The Randwick sewing circle and Pat Murray's Social Club would be aghast at the Australian Racing Board's proposal that all trainers, stablehands and horse handlers be tested for booze and other recreational drugs on non-race days, reports The Age/SMH. Its report says: "This corresponds with the report that Kieren Fallon, the Irish tearaway, was again in trouble when fined for giving stewards misleading evidence regarding his late arrival at Chester races. He pleaded heavy traffic and a flat

The Randwick sewing circle and Pat Murray's Social Club would be aghast at the Australian Racing Board's proposal that all trainers, stablehands and horse handlers be tested for booze and other recreational drugs on non-race days, reports The Age/SMH.

Its report says: "This corresponds with the report that Kieren Fallon, the Irish tearaway, was again in trouble when fined for giving stewards misleading evidence regarding his late arrival at Chester races. He pleaded heavy traffic and a flat phone battery when, in fact, he had stopped at a police station to take a voluntary breathalyser test to ensure he was fit to ride after ''having a few drinks'' the night before.

Of course he wasn't in the saddle en route to the meeting, but had he failed a breath test at Chester his career would have been jeopardy due to previous form.

''We would never condone the abuse of drugs and alcohol and all we are asking at this stage is a commonsense approach,'' Steve McMahon, the NSW Trainers' Association chief executive, said in regard to the ARB move. ''If a stablehand has a night out with his or her mates and has a few drinks, and then wakes up at 3am to sweep and clean the stables and they are 0.03, under these rules they could lose their job,'' he said.

One of the proposed rule changes could have any ''horse handler'' with a blood alcohol reading of 0.02 fined or suspended. Safety has been submitted for the change, prompting McMahon to counter: ''That's fine but surely the ARB could focus on improving the surfaces of our training and racetracks if they are really fair dinkum about workplace safety.''