Cobalt Moody / Kav / O'Brien

[GONSTA 1,148]

http://m.smh.com.au/sport/horseracing/peter-moody-may-face-disqualification-after-runners-positive-swab-to-cobalt-20150113-12nfqj.html

20k? Slap on the forehead with a wet fish? 3 months suspension?

Interesting times, will be interesting to see how they handle this one. The image of horse racing to the general public must be at an all time low after the last couple of years scandals. Some peoples heads are stuck so far in the sand when it comes to performance enhancing drugs and horse racing, but that stuff doesn't happen in NZ right guys?

[aquaman 1,352]

Threshold levels here in NZ, you have to be kidding, why, they havn't even established one for Steroids in males, dogs or horses, and thats after 6yrs off waffle. Still in the darkages here when it comes to drugs.

[aquaman 1,352]

http://m.smh.com.au/sport/horseracing/peter-moody-may-face-disqualification-after-runners-positive-swab-to-cobalt-20150113-12nfqj.html

20k? Slap on the forehead with a wet fish? 3 months suspension?

Interesting times, will be interesting to see how they handle this one. The image of horse racing to the general public must be at an all time low after the last couple of years scandals. Some peoples heads are stuck so far in the sand when it comes to performance enhancing drugs and horse racing, but that stuff doesn't happen in NZ right guys?

I understand if found guilty of this charge, its 3 yrs mandatory. So it will not be a wet bus ticket. I take my hat off to the Aussies, they are not afraid to take these things seriously, unlike here.

[GONSTA 1,148]

This explains sooo much to me. I always wondered how Moody turned Midsummer Music / Brambles Lidari + many others into competitive G1 horses.

I remember reading a few months back that the chances of exceeding the threshold of 50-60ml naturally is about 1 in 2 million. The threshold in Australia is 200, and only 100 in Hong Kong. Interesting times ahead... Guess we will have to wait another month or 2 and see how the Moody team is going. After his positive in 2011 his stable was a layers dream for quite a long time.

[GONSTA 1,148]

I understand if found guilty of this charge, its 3 yrs mandatory. So it will not be a wet bus ticket. I take my hat off to the Aussies, they are not afraid to take these things seriously, unlike here.

We will see, the whole racing world will be watching with interest. Just search Peter Moody on twitter and see how many news outlets in the world are running the headline 'Black Caviar's trainer charged with cobalt use'... Very detrimental to racing...

Chances are it's just food contamination or one of his stable hands fed the wrong horse the wrong product, or someone has 'nobbled' him... Hehehehe

[biff 2,158]

You know the fly in the ointment to a few is the frozen swab conundrum and whilst it should put the fear of God into most, in reality let's look at a hyperthetical shall we? Let's say in a few years they discover 15/20 maybe 50 or so positives in a certain leading trainers retrospective swabs taken over a 10 year period. Let's say these are major Gr1 results also, will the trainer face charges and will the prize money then be given to the new winners, with owners of disqualified horses having to repay the prize money? Imagine the fallout, the disgust, the disaster, not to mention the legal ramifications with lawyers salivating, never going to happen........racing couldn't afford it, so integrity is the dirtyist word in the racing dictionary.........Moody may well be innocent, other stables are still under suspicion, especially as there were the rumours back in the early days of this decade, Moody has fought innuendo before, it came primarily from a very good, well respected VIC trainer, he must be planning the next vitriol. Interesting times ahead.

[GONSTA 1,148]

Uh oh... This is getting big. Kavanagh and Danny O'Brien both charged with positive cobalt tests today...

Personally I think the only way you will ever stop these drug cheats is by making it a criminal offence and handing it over to the police. For blatant performance enhancing drugs such as cobalt.

With prize money as good as it is these days and the chances of being caught so slim, and even if you do get caught your only facing some time on the sideline with a little fine. The reward well out weighs the risk, sadly enough.

[biff 2,158]

Yep, sadly the rumours were fact, poor Kav, he can't train a winner anywhere and now faces this, wonder if the Irish will desert him now? Kav is a stayer, Rodd's gone, Baster and Boss stuck, but it's going to be hard on him now, the other fellas facing the stick will have some beaut stories, contaminated feed is odds on and firming. I bet there are some nervous staff at Flemington and Caulfield.

[GONSTA 1,148]

Here's a list of harness horses cobalt readings to get a guide as to how high the threshold is compared to a horses natural level.

http://www.harnessmediacentre.com.au/uploads/files/integrity%20notices/cobalt%20results%20publication%2027082014.pdf

[Midget 4,489]

Here's a list of harness horses cobalt readings to get a guide as to how high the threshold is compared to a horses natural level.

http://www.harnessmediacentre.com.au/uploads/files/integrity%20notices/cobalt%20results%20publication%2027082014.pdf

That person R Nicholson had 2@2000plus,they would have been on another planet,would they not??

[GONSTA 1,148]

That person R Nicholson had 2@2000plus,they would have been on another planet,would they not??

Absolutely. No respect for the animals at all. He got 3 years suspension, which still doesn't seem long enough.

Gotta love all the statements from Moody, Kav and O'brien... All speaking absolute drivel and shocked at how this drug somehow entered their horses system and made them run really fast!! Absolutely pathetic.

[Michael Roustoby 292]

Is this the same P Moody who threw his toys out when stipes asked trainers for keys to their stables?

[Trump 2,741]

Terry Bailey is a Bloodhound and will take this as far as it goes. It will end up in appeals etc but ultimately, this WILL play out. As for Danielle Johnson, she faces a similar charge as Chad Schofield had for improper riding against Michelle Payne. He got a lengthy stretch so it will be interesting to compare how Nz deals with it.

[what a post 811]

Yes we are lucky  here in nz that our officials have not had to bother even announcing a threshold level because  they know no one  would dare use that sort of stuff  here.   We are lucky too that officials have not bothered to print the results of the preliminary tests  taken here because why would they do that. All that would do is pander to  those no good, shit stirring, jealous gossips who use alias on chat sites

[biff 2,158]

With respect, anyone who thinks a particular place is sacrosanct such as here is kidding themselves. Sorry, but since Jesus played fullback everyone is looking for an edge in competitive sports. Just because prize money here is laughable, don't think for a minute NZ is above this behaviour. It would not be as prevalent, but may well be happening. Ginner Hart did time way back in the 60's, Dr Bells if I recall, could be wrong, but betcha booties someday, somewhere Cape to the Bluff a positive will surface. Sad, but apathy is a pre-curser to stupidity. Be parochial WAP by all means, but be a realist, whoever would have thought Godolphin in UK would have all those black marks against them, and all that money too, they/he needed an edge, but at what cost.

[GONSTA 1,148]

With respect, anyone who thinks a particular place is sacrosanct such as here is kidding themselves. Sorry, but since Jesus played fullback everyone is looking for an edge in competitive sports. Just because prize money here is laughable, don't think for a minute NZ is above this behaviour. It would not be as prevalent, but may well be happening. Ginner Hart did time way back in the 60's, Dr Bells if I recall, could be wrong, but betcha booties someday, somewhere Cape to the Bluff a positive will surface. Sad, but apathy is a pre-curser to stupidity. Be parochial WAP by all means, but be a realist, whoever would have thought Godolphin in UK would have all those black marks against them, and all that money too, they/he needed an edge, but at what cost.

I actually thought what a post was taking the piss, maybe he wasn't tho. Totally agree with you tho, anyone that thinks this stuff isn't happening in NZ is either naive, or they are living with their heads in the sand.

I'd love for the cobalt results to be published in NZ, it would certainly make a few people pretty nervous IMO. We all want a transparent industry where integrity and horse welfare are the #1 issues facing all codes.

Here's some more information about the rather high threshold that has been set in Australia.

"Here are some extracts taken from the Supreme Court case

Day v Harness Racing New South Wales [2014] NSWSC 1402 (14 October 2014)

…Mr Sanders reported to the board of HRNSW for its meeting in August 2013, relevantly as follows:…

…During my discussions with Dr Terry Wan of the HKJC about the detection of Cobalt he has been conducting research on this substance since 2007 in both urine and blood samples. Although he would not commit to a threshold level due to the research paper not being published and reviewed, he does give some clear indication on what levels he believes would be expected in an untreated horse. He believe [sic] that no untreated horse should have a level greater than 60ng/ml but to be safe a level of 100ng/ml would clearly represent a treated horse on raceday…

…Mr Sanders briefed Professor Hibbert with the results of the 80 samples and asked to undertake a statistical analysis to determine the expected cobalt level in a normal horse. Professor Hibbert's expertise is not in issue. He is a highly eminent statistician and analytical chemist and Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of New South Wales.

Professor Hibbert provided his "Confidential Report Cobalt in Equine Urine" to HRNSW on 2 November 2013.

The results ranged from 0.78µg/L to 3460 µg/L. He found that the majority of horses in the sample, 63 out of 80, had a cobalt concentration of 50 µg/L or lower.

Professor Hibbert found no discernible pattern for the results above 50 µg/L.

…Professor Hibbert opined that, because there were no samples with a concentration between 50 and 97 µg/L and because the vast majority of samples were substantially below 50 µg/L, it was reasonable to infer that those below 50 µg/L came from horses that had not been treated…

…the November 2013 report provided sufficient information about the distribution of mass concentration of urinary cobalt to be used by HRNSW in its determination of a threshold of 200 µg/L and that the selection of that threshold was both rational and reasonable…"

[aquaman 1,352]

Just got off the phone to Neil Grimstone, Manager of Integrity Assurance. Like the title, really inspiring, gives me great confidence. Neil stated NZ hasn't established a threshold level yet for Cobalt but were working through the processes which takes time, hopefully maybe this year.  As for Anabolic Steroids in Males, much the same, still no threshold level established. Asked if he was happy with where NZ's at in regards to testing, he was, stating all these procedures take time.   WELL BLOW ME DOWN, I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER NOW, FULL ON CONFIDENT THAT WHEN MY DOG LINES UP TOMMORROW IT WILL BE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

[GONSTA 1,148]

Just got off the phone to Neil Grimstone, Manager of Integrity Assurance. Like the title, really inspiring, gives me great confidence. Neil stated NZ hasn't established a threshold level yet for Cobalt but were working through the processes which takes time, hopefully maybe this year.  As for Anabolic Steroids in Males, much the same, still no threshold level established. Asked if he was happy with where NZ's at in regards to testing, he was, stating all these procedures take time.   WELL BLOW ME DOWN, I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER NOW, FULL ON CONFIDENT THAT WHEN MY DOG LINES UP TOMMORROW IT WILL BE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

LOL. 6 million+ to run the RIU and they are still living in the 1900's. Quite sad really.

[what a post 811]

I was just taking the piss. Here in nz  most industry leaders would rather ignore the problem because it creates bad press. We cant have that can we. Reality is things will never change and  im sure most trainers have worked out long ago you are better off to join them if you want to make a living. 

[biff 2,158]

Beaut WAP, I should have known better……..you're on the button of course, the geese at HQ here wouldn't know a positive from cobalt!…….they think thats a shot from a hot wire when you're pissed and trying to open the bottom gate and avoid the Mrs/partner!

[biff 2,158]

BTW, nice to read QLD about to announce a naughty little disclosure re positives to the old Cobalt also……hard to believe there are cheats in QLD, forgetting the GOV and half the immigrants from south of the border down VIC way. Home of the white shoe and white hair brigade.

[mckenzie 608]

 

RACING’s latest drama may have shocked the wider world but in the industry itself there is not a single dropped jaw.

Cobalt use had became a cancer in an industry where the pressure on desperate trainers to find a winning edge remains a wicked incentive to break the rules.

Talk to any well-informed person in the racing and they all say cobalt had been used rampantly and recklessly for years, particularly before a threshold was set on its use recently.

Drug-wise, racing is no different to the Olympics. The dodgy chemists always seem to be a year or two ahead of the testers.

“Cobalt was everywhere. They had to act,’’ one industry source said yesterday.

“There have been cowboys out there selling it for years and I’m not even sure whether some of them knew what they were doing.

“Before a threshold was introduced last year there were an enormous amount of horses on it. It certainly improved horses. There were horses on it going around the provincials who improved to near open company in town.’’

Some Brisbane harness racing horses which had career-best mile rates of 1:58 sec reportedly improved to around 1:56 sec after being treated with cobalt.

Finally the gap has closed but the interesting part is what happens now, because racing has a tendency to handle big scandals badly.

From the Gai Waterhouse-John Singleton stoush, to the mysteriously delayed inquiry into Damien Oliver betting on a rival horse, hearings seem to proceed slowly and the line between fact and fiction, right and wrong, becomes clouded with protracted debate.

All this happens while punters press on not knowing who to believe and heavily suspecting they’ve been had.

Three of Victoria’s biggest trainers — Peter Moody, Danny O'Brien and Mark Kavanagh — will face charges of cobalt use.

Racing’s paranoia about its own image is such that when the VRC released a press release late on Melbourne Cup day wrapping up the day it waffled on about the warm and fuzzy elements for 15 paragraphs before sneaking in a brief mention of the fact that two horses died, which was the only thing anyone was talking about.

The cobalt issue is bigger and potentially more damaging than the Waterhouse, Oliver and Cup death stories. It must be sorted out quickly and clearly by stewards who, it must be said, have made an impressively strong start.

According to an industry source, there have already been some secret and alarming twists.

“You cannot ban the substance because it occurs naturally but when they put a threshold on it you would have thought people would be dropping off, but a whole new group started using it and pushing it to the threshold.’’

For some reason, because drug tests positive to cobalt took six weeks to come back instead of the normal one or two weeks, there were harness racing trainers in Sydney who thought it was not testing positive because they had heard nothing for the first weeks after being tested for it. Then they were caught.’’

The cobalt story started a decade ago when it was first used by harness racing trainers in North America at the same time that scientists in Europe were learning that it had similar effects on humans to EPO, in that it makes the body believe it is not getting enough oxygen.

Australian stewards were tipped off about its regular use a year ago as distressing stories filtered through from California about the mystery deaths of seven racehorses trained by world-renowned trainer Bob Baffert.

Though no irregularities were found and it was later concluded that five died of heart attacks, there were reports that tissues from the horses had been tested for cobalt.

Horses who are given cobalt have been known to improve rapidly but also fade quickly if they receive too much of it.

There were reports that after NSW stewards set a limit of 200 micrograms per litre, one horse returned a level of 3500.

Cobalt is not a prescription drug, so it can be easily obtained.

 

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/superracing/horse-racings-insiders-knew-the-industry-was-rife-with-cobalt-writes-robert-craddock/story-fnii0mrv-1227185121831

[cherry_bomb 89]

"Join us on Friday 24th January at Rydges Wellington for a Cup Eve luncheon with Peter Moody.

Hear stories from the man who trained the superstar Black Caviar."

 

http://tickets.trentham.co.nz/tour/view/689

[Trump 2,741]

Good betting system, "Back stables - not horses"

[Trump 2,741]

Terry Bailey (Vic)!and Reid Sanders (NSW) are quite strong administrators. They will take this to the limit for sure.