RV INVESTIGATES ELEVATED COBALT CASES INVOLVING HORSES FROM MOODY, KAVANAGH AND O’BRIEN STABLES

By Racing Victora | Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Racing Victoria (RV) Chairman of Stewards, Terry Bailey, has issued the following statement regarding the notification by Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) that horses from the stables of trainers Peter Moody, Mark Kavanagh and Danny O’Brien have returned samples in which Cobalt has been detected above the permitted threshold.

“Following receipt of RASL’s report we are conducting investigations into the circumstances that led to the elevated levels of Cobalt being detected in race-day samples taken from horses from the Moody, Kavanagh and O’Brien stables.

“It is now our priority to gather all the facts to determine the circumstances surrounding each case. We will not be putting a timeline on the completion of this process and will not be commenting on the specifics of each case whilst our investigations continue.

“Our investigations will determine whether any or all of the trainers will be charged with a breach of the Rules of Racing. They have the presumption of innocence and are free to continue racing at this time.”

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Racing Victoria has also supplied the following information.

Summary of RV’s Cobalt investigations:

RASL has informed RV this week that the following samples were shown to contain Cobalt at levels above the permitted threshold of 200 micrograms per litre in urine.

RV Stewards are conducting on-going investigations into the circumstances surrounding each sample.

1.Danny O’Brien - A pre-race urine sample taken from Caravan Rolls On when the horse ran eighth in the Lexus Stakes (Group 3) over 2500 metres at Flemington on 1 November 2014;

2.Danny O’Brien - A pre-race urine sample taken from Bondeiger when the colt ran second in the AAMI Victoria Derby (Group 1) over 2500 metres at Flemington on 1 November 2014;

3.Danny O’Brien - A post-race urine sample taken from De Little Engine when the gelding won the People@Work Handicap over 2300 metres at Sportsbet-Ballarat on 22 November 2014;

4.Mark Kavanagh – A post-race urine sample taken from Magicool when the gelding won the UCI Stakes (Listed) over 1800 metres at Flemington on 4 October 2014;

5.Peter Moody – A post-race urine sample taken from Lidari when the horse finished second in the Turnbull Stakes over 2000 metres at Flemington Racecourse on Saturday, 4 October 2014.

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What is Cobalt?

•Cobalt is an endogenous substance found naturally in horses, however a marked increase in levels can aid in improving a horse’s performance.

•When present at high levels within horses, Cobalt acts as a Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF-1) stabiliser to stimulate red blood cell production.

•In simple terms, the administration of Cobalt can assist in generating more red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body and thus allow a horse to perform at a peak level for longer without the on-set of fatigue.

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What is the threshold for Cobalt?

•On 14 April 2014, Racing Victoria (RV) introduced a prohibition threshold for the substance Cobalt. From that date, the rules have operated so that if Cobalt is detected at a concentration above 200 micrograms per litre in urine in a race-day sample it is a prohibited substance.

•On 17 December 2014, the Australian Racing Board announced that the Rules of Racing would be amended to introduce a national threshold for cobalt, effective 1 January 2015. This threshold reflects the threshold which has been in place in Victoria since April 2014.

•On 1 January 2015, the national rules came into effect.

•As a general statement, if prohibited substance charges are laid by RV Stewards, such charges are heard by the independent Racing Appeals & Disciplinary (RAD) Board not RV Stewards.