!, but he was fit for the assignment and raced accordingly.

[Race For Fun]

We need to keep the trots and the gallops seperate as at the end of the day one has nothing to do with the other when it comes to the way positive swabs are handled and what is classed as a positive. The trots have a few rules that they up hold when dealing with a positive swab, 1. It is the trainers responsibility to present all horses free of drugs for all races. 2. No drugs of any types to be administered to any horse that is engaged in a race on race day. End of section. When you renew your licence you agree to these rules. End of section.

Any trainer who starts a horse that has come from another trainer (who failed a swab himself) only a few days earlier does so at their own risk, the days of doing that ended years ago when swabbing procedures improved. In years gone by trainers won premierships with the help of some horses that they only saw on race day.

Comes a time when people who don't abide by the rules of harness racing should be removed for a while. At the end of the day the rules are there to not only try to keep everyone on a level playing field but also to uphold the integrity of the industry. The fact that some people don't agree with rules and or levels set by the Australian or state body is ok as long as the stewards keep catching them.

[kung fu man]

It doesnt matter if you race once a fortnight or five times in five days if you take a chance and come undone you still gave the supplement? and you still broke the rules , if your fair dinkum you would stop feeding anything that has Cobalt but some people are just greedy!!

[teecee]

Hey Rich,
I raced a horse twice on the same nightime program years ago.... he got smashed in the first one and came out an hour an a half later and brained them!!! and guess what!!! he hadn't had an ASPRO!!!!, but he was fit for the assignment and raced accordingly.

Were you asked to explain the "improved performance" of the horse (or the driver if that fits)???!!!!!

[Mister JayKO]

I am of the opinion that horse racing in Australia is on the slippery slope and is mirroring what has happened in the States, yet we seem hell bent on replicating the same mistakes they have made. Integrity is the core issue - to betting, to ownership, to breeding the whole shebang. Without a perception that most things are above board you cannot expect anything to improve. To me it would appear that the big 3 will most likely get out of this on a technicality and that will have a flow on effect to both industries but more importantly - the flow on to the most important people, punters, potential owners and breeders can only be negative.

I hope I am wrong.

[Danno]

Were you asked to explain the "improved performance" of the horse (or the driver if that fits)???!!!!!

Ya can't run without legs Teecee, and he had his taken on the home turn, but we can blame the driver if you like!!!

[Danno]

I am of the opinion that horse racing in Australia is on the slippery slope and is mirroring what has happened in the States, yet we seem hell bent on replicating the same mistakes they have made. Integrity is the core issue - to betting, to ownership, to breeding the whole shebang. Without a perception that most things are above board you cannot expect anything to improve. To me it would appear that the big 3 will most likely get out of this on a technicality and that will have a flow on effect to both industries but more importantly - the flow on to the most important people, punters, potential owners and breeders can only be negative.

I hope I am wrong.

Couldn't agrre more with your assessment of a) the dominant causal? issue and b) why do we keep copying the mistakes of the septics?

[Messenger]

It is bloody sad.
I am not sure the racing industry can win.
Being a realist - sweeping it under the carpet might be simpler as most of the general public will not remember this 2 days later
While taking a strong broom to the lot may not convince the public. There would be headlines like ' Was Black Caviar the equine Lance?'
What we have in our favour is that most punters are addicted but sponsors may be harder to come by.