Racing’s Integrity Commissioner is aware of the Formestane drug saga currently playing out in Victorian racing, Betsy can reveal.
The situation, for those who have missed it, is a mess.
It involves five horses who tested positive to a breast cancer drug, but it’s entirely possible the substances are naturally occurring, yet the trainers face big fines and expensive legal bills.
The five Victorian trainers involved don’t dispute the positive tests, albeit at a very low level, but are at a loss as to how substance found its way there.
So are Racing Victoria, who have found no evidence of wrongdoing.
But Racing Victoria on Wednesday asked the Victorian Racing Tribunal for fines of a combined $60,000 for the five trainers for presenting their horses with a banned substance essentially as an act of deterrence, despite the Racing Victoria CEO last week saying there had been ”no wrongdoing” by the trainers.
The Commissioner, Terrie Benfield, confirmed she was aware of the developments.
‘’I am aware of current Formestane cases involving Victorian trainers. As there are currently matters on foot before the Victorian Racing Tribunal, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this time,’’ she told Betsy.
‘’I encourage anyone with information or concerns about integrity in the Victorian racing industry to report them via the Commissioner Racing Integrity Hotline – 1300 227 225.’’
The whole saga is messy.
SEN host Gareth Hall asked Racing Victoria CEO Aaron Morrison about the situation last week, with one response leaving a few involved in the saga confused.
”What’s important is that these charges are presentation charges, not administration charges, so no one at all at Racing Victoria is suggesting any actual wrongdoing by the trainers,’’ he told Hall.
To add further confusion to Morrison’s claim is Racing Victoria’s legal team on Wednesday arguing for the hefty fines for the accused trainers “to send an appropriate message”.
If they’ve done nothing wrong as Morrison states, then what exactly is the message?
Racing Victoria are taking the cute position in that they never officially charged anyone with doing anything deliberate – only that the banned substances were present.
Racing Victoria though argued in the Victorian Racing Tribunal that levels of the banned breast cancer drug found was most likely administered to the horses, either deliberately or accidentally. It was a serious accusation that they later withdrew.
Racing Victoria’s position was taken to task by barrister Damien Sheales during the hearing, who is representing the five trainers.
‘’So obviously the trainers, being accused of administering these substances – it’s incredibly reputationally damaging,’’ Sheales told the Victorian Racing Tribunal, adding later:
‘’The trainers take it very personally, as you can imagine, that they’re administering steroids.”
So if Racing Victoria don’t find a different path forward – that while admitting the substances could be naturally produced but still ask for hefty fines regardless – with another 19 cases with the same drug due to hit the courts, then someone independent such as Benfield may need to get involved.
Surely one of the first questions needs to be – why is the lab that tested these samples, and part-owned by Racing Victoria – the only business in the world that is returning an initial positive result to Formestane?
And if Racing Victoria believe the trainers have done nothing wrong, why seek the hefty fines as an act of deterrence?
