Victorian trainer Matt Brown is the latest to be caught up in racing’s Formestane saga, after being fined when the banned substance was detected in one of his horses, despite the possibility it may be naturally produced.
The Formestane saga continues to impact Victorian racing, with a number of trainers already fined by the Victorian Racing Tribunal.
Racing Victoria initially alleged that Formestane – a breast cancer drug – could have been administered either deliberately or accidentally.. A number of Victorian trainers were upset with the insinuation they may have cheated, maintained their innocence, stating they had no idea how the drug entered their horses’ systems.
It was announced recently that another six Victorian stables face fines after being caught up in the mystery presence of the banned breast cancer drug Formestane and its metabolites in horses., bringing the number of impacted trainers to 13.
Brown on Tuesday appeared before Stewards under a new system, which allows participants to have cases heard by Stewards rather than the Victorian Racing Tribunal after presentation charges were removed from the Serious Offences list.
According to Racing Victoria, ”Stewards heard submissions on penalty and after doing so took into consideration Mr Brown’s guilty plea, his personal circumstances and his record noting that this was his second offence relating to a presentation charge.”
”Taking into account these submissions, together with the precedent set by the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT), the Stewards determined that Mr Brown be fined $6,000, with $3,000 suspended for 12 months pending no further relevant offences during that time,’’ the statement said.
”In addition, acting under AR 240 (1) Rip ‘N’ Rip was disqualified from Race 7 at Bendigo Racecourse, the Sheahan Plumbing BM64 Handicap over 1300 metres on 13 July 2025 and the finishing order amended accordingly.
”Mr Brown was advised of his rights of appeal which must be lodged with the VRT within three days.’’
Racing Victoria announced earlier this year that it had funded an international study to discover whether Formestane is naturally produced in some horses. The findings are not due until sometime in 2027.
