SOUTHERN TRAINER CAPTURES MAJOR INNISFAIL PRIZE

A PROMINENT veterinarian has called for an overhaul on the way Australian racing authorities control and test for cobalt use as another two licensees have recently been dealt 12month suspensions for breaching the permissible threshold.

QCAT suspended harness trainer-driver Darrel Graham for a year, and trainer Rachel Scott had a three-month suspension and $6000 fine amended to a 12-month suspension on appeal.

Underlining what a mire the entire cobalt saga has become, Graham’s case dated back to May 2015.

The elevated cobalt reading from Graham’s horse Mafuta Vautin was accepted to have occurred following the administration of Tripart, containing vitamin B12.

Derek Major, from Derek Major Consulting Pty Ltd, an equine veterinarian for 40 years and someone who since 2015 has been conducting administration trials in horses of various forms of cobalt supplements, said the testing system in Australia continued to provide “false positives” compared with what the rule initially set out to achieve.

“In America they’ve gone for blood testing, which is much more sensible,” he said. “There’s very little correlation between the blood reading and the urine reading. I believe my opinion is shared by most in the scientific community.”

Dr Major noted Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Joseph O’Brien escaped sanction in Europe for a cobalt positive after it was accepted the horse had been exposed to a “salt lick” on race day.

Another trainer, Mikey O’Connor, was fined 1000 Euro for giving a B12 injection on race day that resulted in an elevated cobalt reading.

“Other countries in the world have been a lot more measured in the way they have regulated cobalt abuse,” Dr Major said.