As one of the staff members I find your comment completely distasteful and uninformed. None of us do drugs and I don't think anyone snuck into a stable to have a bit of meth in the middle of the night. It's much more likely that someone who works at Awapuni has been urinating in stables and contamination has come that way. Or sneaking off to stables to have a pipe during work.
All track riders and stable staff should be tested randomly all over NZ. But, as we all know the industry doesn't have the resources or money to do this and neither do the trainers. Sad really because this is going to keep occuring and disgracing good people and their staff who work hard everyday and to the best of their knowledge present their horses drug free.
Furthermore, many tracks in NZ do not have enough tie up stall to accommodate all the runners, therefore there is no option other than a stable (which are generally dirty, dusty and delapidated) to put your horse.
I worked in Melbourne for a decade and random drug testing was conducted at track work regularly. As were pre race bloods and urine.on raceway for horses.
There were enough tie ups at every course and security present.
Without implementing some of these practices other hard working trainers and staff are going to be dragged over the coals. It's bloody hard doing this job but to be labeled that we are on drugs is just a kick in the guts.
Unfortunately you won't be the only one making these assumptions, and when we attend the races we will all have the cloud of doubt and suspicion over our heads.
Nothing quiet like being a suspected Meth head