A VICTORIAN trainer was yesterday under investigation by Racing Victoria stewards after two of his racehorses tested positive to the banned substance erythropoietin (EPO) and could face disqualification for up to five years if found guilty, reports The Age.It says: In an Australian thoroughbred racing first, the two horses were part of out-of-competition testing when the abnormalities were detected.The out-of-competition tests were analysed by a Victorian laboratory and after the abnormalities w
A VICTORIAN trainer was yesterday under investigation by Racing Victoria stewards after two of his racehorses tested positive to the banned substance erythropoietin (EPO) and could face disqualification for up to five years if found guilty, reports The Age.
It says: In an Australian thoroughbred racing first, the two horses were part of out-of-competition testing when the abnormalities were detected.
The out-of-competition tests were analysed by a Victorian laboratory and after the abnormalities were detected the samples were then sent to the Hong Kong Club's laboratory where the finding was confirmed.
Further analysis of the samples was being conducted by the Horse Racing Forensic Laboratory in the UK. But Racing Victoria will not release the name of the trainer until the UK test results are known.
''The investigative process is ongoing and I can't say anything further. It would be inappropriate at this stage to comment on the identity of the person involved,'' said Dayle Brown, RVL's general manager of integrity services.
Brown said a new kit for testing for EPO had been in place since last spring. ''We've had this robust regime in place for some time and this is the first time we've detected the substance EPO,'' he said.