ABC The Drum: "Cobalt five" called by RV Stewards to show cause

The frayed and fragile reputation of Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival hangs on the outcome of hearings in Melbourne today into the "Cobalt five", writes Michael Hutak.

Cobalt, the meteoric element the smarties swear can send a racehorse past its rivals like a hurtling comet, continues to cut a swathe through the ranks of the Australian turf.

A recent rash of charges, hearings and detections related to the apparent cobalt doping of racehorses has left a stench of corruption hanging over the game's already ragged reputation. It's been a busy time of late in cobalt world:

-- Read the rest of our article over at ABC's The Drum

ABC The Drum: Cobalt from the blue, time to register racing's vets

The horse racing industry is facing yet another doping scandal, so if the main players are serious about cleaning up this mess and their reputation then it's time to register the vets, writes Michael Hutak.

Like all organised sports, doping scandals are nothing new in racing. Go fasts, go slows, "elephant juice", EPO, steroids and now Cobalt - the headlines of the last week have been both breathless and curious.

The stories around the abuse of cobalt chloride, first in harness racing and now in racing, both here and abroad, have been ongoing for more than two years. The difference this week is three of the country's highest profile trainers now have prima facie cases to answer.

...read the rest of our story over at ABC's The Drum.

Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni banned 8 years for administering steroids

Newsmaker: Al Zarooni

Former trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni has been suspended for 8-years by the UK's British Horseracing Authority's (BHA) disciplinary panel after being found guilty of administering anabolic steroids to horses at Godolphin's Moulton Stables, reports racingpost.com. As a result, "15 horses have been suspended from racing for six months as it emerged that Al Zarooni administered the banned substances with two foremen and a vet's assistant." Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford, speaking on behalf of Al Zarooni, issued an apology "to Sheikh Mohammed, all at Godolphin and fans of British racing". Australian-born BHA chief executive Paul Bittar commented in a press release: "The panel has determined that the drugs were administered on Al Zarooni's instructions. This case has shown there is no place for performance-enhancing drugs in our sport and we have a robust testing system." Bittar praised the cooperation by Godolphin's head Sheikh Mohammed to ensure a "rapid resolution" to the saga which has the potential to tarnish British racing's reputation. Australian racing luminary, Richard Freedman, commented on Twitter:

"Under current Australian racing policies regarding non-raceday steroid testing, Al Zarooni would not have been charged."

Racing NSW Chief Steward Ray Murrihy responded to the news by calling for a debate on the use of Anobolic Steriods in Australian Racing. WITH SOURCE: Breedingracing.com

Hendra virus update: more horse deaths in Queensland

Breedingracing.com reports 9th & 10th Qld Horses Die From Hendra Virus: Authorities confirmed the 9th & 10th horses have died in separate outbreaks in Queensland from the Hendra virus, reported abc.net.au. Biosecurity Queensland said the 9th horse, which “was euthanased at a property in Logan (south of Brisbane) initially tested negative to Hendra, but secondary testing showed it previously had a Hendra virus infection & had developed antibodies to the disease”. Six people who were exposed to the sick animal “have tested negative to signs of the virus”. Queensland authorities also announced “test results have confirmed a 10th horse that died in Chinchilla on Friday had the virus”. It is the 1st case west of the Great Diving Range & Queensland's chief health officer Jeannette Young said: “All people who've had contact with the horse will have blood tests taken now & again in 21 days & 42 days to just check that they haven't developed the disease.” Queensland’s chief biosecurity officer Dr Jim Thompson added only 1 property is quarantined at Chinchilla & assured: “We don't believe there is any need to be taking further actions - this is under control.” Overall there have now been 8 outbreaks of Hendra in Queensland this year; overall 10 horses in Queensland & 4 in NSW have died from the disease over the past 4 weeks.

Vet warns "time is running out" to nail Qld Hendra horse deaths

Qld Vet Calls For “Urgent Action” On Hendra: The latest Hendra virus outbreak at Chinchilla “has placed added pressure on the resources of Queensland Health and Biosecurity Queensland” reported abc.net.au. In addition to 10 horse deaths in 8 locatons across the state, “87 horses are being monitored and up to 60 people have been tested since the 1st outbreak last month”. Veterinarian Dr David Lovell, from Redland Bay east of Brisbane, warned “time is running out to determine the cause of so many Hendra virus outbreaks across Queensland”. Lovell said the State Government “needs to allocate more resources to studying the reasons behind the spike in outbreaks” and declared: “Something's different, something has changed. My belief probably is that it is all in the month of July - I think that in a very, very short period of time we have had all these different outbreaks. Why is that suddenly happening? It has never ever been like that before and it's just essential that we know.” Lovell emphasised Biosecurity Queensland “needs all the help it can get to figure it out. They are probably stretched to their limits a little bit now - I would like to see it outsourced. AusVet - their speciality is epidemiology - that is what they do and they have done some brilliant work over the years. I am sure at the CSIRO there are lots and lots of people that aren't directly on the Government payroll at the moment, that I think could be given this as an urgent, immediate project to get out there and find out.” Qld Mayor Also Calls For Hendra Action: Following the Hendra death at Chinchilla, Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown told abc.net.au “work must continue to stop the spread of Hendra virus from bats to horses”. Brown said flying fox colonies “are widespread on the Western Downs” and noted: “Personally I know myself - where I live at Moonie, I have pecan nut trees that they love to attack. It's just part of nature in Queensland - how we deal with it is certainly an issue that's got to be addressed. We don't want more frequencies of this type of event.” Source: breedingracing.com.

RSPCA: “Study reveals futility of whipping horses”

B&R Reports: WHIPPING racehorses “is pointless and does not make a difference to the outcome of the race,” according to new research from 2 University Of Sydney veterinarians. The RSPCA-funded study (published by the Public Library Of Science) investigated the impact of whipping on performance in thoroughbred races. Study co-author Professor David Evans said the results “offer no support for the retention of whipping in horse racing” and noted: “We looked at running times in a series of races, how whips were used and whether that whip use influenced the outcome of a race. What we found was that whipping did not affect the probability of whether or not a horse finished a race in the 1st 3 placings. How a horse ran in the 1st part of a race, when it wasn’t being whipped, was the most critical factor in racing success. So horses are being whipped in the final stages of a race, in the face of muscle fatigue, for no benefit.” Co-author and animal behaviour expert Professor Paul McGreevy said he hoped this research “would highlight the fallacy and futility of whipping” and declared: “The reason for whip use has traditionally been the need to be seen to ride the horse out and the suggestion that you can steer a horse with the whip. Many horse riders, and certainly these findings, refute that. Top performance horses have been bred and prepared to give of their best. Add to that excellent horsemanship and you’ve got a winning combination. That’s all you need. We have evidence here that great horsemanship does not involve flogging tired horses.” RSPCA chief scientist Dr Bidda Jones said the results “will help end the debate over whether there is a place for whipping in the future of Australian thoroughbred racing” and added: “This study has found that jockeys use whips just as people would expect – to try to make their slowing horse recover speed in the closing stages of a race in the hope they will get a place. That’s not surprising. What is surprising is the finding that whipping doesn’t make any difference. Jockeys may as well save their energy, keep their hands on the reins and head straight for home. Their horses will be so much better off for it.” Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University Of Sydney Professor Rosanne Taylor said this report “will challenge traditional thinking” and commented: “Science has the ability to challenge our views of what is otherwise considered the norm. This result is a good example of how evidence can inform the way we work with animals to promote their optimal performance and welfare. In this instance, the future wellbeing of Australian racehorses is looking brighter, because we now better understand that horses give their best when they are not whipped, before the 400m mark, positioning themselves for a win or place.” (Jan 28)