Substances

[teecee]

I get where you are coming from. Anybody from any background reading this must surely wonder..
IMO if previous history is to be a mitigating factor then previous convictions must be an aggravating factor no matter the timeline.
IMO this is not one of RIU proudest moments. Their penalty recommendation (which the committee virtually tore up after demanding where they (RIU) were coming from has already drawn flak with their investigators in this matter advised to not to use this case in their CV's. I do note the JCA not following the RIU down the same path re recommendations. I just wish they were more consistent with the Dalgety case. Being consistent is all.
Having full and comprehensive decisions published like this does give us an insight into this unsavoury aspect of our industry.
I look forward to Australia inquiries being similarly comprehensively published as more than a one paragraph media release. That is until they follow NZ with an independent judiciary.!!!!! That can't happen of course until Australia has a bill of rights for all its citizens.

Dan I get your point about PMs. you are not the only one "just wondering / asking".

[Adaptor]

Not only :
It is alleged that Mr Batsakis presented ‘Our Fabiolla’ to race at Cranbourne on 24 October 2017 when not free of the prohibited substances capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin.

But also:
It is alleged that Mr Spiteri presented ‘Blissfull Stride’ to race at Ballarat on 16 June 2017 when not free of the prohibited substance capsaicin.

Dihydrocapsaicin is a capsaicinoid and analog and congener of capsaicin in chili peppers (Capsicum). Like capsaicin, it is an irritant.[1] Dihydrocapsaicin accounts for about 22% of the total capsaicinoid mixture and has nearly, but not quite, the same pungency as capsaicin. Pure dihydrocapsaicin is a lipophilic colorless odorless crystalline to waxy compound. It is soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide and 100% ethanol.

Capsaicin also has a reputation for relieving certain kinds of pain, and is a widely used ingredient in over-the-counter topical creams and ointments for arthritis.

[KTQ]

Not only :
It is alleged that Mr Batsakis presented ‘Our Fabiolla’ to race at Cranbourne on 24 October 2017 when not free of the prohibited substances capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin.

But also:
It is alleged that Mr Spiteri presented ‘Blissfull Stride’ to race at Ballarat on 16 June 2017 when not free of the prohibited substance capsaicin.

Dihydrocapsaicin is a capsaicinoid and analog and congener of capsaicin in chili peppers (Capsicum). Like capsaicin, it is an irritant.[1] Dihydrocapsaicin accounts for about 22% of the total capsaicinoid mixture and has nearly, but not quite, the same pungency as capsaicin. Pure dihydrocapsaicin is a lipophilic colorless odorless crystalline to waxy compound. It is soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide and 100% ethanol.

Capsaicin also has a reputation for relieving certain kinds of pain, and is a widely used ingredient in over-the-counter topical creams and ointments for arthritis.

It's also included in anti-chew formulas - if horses are getting away with arsenic from chewing fence posts, perhaps trainers should be getting away with spraying those same fence posts with capsaicin liquid to stop them chewing the fence posts

[Showgrounds]

I think, Katie, you have just highlighted to me the absurdity of harness racing and my unwillingness to invest another single dollar in it after forty-five years of investing too much.

You have probably nailed the cause of the positive swabs. There is a substantiated rumour the head of of a swab analytical service once boasted he could trace a teaspoon of sugar in a swimming pool. Had you a horse that could ingest a swimming pool full of water, I'd suggest you would be in trouble because some genius would tell us sugar is a performance enhancer. After all, it supposed to give you an energy hit!

There are just too many people earning a living behind the scenes in our sport these days. Frankly, I hate parasites.

[Messenger]

I think, Katie, you have just highlighted to me the absurdity of harness racing and my unwillingness to invest another single dollar in it after forty-five years of investing too much.

You have probably nailed the cause of the positive swabs. There is a substantiated rumour the head of of a swab analytical service once boasted he could trace a teaspoon of sugar in a swimming pool. Had you a horse that could ingest a swimming pool full of water, I'd suggest you would be in trouble because some genius would tell us sugar is a performance enhancer. After all, it supposed to give you an energy hit!

There are just too many people earning a living behind the scenes in our sport these days. Frankly, I hate parasites.

Forget this example but do you seriously think drug testers are the parasites and integrity is not an issue Trevor?

[Showgrounds]

Not saying the drug testers; just look at the industry as a whole. The number of people EMPLOYED in the industry, as opposed to those that PARTICIPATE, is becoming disproportionate. Check HRV's org structure - more "generals" than they had on the Western Front!

As for swabs, and basing my assessment on Katie's "anti-chew" post, you would really start to wonder why you would get out of bed to work a horse if you were notified of a "positive" under those circumstances. No doubt the trainers will be given a fair hearing (if "fair', by meaning means you are automatically guilty by presenting a horse to race that was not "drug-free").

Somewhere along the way the custodians of harness racing, while always seeking more participants, have construed any active constituent in any number of common, everyday products as drugs. Or, more correctly, "prohibited substances". Of course, trainers lacking in chemical and animal health product knowledge, will always be prone to suffering "uh-oh" moments. Along the way, analysts, legal eagles and many others will gain financially as people try to protect their sullied reputations.

I've always found it strange that the USTA allows horses to race on Lasix, which is administered in the knowledge of everybody and in a controlled manner. In Australia, however, are we so unenlightened to believe horses only bleed when blood is seen in its nostrils? Or a horse which in its early career was raced well but lost all form is deemed not to try anymore? More likely, it has never been seen with blood in its nostrils (shame about the rest of its body!). Some time back we got on our pedestals and shouted we are a "substance free" form of racing. What a shame we overlooked animal health and welfare while slapping ourselves on the back. So, here we are today with what could appear to be a couple of poor saps trying to stop there horses from chewing a post or something else.

Of course, I base this purely on Katie's comment which is speculative at best. Noel's info on the "substance" capsaicin "also has a reputation for relieving certain kinds of pain, and is a widely used ingredient in over-the-counter topical creams and ointments for arthritis" appears to be shaky evidence. The words "has a reputation" trouble me - no proof. I know chilli to be pretty good at raising your metabolism - does that make it a performance enhancer? Perhaps, but scientifically proven? I advise people who complain about tom-cats visiting there place to sprinkle a little cayenne pepper where they do their business because cats always sniff where they have been. They soon learn to keep away, just as the horse will learn not to chew the post.

Yes, integrity is all about bringing drug cheats and race riggers to account. There is no integrity in dragging down the poor nongs who have used a product containing a "substance" unwittingly if not entirely innocently. And I have checked; there is not a single law in Victoria (and I would think think all other states) that lists an offence for stupidity!

We need to concentrate on cleaning out the cheats and give a bit more latitude to those deemed to have made genuine mistakes. And I say this as a person still actively working in compliance and enforcement. Cheats out, animal health and welfare in.

And, for the life of me, I fail to see how a lot of people going out of their way to demonstrate how much smarter they are than a simple, unsuspecting horse trainer can assist our sport to grow. In reality, it sucks the life-blood out of the game at the roots.

A parasitic effect, perhaps?

[KTQ]

To be honest I was being a little facetious. The capsicum spray has a warning on the side not to use for racing horses for some reason though, you can't get away with being swabbed positive for that but you can for arsenic. Should trainers now not need to take responsibility to prevent horses chewing posts with plastic wrapping or an equally preventative measure? It's been well documented and it's about time it stopped being an excuse

[Danno]

Adding a tiny bit to Katie's post, there were a number of trainers done for "Capsaicin" around here a few years ago and its "folklore" now that they were all being supplied drenches by the one person, not that they all had rabid fence chewers in their yards!!

That said, in many respects I agree with some of Trevor's sentiments, we DO want integrity but we do want REAL integrity not unbalanced impositions on participants.


cheers,

Dan

[Showgrounds]

Would never have guessed Katie! But you still nailed the hypothetical problem. On of harness racing's ten (or ten thousand) commandments is thou shalt not administer arsenic. I believe the harness racing Moses that presented that tablet is at least four decades behind the times. Robacyl has been outlawed fr decades and the smarties have moved on from injectable arsenic.

Should fence posts be wrapped in plastic? Who knows, but there will be some egotistical chemical analyst out there who will dedicate their life to finding a "band substance" in the plastic. And we continue to play the circle game.

We continue to use a sledge hammer to drive a 2 inch nail.

[Messenger]

I received a suggestion that we should be concentrating on pre-race swabbing. What with having to wait 3hrs post race to detect a bicarb positive
The suggestion was that all horses could be swabbed pre and then send off the winners and big improvers for testing
If this task was too onerous you could just randomly do the entire field for half the races