Tip-off claims rock racing

Texts suggest drug testing compromised

REELING from devastating doping revelations, horse racing faces a new crisis with suggestions drug-testing protocols were compromised by secret tip-offs.

Text messages seen by News Corp indicate charged stablehand Greg Nelligan was told that an Aquanita Racing horse would not be subjected to pre-race blood testing at the Geelong track.

The information is contained in a text exchange between a licensed trainer and Nelligan in September 2010.

The trainer, who has not been charged and is not named by News Corp, texted Nelligan five hours before Trisara was to start in Race 9: “No test race 9 no 12 2day.”

Nelligan responds: “No test at all or no late blood?” before the trainer answers: “He say no test blood.”

The trainer’s alleged source is not named but the information was correct.

Trisara, trained by Aquanita trainer Tony Vasil, was not tested pre-race and ran third of 12 starters.

On-course blood testing is a key integrity measure and any moves to sabotage testing protocols is a hammer blow to the sport’s credibility.

Trainers Robert Smerdon, Liam Birchley, Stuart Webb, Vasil and Trent Pennuto and Aquanita employees Nelligan, Danny Garland and Denise Nelligan are charged with a total of 271 racing offences dating to 2010.

As the fallout of News Corp’s revelations widened:

■ LLOYD Williams, the most successful owner in Melbourne Cup history, called for Racing Victoria to “remove all these offenders from racing”;

■ CHAMPION trainer David Hayes said he found the details of the alleged pre-race doping “devastating” and “horrific”;

■ HAYES and other trainers with starters in the 2015 Melbourne Cup declared their runners clean in the wake of text claims by Nelligan that a trainer with “two Cup horses” had ordered sodium bicarbonate “top-ups”;

■ RACING Victoria chief Giles Thompson said authorities did not have their heads in the sand and were determined to rid the sport of cheats; and

■ MICHELLE Payne, who rode Prince Of Penzance to win the 2015 Melbourne Cup, said faith in integrity measures was crucial to public support for the industry.

Trainers Robert Smerdon, Liam Birchley, Stuart Webb, Vasil and Trent Pennuto and Aquanita employees Nelligan, Danny Garland and Denise Nelligan are charged with a total of 271 racing offences dating to 2010.

Speculation continues to build the matter will be acted upon within days rather than weeks as political and industry pressure builds on Racing Victoria.

RV chief Thompson said: “We have found these alleged breaches. We are prosecuting them.

“The silver lining is that we are doing something about it. We don’t want to stick our heads in the sand,” Mr Thompson said.