Weekly Stewards wrap: Austen suspended as GRNSW open an inquiry
SCOTT Austen has had an interim suspension placed on his license following a targeted welfare and integrity inspection at his Box Hill property led by Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW).
Members of GRNSW’s Regulatory and Welfare units attended the property, with Stewards seizing labelled vials which are alleged to contain permanently banned substances under the Greyhound Racing Rules.
GRNSW also took samples from all of the greyhounds on the property, with the samples and the vials to be sent to Racing Analytical Services LTD for the testing of the presence of permanently banned or prohibited substances.
Additionally, a GRNSW release said the greyhounds on the property were examined by a veterinarian, with no welfare concerns identified.
Austen, who is a registered trainer, stud master and breeder has until July 7, 2016, to make submissions as to why the interim suspension of his license should not remain in place until the completion of the inquiry.
Australian Racing Greyhound will endeavour to bring readers more news on this case as information becomes available.
Positive swab for Lenehan
Victorian conditioner Phil Lenehan is set to face an inquiry in front of Greyhound Racing SA (GRSA) Stewards after one of his greyhounds, Ponting’s Nail, returned a positive urine sample to Cobalt.
The swab was collected at the Mount Gambier meeting on Sunday April 24, 2016, with the reserve portion of the urine sample tested and confirming the presence of Cobalt as a concentration above the 100ng/mL threshold in accordance with GAR 83(10).
The inquiry will be held on a date to be confirmed.
Racing Queensland dismiss Hovi inquiry
Racing Queensland (RQ) Stewards conducted an inquiry last week after a report from the Queensland Government Racing Science Centre stated a urine sample collected from the greyhound Prospect contained the prohibited substance Pentobarbitone when it won at Townsville on March 8, 2016.
Confirmatory analysis by the Analytical Services Racing Science Centre on the reserve portion of the sample confirmed the presence of Pentobarbitone in both the urine sample and control sample.
After hearing from Prospect’s trainer Harold Hovi and considering the evidence, RQ Stewards could not be satisfied Hovi had breached GAR 83 (2)(a) for presenting the greyhound when not free of a prohibited substance and subsequently took no further action.
Goodwin fined for prohibited substance offence
Queensland trainer Sidney Goodwin recently fronted an RQ Stewards inquiry charged with a breach of GAR 83 (2)(a).
The specifics of the matter were that Goodwin’s greyhound, Miss Shadow, had returned a positive urine sample to the prohibited substance Levamisole after competing at Albion park on April 3, 2016.
Goodwin pleaded guilty as charged and, after considering the evidence, was slapped with a $2,000 fine by RQ, with Miss Shadow also disqualified from the event in question.
Jay Schafer fined and disqualified
Also facing RQ recently was Jay Scafer, who was also charged with a breach of GAR 83 (2)(a) after his greyhound Lite Beam returned a positive urine sample to the prohibited substance Androstane when it ran fourth at Townsville on February 2, 2016.
Schafer pleaded guilty.
When assessing the penalty, Steward took into consideration numerous factors including it was Schafer’s second offence for the same substance.
Schafer was fined $2,500 and his licence was suspended for three months, while Lite Beam was also disqualified from the event in question.
Four Victorian trainers have inquiries adjourned
Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) Stewards have opened and adjourned four seperate inquiries after Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) detected the presence of prohibited substances in samples taken from four different greyhounds.
The greyhounds and trainers affected are as follows:
– Andrew Paraskevas whose greyhound World Of Noise returned a positive sample to Dehydronorketamine when competing at The Meadows on May 21
– Michael Fothergill whose greyhound Cosmic Spur returned a positive sample to Theobromine when competing at Shepparton on May 23
– Anthony Azzopardi whose greyhound Azza Barbosa returned a positive sample to Methylprednisolone when competing at Ballarat on May 25
– Sam Liuzzi whose greyhound Fabstar returned a positive sample to Hydroxystanazol 6-alpha when competing at Ballarat on May 25
Confirmation of RASL’s findings and news of any subsequent inquiries will depend on the analysis of the reserve and control samples from another accredited laboratory.
Genuine trainers are being defrauded by these cheats. Having all past prize money returned is the only way to stop them (as happened to Lance Armstrong). What’s wrong with our administrators?