Dr Derek Major calls for re-think on cobalt testing on greyhounds
A well-respected voice on the effects of cobalt in horses and dogs has pleaded for a re-think on how the banned substance is regulated in the greyhound-racing industry.
Dr Derek Major is a prominent Sydney-based veterinarian who has practiced for over 40 years.
And instead of re-inventing the wheel, he has simply called for common sense to prevail in cobalt testing across all Australian greyhound-racing venues.
This is because he has had enough of seeing grown adults coming to him for advice – some of them reduced to tears.
These conditioners are having their lives turned upside down after the long-term suspensions they are receiving from state governing bodies across the country for small amounts of cobalt found in their dogs.
Rockhampton trainer Andrew Suli is one.
He told Australian Racing Greyhound last month he has been losing sleep over the 12-month suspension – currently on a stay of proceedings – given to him by the Queensland Racing and Integrity Commission.
Cobalt was found in two of his dogs – Lines and Rockstar Lincoln – in October last year.
There is no suggestion of bad practises from Winning Edge, as is there is no suggestion of improper practice from any Australian greyhound-racing regulatory body in the way it conducts its cobalt testing on participants.
Suli's colleague and Brisbane-based trainer Tom Tzouvelis received a four-month ban (eight months suspended) which will end on August 19.
That was after Strategise and Lily Monelli returned positive cobalt readings over the 100 nanograms per millilitre limit on Ipswich Cup Night on November 11 last year.
Lily Monelli registered a 190 cobalt reading before her race, but then just 14 after her race.
Tzouvelis wanted to scale back his training and go travelling, so he did not legally challenge his suspension.
But Sydney trainer Ken Burnett was one of those reduced to tears while speaking at the Select Committee on the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC) at Goulburn in June last year.
That is because he said he had four cobalt charges brought against him after doing scientific research on his dog feeds.
In the inquiry he asked the question why he would continue to administer his greyhounds cobalt while facing four charges.
Burnett said he sent his food for testing at Royal North Shore Hospital, each round of testing costing him $500.
The testing involved a number of substances, including soil and water, and blood and urine tests on his dogs.
In the inquiry, Burnett added his total legal fees cost him $53,000 and subsequently took GWIC to court, to be then told “we surrender”.
This meant the case did not go to arbitration and Burnett could not get back his legal costs, nor was a legal precedent established.
Major has seen hundreds of similar examples from greyhound and horse trainers he's helped all around Australia.
This is why he believes enough is enough – he feels the time is now for a tweaking of the current rules in place at all state greyhound jurisdictions around the country.
But Major has simply called for greyhound-racing regulatory bodies to take a different approach to how they monitor cobalt found in dogs – even if the limit cannot be slightly increased from where it currently sits.
As was the case with Tzouvelis, the fact the Lily Monelli returned a reading of 14 after her race did not matter because if a reading over 100 pre-race is taken, the dog must subsequently be disqualified after a stewards' inquiry is carried out.
And Major is lost for words at how this can continue to affect the lives of trainers simply doing something they love.
“Cobalt in greyhounds seems to be one step sillier than what they do with the horses,” he told Australian Racing Greyhound.
“I'm actually gobsmacked on why and how they (greyhound-racing governing bodies) derived this rule for 100 nanograms per millilitre in urine in greyhounds.
“It's like they said ‘greyhounds are just like little horses – we better have a rule on it'.
“There might be background to it that I don't know of. I just don't know how or why they decided to do this.”
In an in-depth feature story with Australian Racing Greyhound last month, hobby breeder Jason Bolwell spoke about his frustration on the way he believes greyhound racing is currently over-regulated in NSW.
GWIC believes this is not the case.
“No. The Commission adopted all the national greyhound racing rules Mr Bolwell refers to,” a GWIC spokesperson said last month.
“These are set by Greyhounds Australasia (GA). The Commission merely administers the GA rules.
“There are a very limited number of local rules made by the Commission, but these are mostly complimentary of the national rules.
“The NSW Government made amendments to the Greyhound Racing Act 2017 in 2017 and commenced the Greyhound Regulation 2019.
“Again, this legislation and regulation was not developed or set by the Commission.
“The Commission's role is to administer the legislation it is obliged to under the Act.
“Greyhounds Australasia recently completed an extensive review of the National Racing Rules, which came into effect on 1 May, 2022. These changes follow a comprehensive review of the rules by Greyhounds Australasia, with streamlined and updated Greyhound Rules introduced in all states and territories.”
But Major feels there could have been better consultation from greyhound-racing governing bodies with its trainers before bringing in the current rules on cobalt found in dogs.
“What about a bit of stakeholder engagement? If you're going to propose a rule, ask around with the stakeholders,” Major said.
“Maybe they have done so, but I haven't heard of it.
“Talk to the Greyhound Breeders Owners and Trainers Association. Ask some independent veterinarians and so on.
“Don't just put in a rule. I travelled to Goulburn to go to (last year's Select Inquiry on GWIC) just to help out some trainers.
“And I came away with something new – there were three trainers in tears because their lives had been completely trashed.
“In each case, I am concerned that they may have done nothing wrong.”
But GWIC said it was happy with the processes it has in place regarding the way it communicates with conditioners and breeders.
“Yes (we review how we communicate with trainers and breeders). The Commission is committed to improving the way that it supports and services the industry,” the GWIC spokesperson said last month.
“The Commission has an ongoing process of surveying its customers and has surveyed over 2000 participants over the past 18 months to obtain their feedback.
“The Commission also established the Greyhound Industry Participant Advisory Council (GIPAC) in 2020, comprising trainers, breeders, owners and race club officials. GIPAC meets monthly with the Commission's CEO and Executive to provide feedback about the Commission's performance, including that of its stewards.
“As we indicated at last (June 30) hearing before the NSW Upper House Select Committee, the Commission has acted upon much of the feedback it has received either directly from participants or via the Select Committee hearings.”
Major is concerned for the mental health of trainers because of the way greyhounds presenting with cobalt is so heavily policed.
The widespread view across the greyhound-racing industry and from expert veterinarians – that cobalt is often found in the ground, water and food that trainers' dogs come in contact with – is not a new collective view.
So what is a process which can be put in place across Australia where trainers can feel they are getting a fairer go from stewards and governing bodies regarding positive cobalt readings?
Major believes blood testing and the introduction of an independent scientific advisory panel would lead to less conditioners getting suspended for the banned substance found in their dogs.
“I've done blood samples on dogs and it never seems to go more than two or three (nanograms per millilitre) because they're just not cobalt-doped,” he said.
“If they were cobalt-doped the readings would go up from their blood samples.
“I don't think they (greyhound-racing governing bodies) can suddenly turn around and say ‘we're throwing that (100 nanograms of cobalt per millilitre limit) rule out'.
“They've got a rod for their backs now. I can understand it's not as easy taking blood samples out of greyhounds as it is for horses.
“You can leave the 100 limit (with blood samples) if you like, but don't cost them (trainers) their livelihoods.
“Or you could say ‘we've got a reading over 100 for urine, let's now test the blood'. Something along those lines.
“Cobalt is in the environment – it's everywhere. The idea that it'd make a dog run faster, I don't know where they got that idea.”
Major is not claiming to know everything about trying to find a way forward for both frustrated trainers and governing bodies in an already heavily-regulated industry.
But he also believes having an independent group of scientists could be another constructive addition to the way positive cobalt readings affect conditioners and their livelihoods.
“I haven't got all the answers, but put it out there for some discussion,” he said.
“You need a scientific review panel which will be at arm's length of governing bodies.
“Because the way the rules are constructed now – everyone (in authority) is saying ‘I'm just doing what I'm told'.”
Major said he has built up a database of over 350 individual positive tests to cobalt across all three racing codes in Australia in recent years.
And he is adamant that a urine cobalt reading of 100 nanograms per millilitre does not affect a greyhound's performance or welfare.
“There are a number of publications in the horse-racing scientific forum where they've given a lot of cobalt to horses,” he said.
“They've given 1000 milligrams to a horse. The highest urine they got in a horse was 96,000 nanograms per millilitre.
“They couldn't find any evidence that it made red blood cells or it increased their aerobic metabolism.
“It just made them a little shivery and shaky as it was injected, but there are lots of things which can make us do that.
“And I'm not telling people to give their greyhounds or horses cobalt, or advocating for it.
“You tell me another drug that's had 350 individual positives ever.
“Those (more than 350 cobalt cases) were across all the racing codes, and of those there are 60 or 70 in greyhounds.”
Major believes the time is now for all Australian greyhound-racing governing bodies to seriously reconsider how the cobalt rules they are enforcing are affecting the collective wellbeing of trainers in their own jurisdictions.
“It's about justice for these poor trainers, and the way they're handled,” he said.
“I saw three grown people cry at the (Select Committee on GWIC) inquiry that day (at Goulburn on June 3, 2021).
“I'll help out, but it's not my main goal in life. Somebody else has got to lead that.
“(NSW One Nation leader) Mark Latham is very concerned about mental health and he's asked a lot of questions (at the Select Committee on GWIC inquiries).
“And I think sooner or later they (governing bodies) need to think ‘what are we doing to our trainers?'
“Just because a trainer signs off that he'll do what he's told, there have still got to be basic human rights.”
I’m new to the greyhound racing industry and I am a member of two family syndicates with two unnamed dogs. We all looked long and hard at the industry prior to committing to it. We have decided that any dog we own will be homed after racing with one of the syndicate members. I’m now retired supposedly but during my working life I have worked in the dry dog food manufacturing industry. Having had the opportunity to work with some of Australia’s pre eminent nutritionists formulating dog foods for all types of dogs. We actually formulated a dry dog food… Read more »