Swabbing

[greyhoundfever 0]

Any reason why only 2 swabs were taken at wanganui on fridat night? With big reasons for trainers to have their dogs firing would of thought at least some of the big heat winners would of been swabbed, can't catch any cheats if they don't get swabbed, maybe the stipes were just having a lazy night and couldn't be bothered

[TRACKSTAR 4]

Any reason why only 2 swabs were taken at wanganui on fridat night? With big reasons for trainers to have their dogs firing would of thought at least some of the big heat winners would of been swabbed, can't catch any cheats if they don't get swabbed, maybe the stipes were just having a lazy night and couldn't be bothered

Yeah thought that was a little different,maybe they will swab the whole field this friday.

[Philocon 1]

A few meetings lately at some tracks they have swabbed three (two is only one less) and others times 5 or 6 or more. I suppose cost is a factor and also not establishing a predictable pattern that drug cheats can anticipate. Also who and what is swabbed & why is probably as important as how many.

[nahla 1]

no wonder people get away with doping of dogs only 2 swabs,your chances are pretty good of getting away with it...all winners and beaten favs should be swabbed,surely the cost is not that high,until we do punter confidence and honest trainers get the shaft.

[greyhoundfever 0]

it's pretty predictable when you get swabbed.......if you have a hot favourite thats not in a feature race and win you won't get swabbed, if you have a longish priced winner you will get swabbed, if you have a favourite in the last few races you won't get swabbed as they can't be bothered staying after the last to do the swabs.....easy to predict really....and when was the last time a favourite that missed was swabbed....never!!!

[aquaman 1,352]

Any reason why only 2 swabs were taken at wanganui on fridat night? With big reasons for trainers to have their dogs firing would of thought at least some of the big heat winners would of been swabbed, can't catch any cheats if they don't get swabbed, maybe the stipes were just having a lazy night and couldn't be bothered

NZGRA have come to the realisation their new much vaunted drug machine at the Auckland Lab [ cost million dollars] is useless. Can't even pick up E.P.O. let alone good old Steroids in Male Dogs. So the decision has been made to cut costs and just do a few to keep the idiots happy.

[Slim Shady 479]

it's pretty predictable when you get swabbed.......if you have a hot favourite thats not in a feature race and win you won't get swabbed, if you have a longish priced winner you will get swabbed, if you have a favourite in the last few races you won't get swabbed as they can't be bothered staying after the last to do the swabs.....easy to predict really....and when was the last time a favourite that missed was swabbed....never!!!

I will have to disagree a bit here, I had a dog I train open red hot favourite ($2 fixed) in a c4 race and never when out of favouritism the whole day and ended up racing $2 tote favourite, they swabbed me!! I asked them to please explain how the f*&k that works, there answer was to not take it personally!! Well I did..

[Grahame Noblet 2]

I will have to disagree a bit here, I had a dog I train open red hot favourite ($2 fixed) in a c4 race and never when out of favouritism the whole day and ended up racing $2 tote favourite, they swabbed me!! I asked them to please explain how the f*&k that works, there answer was to not take it personally!! Well I did..

If you have nothing to hide,why take it personally? and why should favourites not be swabbed?

[KJ 12]

Can u beat this one? When Big Archie started racing he ran in a non tote race, finished 1st and was swabbed!!!! It is the first time i had heard of this has anyone else had this happen, I have not heard of one since.

[caution 0]

Can u beat this one? When Big Archie started racing he ran in a non tote race, finished 1st and was swabbed!!!! It is the first time i had heard of this has anyone else had this happen, I have not heard of one since.

yes this has happen before and im sure will again.I was told there was going to be out of comp testing during the nz cup week,did this happen?

I do agree that they should swab fav that get beaten.also down here there has been the odd time when they swab the 2nd or 3rd dog.good idea. Should be randon any where anytime

[baldrick 0]

The only way to guarantee that we all race on a level playing field is to swab all 3 placegetters in every race for a month then we can dispel rumours. I wonder if any winners will dry up for any trainers if they did have the kahunas to do the testing. But unfortunately they will never do it...small cost to show we are clean (or otherwise) but too much work for them to manage and they dont like....um lets not go there.

[aquaman 1,352]

The only way to guarantee that we all race on a level playing field is to swab all 3 placegetters in every race for a month then we can dispel rumours. I wonder if any winners will dry up for any trainers if they did have the kahunas to do the testing. But unfortunately they will never do it...small cost to show we are clean (or otherwise) but too much work for them to manage and they dont like....um lets not go there.

They can do all the testing you like, but if they fail or don't have the ability to analyse what they get,whats the point.

[aquaman 1,352]

It only took the NZGRA until the year 2010 to realise Steroids were illegal under their own rules. Now that they say they are enforcing it, it transpires they are only prosecuting Bitches, Dogs are in the to hard basket. E.P.O. is not even looked for as a blood test is required and that is to hard to even consider. When they do finally nab someone you would have to consider them extremely unlucky, but hey, even then the Judcial Authority hearing the charge will 9 times out of 10 believe any old story. My favourite is the contaminated meat one, err maybe the coco sacks, oops, perhaps the tea bags. There must be many others, whats your favourites?.

[mike dallas 1]

My favourote is "Someone else did it"

[Jibberer 139]

I had a look at the Hatrick stewards report last Friday and was the most shocked I have been for a long time

Group 1 and Group 2 heats, every dog that made the final should be swabbed (mandatory here in Aus)

They missed the boat last Friday for sure

[Slim Shady 479]

If you have nothing to hide,why take it personally? and why should favourites not be swabbed?

Ive most certainly got nothing to hide but just seemed to be inconsistent to me. I firmly believe that beaten favourites should be swabbed, lets not forget that most trainers are also punters so seems logical to test.

[greyhoundfever 0]

yes it is true that the real cheats know what is and isn't tested for so they couldn't care if they were swabbed or not, would love to see a blitz for even just a week or 2 and swab for everything under the sun then the real cheats can finally get the boot.......but never will happen, the stipes and the board over here are gutless wonders

[mike dallas 1]

Would it not make sence to swab any dog that performed better/faster than it has before. I also would like to see pre race day testing, I would also like to see some dogs that are pre race tested also tested after the race if they have won or are a beaten favourite. I would also like to see trainers also tested for drugs or alcohol. All dogs in GP one finals be tested, also like Jibbs says all heat winners and place getters that are going on to the final must be swabbed.

[Mike Martin 200]

It only took the NZGRA until the year 2010 to realise Steroids were illegal under their own rules. Now that they say they are enforcing it, it transpires they are only prosecuting Bitches, Dogs are in the to hard basket. E.P.O. is not even looked for as a blood test is required and that is to hard to even consider. When they do finally nab someone you would have to consider them extremely unlucky, but hey, even then the Judcial Authority hearing the charge will 9 times out of 10 believe any old story. My favourite is the contaminated meat one, err maybe the coco sacks, oops, perhaps the tea bags. There must be many others, whats your favourites?.

Just ask the Wellington Zoo. Just recently I was thinking of changing the supplier of tucker and asked the commercial enterprise concerned if they could give a 100% gaurantee that the meat they use would never have procaine in it. They replied that they ask the people supplying the meat to them to ensure that it is procaine free but would not discount the possibility of that happening.

When you think that despite all the strict controls over meat exported for human consumption being antibiotic free it still occurs then we can probably safely assume that it is nigh on impossible to say beyond doubt that the meat we are going to feed tonight is not contaminated

[nahla 1]

slim you are 100% correct all beaten favourites should be swabbed,and all winners of every race.But do we have the testing methods in place or is it just a case of the next new drug comes along until we can test for it,then the next .

[Greyhoundrunner 0]

Ive most certainly got nothing to hide but just seemed to be inconsistent to me. I firmly believe that beaten favourites should be swabbed, lets not forget that most trainers are also punters so seems logical to test.

Too show betting transactions or tickets to wether they had backed the favourite when beaten. cheers Jim

[aquaman 1,352]

Just ask the Wellington Zoo. Just recently I was thinking of changing the supplier of tucker and asked the commercial enterprise concerned if they could give a 100% gaurantee that the meat they use would never have procaine in it. They replied that they ask the people supplying the meat to them to ensure that it is procaine free but would not discount the possibility of that happening.

When you think that despite all the strict controls over meat exported for human consumption being antibiotic free it still occurs then we can probably safely assume that it is nigh on impossible to say beyond doubt that the meat we are going to feed tonight is not contaminated

Yes I agree with all your post Mike, procaine is a problem.

From what I understand about Procaine, it has not been manufactured as an entity for decades. These days its only found in the profile of Penicillin based Antibiotics, so it stands to reason a poorly cattle beast treated with Antibiotics, but with the treatment failing, has the potential to enter the food chain thus producing a positive.

I think our Judicial Authority's have a pretty good handle on positives to Procaine, treating them at the low end of the scale, and so they should. The problem I have is the other drugs being attributed to contanimated meat such as Steroids like Stanizol, not sure of spelling, in male dogs. I can understand Antibiotics in cattle, but have a problem with other drugs.

Where's too of my favourite dogs, Maranuska, and Bengineer, they havn't been around lately?.

[Mike Martin 200]

Yes I agree with all your post Mike, procaine is a problem.

From what I understand about Procaine, it has not been manufactured as an entity for decades. These days its only found in the profile of Penicillin based Antibiotics, so it stands to reason a poorly cattle beast treated with Antibiotics, but with the treatment failing, has the potential to enter the food chain thus producing a positive.

I think our Judicial Authority's have a pretty good handle on positives to Procaine, treating them at the low end of the scale, and so they should. The problem I have is the other drugs being attributed to contanimated meat such as Steroids like Stanizol, not sure of spelling, in male dogs. I can understand Antibiotics in cattle, but have a problem with other drugs.

Where's too of my favourite dogs, Maranuska, and Bengineer, they havn't been around lately?.

Mooching around their empty out paddock a few months ago when a derranged rabbit decided to chance its luck and make a dash across their paddock right in front of them. The paddock was about 50m wide and the bunny got to the other side at a million miles an hour with the dogs about an inch behind when the fence came up. Matanuska came off worst with a shoulder twice its normal size and about 60 resulting stitches all over him, Carmia Matanna broke a dew claw toe and was retired and Bengineer had briusing but developed a track leg afterwards. Bengineer is back in training and ready to go. Matanuska not sure when but comming along slowly.

[Jibberer 139]

Hi Mike

How did 'Spike' go with Carmia Matanna - do you think he served her in time for pups ???

[Philocon 1]

Have to agree with much of what John, both Mikes and Jibberer say (although it is getting a bit worrying when aquaman and myself are in agreement - what is happening here!).

The issue is not how many or how few dogs are swabbed but which ones, when and what is done with them afterwards.

Australian singer/songwriter Eric Bogle wrote a parody on aspiring struggling earnest musicians in the music scene called "The ballad of Henry Holloway" It's set in a crowded noisy bar and in one verse he says:-

"On a small stage in the bar's farthest corner

Sits Henry Holloway playin' his guitar

Under the spotlight, sweat on his face glistenin'.

Singin' his heart out and nobody's listenin' "

All the swabbing and all the effort in the world is pointless if it's missing the target. Just focusing on how many, fails to ask more important questions of when, why and who.