RACING VICTORIA has come under fire for its handling of a case that has resulted in Damien Oliver being banned for a month for testing positive to the banned substance ephedrine, reports The Age.It says: The discovery of the sample, which was taken on derby day October 31, but, until yesterday, was not released to the media or the public. No mention of the charge, a hearing date or time of the hearing was announced by RVL stewards.Veteran steward Allan Reardon, who was in charge of the Oliver ca
RACING VICTORIA has come under fire for its handling of a case that has resulted in Damien Oliver being banned for a month for testing positive to the banned substance ephedrine, reports The Age.
It says: The discovery of the sample, which was taken on derby day October 31, but, until yesterday, was not released to the media or the public. No mention of the charge, a hearing date or time of the hearing was announced by RVL stewards.
Veteran steward Allan Reardon, who was in charge of the Oliver case, could not be contacted last night.
Dayle Brown, chief of integrity at RVL, said last night that the policy not to release findings in matters such as Oliver's was left to the chief steward of the day, but he refuted suggestions that the decision was based on individuals.
''Last night [Monday] Allan [Reardon] spoke to Damien about the finding and after those talks an inquiry was held the next day [yesterday]. But our policy is clear that we don't alert the media until we have discussed the nature and background of the substance with the jockey or track rider involved because we could be unjustly tarnishing a reputation,'' Brown said.
Last night one of the state's leading owners said: ''The stewards didn't mind giving 10 days' notice when Andrew Findlay and Jamie Mott were on serious drug charges, but when it comes to Oliver we go back to the days of the secret service.
''If RVL are at all serious about what happened then an internal inquiry must be launched.''